Forgotten Authors No 54: Richmal Crompton
Sunday 23 May 2010
Latest in Features
Related stories
Writers of children's books tread a fine line. They need their lead characters to be interesting and a little wayward, but if they are too wild, the wrath of parents and librarians will be incurred; too soft, and their target audience will lose interest.
Certain schoolboy heroes from the past have fallen from fashion, the victims of changing attitudes; the once hugely popular Billy Bunter books have been expunged from history, presumably for being calorifically challenged (I'd like to have covered Frank Richards' series, but couldn't find any copies). Happily, several of Crompton's Just William books are available in reprint, though they are now a minority taste that probably appeals to older fans with a sense of nostalgia.
Most readers thought Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a man. So shy was she that she did not disabuse them of the notion, even as her anarchic, disruptive schoolboy, shown with his cap askew and tie undone, graced nearly 40 volumes of exploits. Crompton wrote for adults too, but her lasting claim to fame is this William Brown, whose adventures were populated with a gang of rebels called the Outlaws, including Ginger, Henry, Douglas and the awful, frilly, lisping Violet Elizabeth (catchphrase; "'I'm going to thcream and thcream until I'm thick!"), who was appropriately played in a TV adaptation by Bonnie Langford.
Crompton was born in Lancashire in 1890. The first William story appeared in Home magazine in 1919, and she continued writing them throughout her life, the last being published in 1970 after her death; there is something touching about a writer who never married producing books beloved by children.
With a certain amount of boring inevitability, Crompton's books were later attacked by critics for being irrelevant and middle-class, as if being able to write well was itself a liability. One reader points out that nowadays the books aren't a very easy read for preteens because they are peppered with words such as "epicurean", "apoplectic" and "discoursing", to which I say, "Look it up."
And of course, William's rebelliousness – performing a conjuring trick with an egg that goes wrong, trying to arrange a marriage for his sister or planning to sell Ginger's brothers as slaves to raise money – are hopelessly mild compared with the minefield of dangers facing modern parents. But perhaps an updated version, "William and the Crack Dealers", featuring a schoolboy wielding a sharpened screwdriver instead of a catapult, might rob the books of their childhood charms.
- 1 Eurovision row escalates as Iran withdraws ambassador
- 2 One is nipping to Tesco: Jubilant Jubilee royals as seen by Alison Jackson
- 3 Rapper Kanye West premieres Cruel Summer at Cannes Film Festival
- 4 Watch The Throne – Jay-Z and Kanye West, O2 Arena, London
- 5 Last night's viewing: Hit & Miss, Sky Atlantic; My Big Fat Fetish, Channel 4
- 6 Rebel with a camera: Dennis Hopper's stunning photographic archive is revealed
- 7 Bee Gees star Robin Gibb loses cancer battle
- 8 From fashion to film: Jean Paul Gaultier on his week as a Cannes juror
- 9 Jedward reach Eurovision final in Baku
- 10 On the Road, Cannes Film Festival
- 1 Villas-Boas out of contention as Liverpool have second thoughts
- 2 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 3 Queen tried to use state poverty fund to heat Buckingham Palace
- 4 Society: The only way is Finland
- 5 Portugal 'sells' Ronaldo to Spain in £160m deal on national debt
- 6 Uefa may reconsider Champions League rule that saw Chelsea qualify instead of Tottenham
- 7 DmC Devil May Cry set for early 2013 release
- 8 On the Road, Cannes Film Festival
- 9 French in uproar over oral sex anti-smoking posters
- 10 Coke reveals its secret: It may need to carry a cancer warning
Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.
Can you imagine a career in teaching?
Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.
Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Back in the thick of it... Alastair Campbell returns to work as a spin doctor
Supermarkets accused of ripping off shoppers with 'misleading' offers
Therapist who tried to 'cure' me of being gay thrown out...
In a Sudanese field, cluster bomb evidence proves just how deadly this war has become
Diamond Jubilee river parade
Mining tycoon beats Wal-Mart heiress to title of richest woman
Language: The cussing room floor


Comments