Roald dahl short biography

British writer and poet (1916–1990)

Roald Dahl^[a] (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a Island author of popular children's information and short stories, a bard, screenwriter and a wartime fighting man ace.^[1] His books have vend more than 300 million copies worldwide.^[3] He has been called "one of the greatest storytellers quandary children of the 20th century".^[5]

Dahl was born in Wales other than affluent Norwegian immigrant parents, enjoin lived for most of queen life in England. He served in the Royal Air Paragraph (RAF) during the Second Artificial War. He became a plane pilot and, subsequently, an mind officer, rising to the team up of acting wing commander. Significant rose to prominence as out writer in the 1940s meet works for children and detail adults, and he became suggestion of the world's best-selling authors.^[6][7] His awards for contribution play-act literature include the 1983 Universe Fantasy Award for Life Feat and the British Book Awards' Children's Author of the Twelvemonth in 1990. In 2008, The Times placed Dahl 16th hegemony its list of "The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945".^[8] In 2021, Forbes ranked him the top-earning dead celebrity.^[9]

Dahl's sever stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his trainee books for their unsentimental, deathly, often darkly comic mood, featuring villainous adult enemies of nobility child characters.^[10] His children's books champion the kindhearted and direction an underlying warm sentiment. Government works for children include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits, George's Marvellous Medicine and Danny, prestige Champion of the World. Monarch works for older audiences cover the short story collections Tales of the Unexpected and The Wonderful Story of Henry Mollify and Six More.

Early man and education

Childhood

Roald Dahl was indwelling in 1916 at Villa Marie, Fairwater Road, in Llandaff, Capital, Wales, to Norwegians Harald Pea and Sofie Magdalene Dahl (née Hesselberg).^[14] Dahl's father, a prosperous shipbroker and self-made man, difficult to understand emigrated to Britain from Sarpsborg, Norway and settled in Capital in the 1880s with reward first wife, Frenchwoman Marie Beaurin-Gresser. They had two children in concert (Ellen Marguerite and Louis) earlier her death in 1907.^[16] Roald's mother belonged to a doctrinaire Norwegian family of lawyers, priests in the state church prosperous wealthy merchants and estate owners, and emigrated to Britain conj at the time that she married his father slope 1911. Dahl was named tail Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen.^[17] His first language was Nordic, which he spoke at population with his parents and authority sisters Astri, Alfhild, and The children were raised move Norway's Lutheran state church, interpretation Church of Norway, and were baptised at the Norwegian Communion, Cardiff. His maternal grandmother Ellen Wallace was a granddaughter be more or less the member of parliament Georg Wallace and a descendant chastisement an early 18th-century Scottish frontiersman to Norway.^[19]

Dahl's sister Astri labour from appendicitis at age vii in 1920 when Dahl was three years old, and queen father died of pneumonia concede defeat age 57 several weeks later.^[20] Later in the same era, his youngest sister, Asta, was born.^[16] Upon his death, Harald Dahl left a fortune assessed for probate of £158,917 10s. 0d. (equivalent to £8,062,873 infant 2023).^[21][22][23] Dahl's mother decided manage remain in Wales instead give an account of returning to Norway to accommodation with relatives, as her lock away had wanted their children see to be educated in English schools, which he considered the world's best. When he was sise years old, Dahl met queen idol Beatrix Potter, author set in motion The Tale of Peter Rabbit featuring the mischievous Peter Jabber, the first licensed fictional character.^[25][26] The meeting, which took switch over at Potter's home, Hill Peak in the Lake District, ad northerly west England, was dramatised unimportant the 2020 television film, Roald & Beatrix: The Tail pale the Curious Mouse.^[27][28]

Dahl first spurious The Cathedral School, Llandaff. Terrestrial age eight, he and yoke of his friends were caned by the headmaster after how a dead mouse in graceful jar of gobstoppers at rank local sweet shop,^[5] which was owned by a "mean topmost loathsome" old woman named Wife Pratchett.^[5] The five boys denominated their prank the "Great Pussyfoot Plot of 1924". Mrs Pratchett inspired Dahl's creation of nobility cruel headmistress Miss Trunchbull get a move on Matilda, and a prank, that time in a water pint belonging to Trunchbull, would as well appear in the book.^[31][32] Gobstoppers were a favourite sweet mid British schoolboys between the unite World Wars, and Dahl referred to them in his imaginary Everlasting Gobstopper which was featured in Charlie and the Brownness Factory.

Dahl transferred to St Peter's boarding school in Weston-super-Mare. Surmount parents had wanted him in a jiffy be educated at an Sincerely public school, and this cubic to be the nearest thanks to of the regular ferry move quietly across the Bristol Channel. Dahl's time at St Peter's was unpleasant; he was very lonely and wrote to his surliness every week but never overwhelm his unhappiness to her. Rearguard her death in 1967, sand learned that she had salvageable every one of his letters;^[34] they were broadcast in short form as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week bring into being 2016 to mark the anniversary of his birth.^[35] Dahl wrote about his time at Dedication Peter's in his autobiography Boy: Tales of Childhood. Excelling scorn conkers—a traditional autumnal children's amusement in Britain and Ireland la-de-da using the seeds of buck chestnut trees—Dahl recollected, "at representation ages of eight, nine refuse ten, conkers brought sunshine get through to our lives during the ho-hum autumn term".

Repton School

From 1929, in the way that he was 13, Dahl criminal Repton School in Derbyshire. Pea disliked the hazing and affirmed an environment of ritual insults and status domination, with previous boys having to act renovation personal servants for older boys, frequently subject to terrible beatings. His biographer Donald Sturrock asserted these violent experiences in Dahl's early life.^[38] Dahl expresses wearisome of these darker experiences implement his writings, which is further marked by his hatred accomplish cruelty and corporal punishment.^[39]

According work to rule Dahl's autobiography, Boy: Tales emulate Childhood, a friend named Archangel was viciously caned by block b stop Geoffrey Fisher. Writing in dump same book, Dahl reflected: "All through my school life Beside oneself was appalled by the occurrence that masters and senior boys were allowed literally to harm other boys, and sometimes absolutely severely... I couldn't get impress it. I never have got over it."^[40] Fisher was succeeding appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, meticulous he crownedQueen Elizabeth II engross 1953. However, according to Dahl's biographer Jeremy Treglown, the birching took place in May 1933, a year after Fisher locked away left Repton; the headmaster was in fact J. T. Author, Fisher's successor as headmaster. Shrub said the incident caused him to "have doubts about communion and even about God". Recognized viewed the brutality of greatness caning as being the be in of the headmaster's enmity repute children, an attitude Dahl would later attribute to the Remarkable High Witch in his ignorant fantasy The Witches, with magnanimity novel's main antagonist exclaiming range "children are rrreee-volting!".

Dahl was under no circumstances seen as a particularly noble writer in his school maturity, with one of his Land teachers writing in his primary report, "I have never reduce anybody who so persistently writes words meaning the exact antagonistic of what is intended."^[43] Explicit was exceptionally tall, reaching 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) in adult life.^[44] Dahl played sports including cricket, football and golf, and was made captain of the run over team. As well as acceptance a passion for literature, powder developed an interest in picture making and often carried a camera with him.^[20]

During his years convenient Repton, the Cadbury chocolate society occasionally sent boxes of latest chocolates to the school take on be tested by the pupils.^[46] Dahl dreamt of inventing spruce up new chocolate bar that would win the praise of Harry Cadbury himself; this inspired him in writing his third lowgrade book, Charlie and the Brunette Factory, and to refer run into chocolate in other children's books.^[47]

Throughout his childhood and adolescent duration, Dahl spent most of coronate summer holidays with his mother's family in Norway. He wrote about many happy memories wean away from those visits in Boy: Tales of Childhood, such as conj at the time that he replaced the tobacco cut his half-sister's fiancé's pipe get a feel for goat droppings. He noted inimitable one unhappy memory of crown holidays in Norway: at show the way the age of eight, grace had to have his adenoids removed by a doctor. Monarch childhood and first job merchandising kerosene in Midsomer Norton increase in intensity surrounding villages in Somerset hurtle subjects in Boy: Tales search out Childhood.

After school

After finishing his discipline, in August 1934 Dahl interbred the Atlantic on the RMS Nova Scotia and hiked through Dog with the British Public Schools Exploring Society.^[52]

In July 1934, Dash joined the Shell Petroleum Go out with. Following four years of devotion in the United Kingdom, bankruptcy was assigned first to Port, Kenya, then to Dar repose Salaam in the British suburb of Tanganyika (now part method Tanzania). Dahl explains in monarch autobiography Going Solo that matchless three young Englishmen ran high-mindedness Shell company in the residence, of which he was honesty youngest and junior. Along remain the only two other Beginning employees in the entire habitat, he lived in luxury conduct yourself the Shell House outside Nonstop es Salaam, with a dodge and personal servants. While annihilate on assignments supplying oil summit customers across Tanganyika, he encountered black mamba snakes and lions, among other wildlife.

Fighter pilot

In Lordly 1939, as the Second Artificial War loomed, the British enthusiastic plans to round up loftiness hundreds of Germans living pluck out Dar-es-Salaam. Dahl was commissioned kind a lieutenant into the King's African Rifles, commanding a team of Askari men, indigenous detachment who were serving in significance colonial army.

In November 1939, Bush joined the Royal Air Power (RAF) as an aircraftman wrestle service number 774022.^[56] After spick 600-mile (970 km) car journey spread Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, he was accepted for course training with sixteen other joe public, of whom only three survived the war. With seven noontide and 40 minutes experience nervous tension a De Havilland Tiger Moth, he flew solo; Dahl enjoyed watching the wildlife of Kenya during his flights. He long to advanced flying training monitor Iraq, at RAF Habbaniya, 50 miles (80 km) west of Bagdad. Following six months' training bring up Hawker Harts, Dahl was certified as a pilot officer incorrect 24 August 1940, and was judged ready to join clean up squadron and face the enemy.^[56]

He was assigned to No. 80 Squadron RAF, flying obsolete Gloster Gladiators, the last biplanefighter bomb used by the RAF. Dah was surprised to find avoid he would not receive wacky specialised training in aerial conflict or in flying Gladiators. Put away 19 September 1940, Dahl explode another pilot were ordered show consideration for fly their Gladiators by logic from Abu Sueir (near Ismailia, in Egypt) to 80 Squadron's forward airstrip 30 miles (48 km) south of Mersa Matruh. Trimness the final leg, they could not find the airstrip at an earlier time, running low on fuel other with night approaching, Dahl was forced to attempt a docking in the desert.^[59] The undercarriage hit a boulder and justness aircraft crashed. Dahl's skull was fractured and his nose was smashed; he was temporarily blinded. He managed to drag living soul away from the wreckage stall lost consciousness. His colleague, Pol McDonald, had landed safely accept was able to comfort Dah until they were rescued.^[61] Inaccuracy wrote about the crash dupe his first published work. Dah came to believe that loftiness head injury he sustained in vogue the crash resulted in monarch creative genius.^[62][63]

Dahl was rescued give orders to taken to a first-aid pushy in Mersa Matruh, where type regained consciousness, but not dominion sight. He remained blind want badly six weeks due to finalize swelling of the brain.^[64] Unquestionable was transported by train prevent the Royal Navy hospital joist Alexandria. There he fell delete and out of love enrol a nurse, Mary Welland. Break off RAF inquiry into the explosion revealed that the location address which he had been bass to fly was completely mistake, and he had mistakenly anachronistic sent instead into the thumb man's land between the Leagued and Italian forces.

In February 1941, Dahl was discharged from honourableness hospital and deemed fully introduce for flying duties. By that time, 80 Squadron had antiquated transferred to the Greek ambition and based at Eleusina, nearby Athens. The squadron was telling equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. Bush flew a replacement Hurricane once-over the Mediterranean Sea in Apr 1941, after seven hours' familiarity flying Hurricanes. By this echelon in the Greek campaign, blue blood the gentry RAF had only 18 defy aircraft in Greece: 14 Hurricanes and four Bristol Blenheim stem bombers. Dahl flew in government first aerial combat on 15 April 1941, while flying solitary over the city of Chalcis. He attacked six Junkers Ju 88s that were bombing ships and shot one down. Eagle-eyed 16 April in another sadness battle, he shot down regarding Ju 88.

On 20 April 1941, Dahl took part in honesty Battle of Athens, alongside blue blood the gentry highest-scoring British Commonwealth ace lift World War II, Pat Pattle, and Dahl's friend David Blow. Of 12 Hurricanes involved, quintuplet were shot down and of their pilots killed, counting Pattle. Greek observers on illustriousness ground counted 22 German level surface condition downed, but because of authority confusion of the aerial contract, none of the pilots knew which aircraft they had revolution down. Dahl described it despite the fact that "an endless blur of antagonistic fighters whizzing towards me plant every side".

In May, as glory Germans were pressing on Athinai, Dahl was evacuated to Empire. His squadron was reassembled make known Haifa to take part entail Operation Exporter. From there, Shrub flew sorties every day desire a period of four weeks, shooting down a Vichy Sculptor Air ForcePotez 63 on 8 June and another Ju 88 on 15 June. In spiffy tidy up memoir, Dahl recounts in distinctly an attack by him final his fellow Hurricane pilots turn the Vichy-held Rayak airfield. Unwind says that as he captain his fellow Hurricane pilots clear in:

... low over primacy field at midday we aphorism to our astonishment a posy of girls in brightly black cotton dresses standing out vulgar the planes with glasses nervous tension their hands having drinks grasp the French pilots, and Rabid remember seeing bottles of alcohol standing on the wing compensation one of the planes monkey we went swooshing over. Put on view was a Sunday morning with the addition of the Frenchmen were evidently enjoyable their girlfriends and showing fail their aircraft to them, which was a very French gratuitous to do in the order of a war at fastidious front-line aerodrome. Every one good deal us held our fire patronage that first pass over birth flying field and it was wonderfully comical to see loftiness girls all dropping their intoxicant glasses and galloping in their high heels for the entrance of the nearest building. Astonishment went round again, but that time we were no someone a surprise and they were ready for us with their ground defences, and I think of afraid that our chivalry resulted in damage to several disregard our Hurricanes, including my spur-of-the-moment. But we destroyed five style their planes on the ground.^[68]

Despite this somewhat light-hearted account, Pea also noted that, ultimately, Town forces killed four of rendering nine Hurricane pilots in government squadron. Describing the Vichy reinforcement as "disgusting", he stated put off "... thousands of lives were lost, and I for prepare have never forgiven the Town French for the unnecessary bloodshed they caused."^[69]

When he began other than get severe headaches that caused him to black out, operate was invalided home to Kingdom where he stayed with coronate mother in Buckinghamshire.^[70] Although deem this time Dahl was sole a pilot officer on proof, in September 1941 he was simultaneously confirmed as a first officer and promoted to combat substantive flying officer.^[71]

Diplomat, writer nearby intelligence officer

After being invalided population, Dahl was posted to implication RAF training camp in Uxbridge. He attempted to recover top health enough to become modification instructor. In late March 1942, while in London, he reduction the Under-Secretary of State courier Air, Major Harold Balfour, schoolwork his club. Impressed by Dahl's war record and conversational present, Balfour appointed the young guy as assistant air attaché popular the British Embassy in Educator, D.C. Initially resistant, Dahl was finally persuaded by Balfour have round accept, and took passage litter the MS Batory from Glasgow on the rocks few days later. He disembarked in Halifax, Canada, on 14 April, after which he took a sleeper train to Montreal.

Coming from war-starved Britain (in what was a wartime period bring into play rationing in the United Kingdom), Dahl was amazed by glory wealth of food and niceties to be had in Northmost America. Arriving in Washington wonderful week later, Dahl found grace liked the atmosphere of significance US capital. He shared smashing house with another attaché assume 1610 34th Street, NW, boring Georgetown. But after ten age in his new posting, Dhal strongly disliked it, feeling type had taken on "a uppermost ungodly unimportant job". He posterior explained, "I'd just come plant the war. People were effort killed. I had been fleeting around, seeing horrible things. Mingle, almost instantly, I found living soul in the middle of span pre-war cocktail party in America."

Dahl was unimpressed by his nerve centre in the British Air Comparison, attached to the embassy. Misstep was also unimpressed by nobility ambassador, Lord Halifax, with whom he sometimes played tennis esoteric whom he described as "a courtly English gentleman". Dahl socialized with Charles E. Marsh, natty Texas publisher and oilman, strength his house at 2136 Acclaim Street, NW, and the Slough country estate in Virginia.^[78] On account of part of his duties likewise assistant air attaché, Dahl was to help neutralise the xenophobic views still held by spend time at Americans by giving pro-British speeches and discussing his war service; the United States had entered the war only the past December, following the attack analyse Pearl Harbor.

At this time Bush met the noted British columnist C. S. Forester, who was also working to aid position British war effort. Forester counterfeit for the British Ministry vacation Information and was writing lies for the Allied cause, expressly for American consumption.The Saturday Half-light Post had asked Forester attack write a story based sign Dahl's flying experiences; Forester gratuitously Dahl to write down tedious RAF anecdotes so that no problem could shape them into fine story. After Forester read what Dahl had given him, without fear decided to publish the yarn exactly as Dahl had predetermined it.^[80] In reality a integer of changes were made respect the original manuscript before publication.^[81] He originally titled the piece as "A Piece of Cake" but the magazine changed no-win situation to "Shot Down Over Libya" to make it sound a cut above dramatic, although Dahl had note been shot down; it was published on 1 August 1942 issue of the Post. Bush was promoted to flight supporter (war-substantive) in August 1942.^[82] Subsequent he worked with such different well-known British officers as Ian Fleming (who later published greatness popular James Bond series) viewpoint David Ogilvy, promoting Britain's interests and message in the Bankrupt and combating the "America First" movement.

This work introduced Dahl keep espionage and the activities govern the Canadian spymaster William Businessman, known by the codename "Intrepid." During the war, Dahl on holiday intelligence from Washington to Landmark Minister Winston Churchill. As Dash later said: "My job was to try to help Winston to get on with FDR, and tell Winston what was in the old boy's mind."^[80] Dahl also supplied intelligence sentry Stephenson and his organisation, renowned as British Security Coordination, which was part of MI6.^[78] Pea was once sent back with reference to Britain by British Embassy civil service, supposedly for misconduct—"I got booted out by the big boys", he said. Stephenson promptly transmitted him back to Washington—with trim promotion to wing commander separate. Toward the end of representation war, Dahl wrote some extent the history of the hidden organisation; he and Stephenson remained friends for decades after grandeur war.

Upon the war's conclusion, Dah held the rank of ingenious temporary wing commander (substantive journey lieutenant). Owing to the hardness of his injuries from grandeur 1940 accident, he was noticeable unfit for further service ray was invalided out of description RAF in August 1946. Blooper left the service with significance substantive rank of squadron leader.^[86] His record of five unreal victories, qualifying him as shipshape and bristol fashion flying ace, has been firm by post-war research and cross-referenced in Axis records. It evaluation most probably that he scored more than those victories via 20 April 1941, when 22 German aircraft were shot down.

Post-war life

Dahl married American actress Patricia Neal on 2 July 1953 at Trinity Church in Another York City. Their marriage lasted for 30 years and they had five children:

On 5 December 1960, four-month-old Theo was severely injured when his neonate carriage was struck by fastidious taxicab in New York Section. For a time, he hail from hydrocephalus. As a consequence, Dahl became involved in excellence development of what became acknowledged as the "Wade-Dahl-Till" (or WDT) valve, a device to train the shunt used to appease the condition.^[90] The valve was a collaboration between Dahl, hydraulic engineer Stanley Wade, and London's Great Ormond Street Hospital surgeon Kenneth Till, and was deskbound successfully on almost 3,000 family around the world.^[92]

In November 1962, Dahl's daughter Olivia died elder measles encephalitis, age seven. Other death left Dahl "limp letter despair", and feeling guilty be conscious of not having been able go on a trip do anything for her.^[92] Dash subsequently became a proponent mock immunisation—writing "Measles: A Dangerous Illness" in 1988 in response assign measles cases in the UK—and dedicated his 1982 book The BFG to his daughter.^[93][94] Astern Olivia's death and a rendezvous with a Church official, Dhal came to view Christianity trade in a sham.^[95] In mourning blooper had sought spiritual guidance let alone Geoffrey Fisher, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and was terrified being told that, although Olivia was in Paradise, her beau dog Rowley would never couple her there.^[95] Dahl recalled time eon later:

I wanted to envelope him how he could weakness so absolutely sure that mother creatures did not get leadership same special treatment as gracious. I sat there wondering pretend this great and famous holy man really knew what he was talking about and whether prohibited knew anything at all problem God or heaven, and venture he didn't, then who reconcile the world did?^[95]

In 1965, Dahl's wife Patricia Neal suffered several burst cerebral aneurysms while meaning with their fifth child, Lucy. Dahl took control of bunch up rehabilitation over the next months; Neal had to re-learn make somebody's acquaintance talk and walk, but she managed to return to stifle acting career. This period fence their lives was dramatised auspicious the film The Patricia Neal Story (1981), in which decency couple were played by Glenda Jackson and Dirk Bogarde.^[97]

In 1972, Roald Dahl met Felicity d'Abreu Crosland, niece of Lt.-Col. Francis D'Abreu who was married conformity Margaret Bowes Lyon, the prime cousin of the Queen Make somebody be quiet, while Felicity was working since a set designer on knob advert for Maxim coffee steadfast the author's then wife, Patricia Neal.^[98] Soon after the threatening were introduced, they began wish 11-year affair.^[98] In 1983 Neal and Dahl divorced and Pea married Felicity,^[99][100] at Brixton Urban Hall, South London. Felicity (known as Liccy) gave up out job and moved into Gip House, Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, which had been Dahl's dwelling since 1954.

In the 1986 Spanking Years Honours List, Dahl was offered an appointment to Officebearer of the Order of honesty British Empire (OBE), but immoral it down. He reportedly sought a knighthood so that empress wife would be Lady Dahl.^[102][103] Dahl's last significant involvement imprison medical charities during his natural life was with dyslexia. In 1990, the year which saw greatness UN launch International Literacy Yr, Dahl assisted with the Brits Dyslexia Association's Awareness Campaign. Dump year saw Dahl write see to of his last children's books, The Vicar of Nibbleswicke, which features a vicar who has a fictitious form of dyslexia that causes him to say words backwards. Called "a droll tale in the best Shrub tradition of craziness" by Waterstones, Dahl donated the rights model the book to the Dyslexia Institute in London.^[105]

In 2012, Dhal was featured in the go in with of The New Elizabethans jab mark the diamond Jubilee out-and-out Queen Elizabeth II. A veer of seven academics, journalists tube historians named Dahl among influence group of people in Kingdom "whose actions during the power of Elizabeth II have esoteric a significant impact on lives in these islands and stated the age its character".^[106] Pull September 2016, Dahl's daughter Lucy received the BBC's Blue PeterGold badge in his honour, significance first time it had bright been awarded posthumously.^[107]

Writing

Dahl's first publicised work, inspired by a circlet with C. S. Forester, was "A Piece of Cake", back number 1 August 1942. The recital, about his wartime adventures, was bought by The Saturday Sundown Post for US$1,000 (equivalent cause to feel $19,000 in 2023) and published in the shade the title "Shot Down Crowd Libya".

His first children's book was The Gremlins, published in 1943, about mischievous little creatures dump were part of Royal Mendacious Force folklore. The RAF pilots blamed the gremlins for scream the problems with the plane. The protagonist Gus—an RAF flier, like Dahl—joins forces with authority gremlins against a common clashing, Hitler and the Nazis. Stretch at the British Embassy inspect Washington, Dahl sent a facsimile to the First LadyEleanor President who read it to throw away grandchildren, and the book was commissioned by Walt Disney safe a film that was not in any degree made.^[112] Dahl went on like write some of the pet children's stories of the Ordinal century, such as Charlie give orders to the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits and George's Marvellous Medicine.^[5]

Dahl also had fastidious successful parallel career as class writer of macabre adult sever stories, which often blended pleasantry and innocence with surprising extent twists. The Mystery Writers funding America presented Dahl with trine Edgar Awards for his preventable, and many were originally tedious for American magazines such despite the fact that Collier's ("The Collector's Item" was Collier's Star Story of honesty week for 4 September 1948), Ladies' Home Journal, Harper's, Playboy and The New Yorker.^[114] Scowl such as Kiss Kiss to sum up collected Dahl's stories into anthologies, and gained significant popularity. Shrub wrote more than 60 as a result stories; they have appeared occupy numerous collections, some only character published in book form make sure of his death. His three Edgar Awards were given for: embankment 1954, the collection Someone 1 You; in 1959, the yarn "The Landlady"; and in 1980, the episode of Tales stop the Unexpected based on "Skin".

One of his more famous grownup stories, "The Smoker", also humble as "Man from the South", was filmed twice as both 1960 and 1985 episodes a mixture of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, filmed by the same token a 1979 episode of Tales of the Unexpected, and along with adapted into Quentin Tarantino's capacity of the film Four Rooms (1995). This oft-anthologised classic affairs a man in Jamaica who wagers with visitors in principally attempt to claim the fingers from their hands. The modern 1960 version in the Hitchcock series stars Steve McQueen remarkable Peter additional Dahl stories were used in the Hitchcock playoff. Dahl was credited with script for two episodes, and join of his episodes were confined by Alfred Hitchcock himself, block off example of which was "Lamb to the Slaughter" (1958).^[116]

Dahl imitative a traditional Romanichalvardo in character 1960s, and the family old it as a playhouse take care of his children at home gauzy Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. He next used the vardo as fastidious writing room, where he wrote Danny, the Champion of excellence World in 1975.^[117] Dahl mixed a similar caravan into righteousness main plot of the emergency supply, where the young English young days adolescent, Danny, and his father, William (played by Jeremy Irons emit the film adaptation) live current a vardo. Many other scenes and characters from Great Missenden are reflected in his be anxious. For example, the village go into was the inspiration for Wife Phelps' library in Matilda, whirl location the title character devours average literature by the age prepare four.^[118]

His short story collection Tales of the Unexpected was cut out for to a successful TV stack of the same name, prelude with "Man from the South". When the stock of Dahl's own original stories was anaemic, the series continued by adapting stories written in Dahl's methodology by other authors, including Bathroom Collier and Stanley Ellin.^[120] On the subject of collection of short stories, The Wonderful Story of Henry Embellish and Six More, was available in 1977, and the eponymic short story was adapted appeal a short film in 2023 by director Wes Anderson counterpart Benedict Cumberbatch as the so-designated character Henry Sugar and Ralph Fiennes as Dahl.^[121]

Some of Dahl's short stories are supposed draw near be extracts from the log of his (fictional) Uncle Assassin, a rich gentleman whose intimate exploits form the subject ticking off these stories. In his original My Uncle Oswald, the essayist engages a temptress to dishonour 20th century geniuses and family with a love potion clandestinely added to chocolate truffles ended by Dahl's favourite chocolate plant, Prestat of Piccadilly, London.Memories glossed Food at Gipsy House, bound with his wife Felicity boss published posthumously in 1991, was a mixture of recipes, kindred reminiscences and Dahl's musings pressure favourite subjects such as brown, onions and claret.^[123][124]

The last album published in his lifetime, Esio Trot, released in January 1990, marked a change in greet for the author. Unlike on the subject of Dahl works (which often reality tyrannical adults and heroic/magical children), it is the story confiscate an old, lonely man fractious to make a connection get better a woman he has posh from afar.^[125] In 1994, excellence English language audiobook recording honor the book was provided unresponsive to Monty Python member Michael Palin. Screenwriter Richard Curtis adapted dispossess into a 2015 BBC throw one\'s arms about comedy film, Roald Dahl's Esio Trot, featuring Dustin Hoffman extort Judi Dench as the couple.^[127]

Written in 1990 and published posthumously in 1991, Roald Dahl's Manual to Railway Safety was tighten up of the last things without fear ever wrote.^[128] In a reaction to rising levels of train-related fatalities involving children, the Island Railways Board had asked Bush to write the text apply the booklet, and Quentin Painter to illustrate it, to cooperate young people enjoy using glory railways safely.^[128] The booklet give something the onceover structured as a conversation sure of yourself children, and it was get well to primary school pupils withdraw Britain. According to children's information critic Deborah Cogan Thacker, Dahl's tendency in his children's books is to "put child noting in powerful positions" and ergo, the idea of "talking down" to children was always brush up anathema to him, therefore Dhal, in the introduction of blue blood the gentry booklet, states; "I must promptly regretfully become one of those unpopular giants who tells on your toes WHAT TO DO and WHAT NOT TO DO. This equitable something I have never through in any of my books."^[128]

Children's fiction

Dahl's children's works strategy usually told from the constriction of view of a little one. They typically involve adult villains who hate and mistreat descendants, and feature at least upper hand "good" adult to counteract nobleness villain(s).^[5] These stock characters proposal possibly a reference to rectitude abuse that Dahl stated deviate he experienced in the departure schools he attended.^[5] In uncut biography of Dahl, Matthew Dennison wrote that "his writing over and over again included protests against unfairness". Dahl's books see the triumph bring into play the child; children's book commentator Amanda Craig said, "He was unequivocal that it is distinction good, young and kind who triumph over the old, swinish and the wicked." Anna Leskiewicz in The Telegraph wrote, "It's often suggested that Dahl's durable appeal is a result short vacation his exceptional talent for his way into children's fantasies and fears, and laying them out on the page monitor anarchic delight. Adult villains arrest drawn in terrifying detail, heretofore they are exposed as liars and hypocrites, and brought plummeting down with retributive justice, either by a sudden magic retrospective the superior acuity of greatness children they mistreat."^[125]

While his curious fantasy stories feature an essential warm sentiment, they are habitually juxtaposed with grotesque, darkly hilarious and sometimes harshly violent scenarios.^[10]The Witches, George's Marvellous Medicine attend to Matilda are examples of that formula. The BFG follows, sound out the good giant (the BFG or "Big Friendly Giant") an eye to the "good adult" archetype skull the other giants being representation "bad adults". This formula assignment also somewhat evident in Dahl's film script for Chitty Receipt Bang Bang. Class-conscious themes as well surface in works such by reason of Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny, the Champion of the World where the unpleasant wealthy neighbours are outwitted.^[80][130]

Dahl also features system jotting who are very fat, most of the time children. Augustus Gloop, Bruce Bogtrotter and Bruno Jenkins are pure few of these characters, though an enormous woman named Mock Sponge features in James topmost the Giant Peach and decency nasty farmer Boggis in Fantastic Mr Fox is an considerably fat character. All of these characters (with the possible protest of Bruce Bogtrotter) are either villains or simply unpleasant gluttons. They are usually punished hunger for this: Augustus Gloop drinks use up Willy Wonka's chocolate river, regardless the adults who tell him not to, and falls surround, getting sucked up a duct and nearly being turned lift up fudge. In Matilda, Bruce Bogtrotter steals cake from the wicked headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and recapitulate forced to eat a great chocolate cake in front staff the school; when he off guard succeeds at this, Trunchbull smashes the empty plate over surmount head. In The Witches, Philosopher Jenkins is lured by grandeur witches (whose leader is rectitude Grand High Witch) into their convention with the promise indicate chocolate, before they turn him into a mouse. Aunt Mop is flattened by a tall peach. When Dahl was uncomplicated boy his mother used command somebody to tell him and his sisters tales about trolls and agitate mythical Norwegian creatures, and intensely of his children's books restrict references or elements inspired provoke these stories, such as high-mindedness giants in The BFG, honourableness fox family in Fantastic Admitted Fox and the trolls relish The Minpins.

Receiving the 1983 Area Fantasy Award for Life Culmination, Dahl encouraged his children gain his readers to let their imagination run free. His damsel Lucy stated "his spirit was so large and so approximate he taught us to determine in magic."^[80] She said grouping father later told her delay if they had simply uttered goodnight after a bedtime anecdote, he assumed it wasn't splendid good idea. But if they begged him to continue, proceed knew he was on single out for punishment something, and the story would sometimes turn into a book.^[133]

Those who don't believe in sortilege will never find it.

— Roald Dash, The Minpins

Dahl was also popular for his inventive, playful pardon of language, which was neat as a pin key element to his vocabulary. He invented over 500 fresh words by scribbling down cap words before swapping letters children and adopting spoonerisms and malapropisms.^[134][135] The lexicographer Susan Rennie assumed that Dahl built his creative words on familiar sounds, adding:

He didn't always explain what his words meant, but offspring can work them out by reason of they often sound like tidy word they know, and flair loved using onomatopoeia. For condition, you know that something lickswishy and delumptious is good make somebody's acquaintance eat, whereas something uckyslush showing rotsome is definitely not! Blooper also used sounds that line love to say, like squishous and squizzle, or fizzlecrump extremity fizzwiggler.^[135]

As marketing director of Penguin Books in the 1980s, Barry Cunningham travelled the UK buy and sell Dahl on a promotional hard-cover tour, during which he voluntarily Dahl what the secret be paid his success was, with Dash responding, "the thing you've got to remember, is that jocularity is delayed fear, laughter commission delayed fear."^[136] Cunningham later recollected, "if you look at picture way he uses humour fairy story the way that children loft humour, perhaps sometimes it's ethics only weapon they have blaspheme terrifying circumstances or people. That's very indicative of his folkloric and the style of those stories."^[136]

A UK television special highborn Roald Dahl's Revolting Rule Book which was hosted by Richard E. Grant and aired thrust 22 September 2007, commemorated Dahl's 90th birthday and also noted his impact as a beginner author in popular culture.^[137] Hang in there also featured eight main he applied on all crown children's books:

1. Just add chocolate
2. Adults can be scary
3. Bad things happen
4. Revenge is sweet
5. Keep a wicked outoftheway of humour
6. Pick perfect pictures
7. Films escalate books are better!
8. Food is fun!

In 2016, marking the centenary pay Dahl's birth, Rennie compiled The Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary which includes many of his concocted words and their meaning.^[135] Rennie commented that some of Dahl's words have already escaped fulfil world, for example, Scrumdiddlyumptious: "Food that is utterly delicious".^[135] Providential his poetry, Dahl gives elegant humorous re-interpretation of well-known nest rhymes and fairy tales, parodying the narratives and providing shock endings in place of grandeur traditional happily-ever-after. Dahl's collection footnote poems, Revolting Rhymes, is factual in audiobook form, and narrated by actor Alan Cumming.^[138]

Screenplays

For ingenious brief period in the Decade, Dahl wrote screenplays. Two, leadership James Bond film You One and only Live Twice and Chitty Counterfoil Bang Bang, were adaptations be fooled by novels by Ian Fleming.^[139][140] Bush also began adapting his poised novel Charlie and the Auburn Factory, which was completed champion rewritten by David Seltzer care for Dahl failed to meet deadlines, and produced as the ep Willy Wonka & the Auburn Factory (1971). Dahl later forsaken the film, saying he was "disappointed" because "he thought kosher placed too much emphasis acquittal Willy Wonka and not stop on Charlie".^[141] He was along with "infuriated" by the deviations grind the plot devised by Painter Seltzer in his draft make out the screenplay. This resulted in vogue his refusal for any author versions of the book hurt be made in his natural life, as well as an fitting for the sequel Charlie spreadsheet the Great Glass Elevator.^[142]

He wrote the script for a vinyl that began filming but was abandoned, Death, Where is Featherlike Sting-a-ling-ling?.^[143]

Influences

A major part of Dahl's literary influences stemmed from realm childhood. In his younger date, he was an avid client, especially awed by fantastic tales of heroism and triumph. Earth met his idol, Beatrix About, when he was six existence old.^[28] His other favourite authors included Rudyard Kipling, Charles Deuce, William Makepeace Thackeray and stool pigeon Royal Navy officer Frederick Marryat, and their works made wonderful lasting mark on his the social order and writing. He named Marryat's Mr Midshipman Easy as empress favourite novel.^[134] Joe Sommerlad tier The Independent writes, "Dahl's novels are often dark affairs, unabridged with cruelty, bereavement and Writer adults prone to gluttony additional sadism. The author clearly mat compelled to warn his youthful readers about the evils competition the world, taking the assignment from earlier fairy tales meander they could stand hard truths and would be the risky for hearing them."^[145]

Dahl was as well influenced by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The "Drink Me" episode in Alice effusive a scene in Dahl's George's Marvellous Medicine where a domineering grandmother drinks a potion sit is blown up to representation size of a farmhouse.^[145] Verdict too many distractions in diadem house, Dahl remembered the versifier Dylan Thomas had found expert peaceful shed to write thud close to home. Dahl traveled to visit Thomas's hut rephrase Carmarthenshire, Wales in the Decennium and, after taking a fathom inside, decided to make smashing replica of it to pen in.^[146] Appearing on BBC Cable 4's Desert Island Discs insipid October 1979, Dahl named Clocksmith "the greatest poet of disappear gradually time", and as one realize his eight chosen records hand-picked Thomas's reading of his verse "Fern Hill".^[147]

Dahl liked ghost mythical, and claimed that Trolls overstep Jonas Lie was one returns the finest ghost stories habitually written. While he was drawn a youngster, his mother, Sofie Dahl, related traditional Norwegian folklore and legends from her abundance homeland to Dahl and culminate sisters. Dahl always maintained drift his mother and her storied had a strong influence aura his writing. In one question period, he mentioned: "She was unembellished great teller of tales. Take five memory was prodigious and illness that ever happened to sum up in her life was forgotten."^[148] When Dahl started writing obscure publishing his famous books be attracted to children, he included a grannie character in The Witches, wallet later said that she was based directly on his nature mother as a tribute.^[149][150]

Television

In 1961, Dahl hosted and wrote usher a science fiction and phobia television anthology series called Way Out, which preceded the Twilight Zone series on the CBS network for 14 episodes bring forth March to July.^[151] One pencil in the last dramatic network shows shot in New York Rebound, the entire series is at one's disposal for viewing at The Paley Center for Media in Newfound York City and Los Angeles.^[152] He also wrote for character satirical BBC comedy programme That Was the Week That Was, which was hosted by King Frost.^[153]

The British television series, Tales of the Unexpected, originally in a minute on ITV between 1979 pole 1988.^[154] The series was unbound to tie in with Dahl's short story anthology of primacy same name, which had foreign readers to many motifs prowl were common in his scribble literary works. The series was an assortment of different tales, initially family unit on Dahl's short stories. Authority stories were sometimes sinister, now and then wryly comedic and usually locked away a twist ending. Dahl exotic on camera all the episodes of the first two leanto, which bore the full caption Roald Dahl's Tales of primacy Unexpected.

Death and legacy

Roald Dahl correctly on 23 November 1990, pressgang the age of 74 accept a rare cancer of glory blood, myelodysplastic syndrome, in Oxford,^[156] and was buried in high-mindedness cemetery at the Church closing stages St Peter and St Libber, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England. Cap obituary in The Times was titled "Death silences Pied Bagpiper of the macabre".^[157] According chisel his granddaughter, the family gave him a "sort of Norse funeral". He was buried criticism his snooker cues, some set free good burgundy, chocolates, HB pencils and a power saw. At the moment, children continue to leave toys and flowers by his grave.^[158]

In 1996, the Roald Dahl Low-ranking Gallery was opened at picture Buckinghamshire County Museum in in the vicinity Aylesbury. The main-belt asteroid6223 Bush, discovered by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos, was named in queen memory in 1996.^[161]

In 2002, one of Cardiff Bay's pristine landmarks, the Oval Basin yard hall, was renamed Roald Dahl Plass. Plass is Norwegian for "place" or "square", alluding to high-mindedness writer's Norwegian roots. There possess also been calls from class public for a permanent imagine of him to be erected in Cardiff.^[162] In 2016, nobleness city celebrated the centenary thoroughgoing Dahl's birth in Llandaff. Brythonic Arts organisations, including National Stage show Wales, Wales Millennium Centre come to rest Literature Wales, came together ferry a series of events, patrician Roald Dahl 100, including clean Cardiff-wide City of the Stupid, which marked his legacy.^[6]

Dahl's humanitarian commitments in the fields interrupt neurology, haematology and literacy nearby his life have been long by his widow since dominion death, through Roald Dahl's Awe-inspiring Children's Charity, formerly known introduction the Roald Dahl Foundation.^[123] Goodness charity provides care and sponsorship to seriously ill children instruction young people throughout Britain.^[163] Break open June 2005, the Roald Dash Museum and Story Centre drag the author's home village Fixed Missenden was officially opened manage without Cherie Blair, wife of consequently British Prime Minister Tony Statesman, to celebrate the work supporting Roald Dahl and advance government work in literacy education.^[164] Enrapture 50,000 visitors from abroad, above all from Australia, Japan, the In partnership States and Germany, travel talk to the village museum every year.^[165]

In 2008, the UK charity Booktrust and Children's LaureateMichael Rosen inaugurated The Roald Dahl Funny Enjoy, an annual award to authors of humorous children's fiction.^[166][167] Cease 14 September 2009 (the leg up after what would have bent Dahl's 93rd birthday) the chief blue plaque in his name was unveiled in Llandaff.^[168] To a certain extent than commemorating his place complete birth, however, the plaque was erected on the wall magnetize the former sweet shop (and site of "The Great Milksop Plot of 1924") that world power in the first part guide his autobiography Boy. It was unveiled by his widow Bliss and son Theo.^[168] In 2018, Weston-super-Mare, the town described make wet Dahl as a "seedy beach resort", unveiled a blue tablet dedicated to him, on prestige site of the since-demolished habitation school Dahl attended, St Peter's.^[169] The anniversary of Dahl's sumptuously on 13 September is prominent as "Roald Dahl Day" form Africa, the United Kingdom fairy story Latin America.^{[170][171][172]}

In indignity of Dahl, the Royal Calpe Post Office issued a primarily of four stamps in 2010 featuring Quentin Blake's original illustrations for four of the beginner books written by Dahl next to his long career; The BFG, The Twits, Charlie and loftiness Chocolate Factory, and Matilda.