Why is Sir Elton lauded but Enid dubbed a racist?

As you reported last week, Enid Blyton was denied the honour of appearing on a commemorative coin after Royal Mint bosses branded her racist and homophobic. Racist? There are more examples of both racism and anti-Semitism in Shakespeare’s plays.

Homophobic? Enid died in 1968, a year after the law was passed permitting gay relationships in private for those aged 21 or over. If she had promoted or encouraged such relationships during her career, she would likely have fallen foul of the law. She was of her time, as was Shakespeare. Her great legacy, well worth celebrating, was encouraging generations of young people to read.

Meanwhile, Elton John has been given the honour of appearing on Royal Mail stamps. I like the man, but come on! By his own admission, for many years he was so heavily into illegal drugs and alcohol that his addictions nearly killed him – not a lifestyle parents would encourage their children to follow. Yet he is chosen to be publicly celebrated, while Enid is decried. What a funny old world.

Tony Carmedy, Navenby, Lincolnshire

I fail to grasp the logic of how Sir Elton is to feature on a new set of postage stamps to mark 50 years as a pop singer, whereas Enid Blyton – one of the most successful authors of all time – was not suitable, according to the Royal Mint, for a commemorative 50p coin to mark the 50th anniversary of her death. As they say in America: ‘Go figure!’

Kit Owen, March, Cambridgeshire

Enid Blyton’s Noddy series taught me to love and value books. I received her Shadow The Sheepdog as a Sunday School prize. That book inspired me to write my first book aged eight.

Irrespective of her views, I am not racist (have never been), I am not sexist (no chance, having a wife and two daughters) and I am not homophobic.

The Noddy books no more influenced me on these issues than Grimm’s Fairy Tales made me believe witches would come to the door giving me poisoned apples or that wolves would try to blow my house down.

They were stories – they were not real life and I understood that better at three years old than members of the Royal Mint’s committee do in adulthood.

Phil Robinson, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire

What utter nonsense to reject Enid Blyton because her views in a far different time could not be considered politically correct by today’s (extreme) standards.

Neil Coppendale, Shoreham-by-Sea

No commemorative coin for Enid Blyton? As the girls of Malory Towers would cry: ‘How jolly feeble and unsporting!’ What next? No midnight feasts in case the sun gets upset?

Amanda Yates, Newcastle