Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a famous British author of children's stories such as Matilda. Controversy has shadowed his legacy in recent years.
- Roald DahlRoald Dahl was a spy, ace fighter pilot, chocolate historian and medical inventor. His first moment of inspiration came when he was at boarding school, when a local chocolate factory invited pupils to trial new chocolate bars - 35 years later, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was published....
- Roald Dahl: Poetry FoundationBorn in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, writer and poet Roald Dahl was one of six children raised by his single mother following the death of both his father and sister when he was three. Instead of attending university, Dahl joined the Public Schools Exploring Society on a journey to Newfoundland and then worked as a salesman for Shell Oil in Dar es Salaam...
Research & Reference
- Dahl, RoaldA Credo Reference landing page on Roald Dahl. This page includes links to reference works and journal articles.
Streaming Media
- Great Writers: Roald DahlRoald Dahl, 1916-1990, Britain's best selling author of children's books like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "James and the Giant Peach," is known for his children's stories, but he led an adventurous early life as biplane pilot in Africa, RAF fighter pilot in WWII, and British intelligence agent. His daughter Ophelia and his second wife, Felicity Crosland Dahl, recall Dahl's family and writing life at Gipsy House in Great Missenden, England. Apart from Dahl's books for children, he wrote erotic adult fiction, poetry and plays. We hear excerpts from some of his children's stories, see illustrations by Quentin Blake, and meet his French editor. Dahl refutes criticism of his slightly naughty descriptions and unsympathetic portrait of women in "The Witches," and jabs at accepted conventions as a connection to the realism of childhood.
- To Olivia1962, Roald Dahl was a upcoming children’s author, his wife, Patricia Neal, was a Hollywood movie star. Their lives are turned upside down when their daughter Olivia contracted measles and died. Her death devastated the couple, yet their shared grief became a source of redemption and strength.
- The BFGSophie, a nine-year-old orphan, is awakened one night by the sound of an owl. Upon peering out her attic window, she is terrified to see a 25-foot-tall giant, who ends up taking Sophie to a faraway land populated by giants and dreams. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl.
Perspectives
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
From the author of The BFG and Matilda! Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
Over to You
Ten terrifying tales of life as a wartime fighter pilot. During the Second World War Roald Dahl served in the RAF and even suffered horrific injuries in an air crash in the Libyan desert. Drawing on his own experiences as a fighter pilot, Dahl crafted these ten spine-tingling stories- of air battles in the sky; of the nightmare of being shot down; the infectious madness of conflict; and the nervy jollity of the Mess and Ops room. Dahl brilliantly conveys the bizarre reality of a wartime pilot's daily existence, where death is a constant companion and life is lived from one heartbeat to the next.
Controversy
- Changes to new editions of Roald Dahl books have readers up in arms-NPRNew editions of legendary works by British author Roald Dahl are being edited to remove words that could be deemed offensive to some readers, according to the late writer's company...
- Roald Dahl family sorry for author's anti-Semitic remarksA statement condemning Dahl's controversial comments, made in two interviews in 1983 and 1990, was published on his official website...
- Roald Dahl’s Books Are Rewritten to Cut Potentially Offensive Language-NYTNew editions of the best-selling author’s children’s classics, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” have been altered to eliminate words deemed inappropriate. A backlash ensued....