Robert Dessaix believes it’s Enid Blyton rather than Pushkin, Proust or whoever wrote Tootle, who has had the most enduring effect on his imaginative life. (In fact, he can’t even remember reading Proust.)  It’s not just a matter of treacle pudding and naughty fairies. Enid Blyton, a charmless woman who rarely left Buckinghamshire, nevertheless knew all about enchantment, adventure and the secret places children like to escape to. Robert Dessaix is still finding his way home.