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Learn about the life and works of Roald Dahl, a prolific and popular writer of children's literature, short stories, poetry and screenplays. Discover his Norwegian heritage, his wartime service, his awards, his family and his legacy.
Learn about Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and many more. Discover his life, his stories and the Roald Dahl Story Company that protects and grows his legacy.
Sep 9, 2024 · Learn about Roald Dahl, a British writer of ingenious and irreverent children's books, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda. Find out about his life, career, awards, controversies, and legacy.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- He Was Born in Wales to A Wealthy Norwegian Family
- He Was Named After Famous Explorer Roald Amundsen
- When He Was A Child He Met His Idol, Beatrix Potter
- His Books Were Influenced Heavily by His Childhood Experiences
- During World War Two He Was A Fighter Pilot Ace
- He Was Incredibly Tall
- He Married A Hollywood Actress
- Most of His Books Were Written from His Garden Shed
- He Also Wrote A Very Famous Screenplay
- He Was Buried with Some of His Favourite Things
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Roald Dahl was born on 13 September 1916 in Cardiff, Wales to Norwegian parents Harald and Sofie Dahl. His father, a wealthy shipbroker, had immigrated to Wales in 1880 and his mother in 1911, following which the pair were married. Tragedy would soon strike the family however. When Dahl was just 4 years old his father died of pneumonia, leaving beh...
In honour of their Scandinavian heritage, Dahl’s family named him after famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. On 14 December 1911, Amundsen had become the first man in history to reach the South Pole, cementing his place in the Heroic Age of Arctic Explorationforever. The Dahls honoured their Norwegian heritage in many other ways. Despite becomi...
An avid reader from a young age, when Roald Dahl was 6 years old he reportedly travelled with his mother from Wales to the Lake District, intent on meeting his favourite author, Beatrix Potter, who was then in her sixties. Upon setting foot on Potter’s farm, Dahl later said it was like stepping into one of his favourite stories. The meeting was rat...
Many of Dahl’s experiences as a child would later inspire characters and stories in his writing. Mrs Pratchett, the mean old woman who worked at his local sweet shop, would later become Miss Trunchbull, the cruel headmistress in his book Matilda. Dubbed the ‘Great Mouse Plot of 1924’, at 8 years old Dahl and his friends put a dead mouse in a jar of...
In November 1939, two months into the Second World War, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). Early in his military career, he crash landed in the no-man’s-land of the Libyan between the Allied and Italian forces, fracturing his skull, smashing his nose and temporarily blinding him. He was rescued and taken to a hospital in Alexandria, and five mo...
Standing 6ft 6in in adulthood, Dahl was exceptionally tall, earning him the nickname “Lofty” while in the army. This was rare for an RAF pilot and today would be slightly over the accepted height limit.
In 1952, while Dahl was living in New York he met Hollywood actress Patricia Neal. They married the following year and would go on to have five children together: Olivia, Chantal, Theo, Ophelia and Lucy. Over 30 years of marriage, the pair would encounter a number of personal tragedies. In 1965, Neal suffered from 3 brain aneurysms while pregnant w...
Over his lifetime Dahl wrote a total of 49 books, mostly from the comfort of his specially-built writing shed. Located in his garden in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, he was inspired to build it after visiting one similar belonging to his favourite poet, Dylan Thomas. A safe-haven within which to craft some of his most beloved stories, Dahl like...
Not only was Roald Dahl a skilled novelist, he also wrote one of the most beloved screenplays of the 20th century: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang(1968). Adapted from Ian Fleming’s book of the same name, Dahl had worked alongside Fleming in the United States during the war, and also wrote the screenplay for one of his James Bond films, You Only Live Twice(...
On 23 November 1990, Roald Dahl died aged 74 of a rare blood cancer. According to his granddaughter, the family gave him a “sort of Vikingfuneral”, burying him alongside some of his favourite things: chocolates, his snooker cues, some ‘very good burgundy’, a power saw and, quite aptly, some HB pencils.
Learn about the life and works of the legendary children's author Roald Dahl, from his Norwegian heritage to his wartime adventures. Discover how his childhood experiences, family, and personal tragedies influenced his stories and characters.
- Lily Johnson
- He invented more than 500 new words and character names. Roald Dahl was incredibly creative and came up with more than 500 new words and character names.
- He wrote most of his books in his garden shed. Roald Dahl spent around four hours every day writing stories from his garden shed. He is said to have had a cosy old armchair and a specially designed writing board which would sit on his lap.
- One of his most famous books almost had a different name. James and the Giant Peach was almost called James and the Giant Cherry. It was changed from a cherry to a peach because Dahl said a peach was "prettier, bigger and squishier than a cherry".
- His books were inspired by the people and things around him. Many of the characters and stories created by Roald Dahl were inspired by the people and places around him.
Jan 4, 2021 · Roald Dahl was a British author who penned 19 children's books over his decades-long writing career. In 1953 he published the best-selling story collection Someone...
Learn about the life and works of Roald Dahl, one of the world's most beloved children's authors. Explore his stories, find out about his museum, discover his theatre shows and get inspired by his lesson plans.
