Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was a distinguished British author, renowned for his popular children's literature, short stories, poetry, screenplays, and his service as a wartime fighter ace. His literary works have achieved global sales exceeding 300 million copies. He is widely recognized as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century."

Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. He has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".

Born in Wales to prosperous Norwegian immigrant parents, Dahl spent the majority of his life residing in England. During the Second World War, he served with the Royal Air Force (RAF), initially as a fighter pilot and later as an intelligence officer, ultimately attaining the rank of acting wing commander. His literary career gained significant recognition in the 1940s through his contributions to both children's and adult literature, establishing him as one of the world's most successful authors. His numerous accolades for literary contributions include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the 1990 British Book Awards' Children's Author of the Year. In 2008, The Times listed Dahl 16th among "The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945." By 2021, Forbes identified him as the highest-earning deceased celebrity.

Dahl's short stories are characterized by their unanticipated conclusions, while his children's literature is distinguished by an unsentimental, macabre, and frequently darkly comedic tone, often portraying malevolent adult adversaries of the child protagonists. Nevertheless, his children's narratives consistently advocate for kindness and convey an inherent warmth. Notable works for children encompass 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, the Champion of the World. For adult readers, his contributions include the short story collections Tales of the Unexpected and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.

Early Life and Educational Background

Formative Years

Roald Dahl was born in 1916 at Villa Marie, Fairwater Road, Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. His parents were Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Dahl (née Hesselberg), both of Norwegian descent. His father, a prosperous shipbroker and self-made individual, had immigrated to Britain from Sarpsborg, Norway, establishing residence in Cardiff during the 1880s with his first wife, Marie Beaurin-Gresser, a Frenchwoman. They had two children, Ellen Marguerite and Louis, prior to her passing in 1907. Dahl's mother, who originated from Christiania (now Oslo), hailed from a prominent Norwegian family comprising lawyers, affluent merchants, estate owners, and clergy within the Norwegian state church; she emigrated to Britain upon her marriage in 1911. Dahl received his name in honor of the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen. Norwegian was his primary language, spoken at home with his parents and sisters, Astri, Alfhild, and Else. The children were brought up within the Lutheran state church of Norway, the Church of Norway, and underwent baptism at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff. His maternal grandmother, Ellen Wallace, was a granddaughter of Member of Parliament Georg Wallace and a descendant of an early 18th-century Scottish immigrant to Norway.

In 1920, when Dahl was three years old, his sister Astri tragically died from appendicitis at the age of seven; his father subsequently succumbed to pneumonia at 57 several weeks thereafter. Later that same year, his youngest sister, Asta, was born. Following Harald Dahl's death, his estate was probated at £158,917,10s. 0d., an amount equivalent to £5,877,297 in 2023. Dahl's mother opted to remain in Wales rather than relocate to Norway with relatives, honoring her husband's wish for their children to receive an education in English schools, which he regarded as superior globally. At the age of six, Dahl encountered his admired author, Beatrix Potter, creator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which introduced the mischievous Peter Rabbit, recognized as the first licensed fictional character. This meeting, held at Potter's residence, Hill Top, in the Lake District of northwest England, was later fictionalized in the 2020 television film, Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse.

Roald Dahl initially enrolled at The Cathedral School in Llandaff. At the age of eight, he and four companions were disciplined by the headmaster for placing a deceased mouse in a jar of gobstoppers at a local confectionery shop, 11 High Street, owned by a woman described as "mean and loathsome," Mrs. Pratchett. This incident, which the five boys termed the "Great Mouse Plot of 1924," later influenced Dahl's literary work. Mrs. Pratchett served as the inspiration for the character of the cruel headmistress Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, with a similar prank, involving a water jug belonging to Trunchbull, also appearing in the novel. Gobstoppers, a popular confection among British schoolboys during the interwar period, were referenced by Dahl in his fictional Everlasting Gobstopper, featured in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Dahl subsequently enrolled at St Peter's boarding school in Weston-super-Mare. His parents' preference for an English public school education led to this choice, primarily due to its proximity and the consistent ferry service across the Bristol Channel. Dahl found his tenure at St Peter's distressing, experiencing profound homesickness. He corresponded with his mother weekly but concealed his unhappiness. Following her passing in 1967, he discovered she had preserved all his letters; these were later broadcast in an abridged version on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in 2016, commemorating the centenary of his birth. Dahl documented his experiences at St Peter's in his autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood. He particularly excelled at conkers, a traditional autumnal children's game in Britain and Ireland involving horse chestnut seeds, recalling that "at the ages of eight, nine and ten, conkers brought sunshine to our lives during the dreary autumn term."

Repton School

Commencing in 1929, at the age of 13, Dahl matriculated at Repton School in Derbyshire. He expressed strong disapproval of the institutionalized hazing and characterized the school environment as one of ritualized cruelty and hierarchical dominance, where junior pupils were compelled to serve older boys and frequently endured severe corporal punishment. Biographer Donald Sturrock has detailed these violent formative experiences in Dahl's life. These darker episodes are reflected in Dahl's literary works, which consistently convey his aversion to cruelty and corporal punishment.

In his autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood, Dahl recounts an incident where a friend, Michael, was severely caned by Headmaster Geoffrey Fisher. Reflecting on this and similar experiences, Dahl wrote: "All through my school life I was appalled by the fact that masters and senior boys were allowed literally to wound other boys, and sometimes quite severely... I couldn't get over it. I never have got over it." Fisher subsequently became Archbishop of Canterbury and officiated at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. However, biographer Jeremy Treglown asserts that this specific caning occurred in May 1933, a year after Fisher's departure from Repton, and was administered by J. T. Christie, Fisher's successor. Dahl stated that this event prompted him to "have doubts about religion and even about God." He interpreted the brutality of the caning as stemming from the headmaster's animosity towards children, an attitude Dahl later ascribed to the Grand High Witch in his dark fantasy novel The Witches, where the primary antagonist declares, "children are rrreee-volting!"

During his school years, Dahl was not recognized as a particularly gifted writer; one English teacher noted in a report, "I have never met anybody who so persistently writes words meaning the exact opposite of what is intended." Physically, he was exceptionally tall, eventually reaching 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) as an adult. Dahl participated in various sports, including cricket, football, and golf, and served as captain of the squash team. Beyond his burgeoning interest in literature, he cultivated a passion for photography, frequently carrying a camera.

While attending Repton, the Cadbury chocolate company periodically dispatched samples of new confectionery to the school for pupil evaluation. This experience fostered Dahl's aspiration to create a novel chocolate bar that would garner acclaim from Mr. Cadbury himself. This ambition directly influenced the composition of his third children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and led to the recurring motif of chocolate in his subsequent children's literature.

During his formative years, Dahl primarily spent his summer vacations with his mother's family in Norway. He documented numerous positive recollections from these visits in Boy: Tales of Childhood, including an incident where he substituted tobacco with goat droppings in his half-sister's fiancé's pipe. Conversely, he recalled only a single distressing experience from his Norwegian holidays: specifically, an adenoidectomy performed without anesthesia when he was approximately eight years old. Both his early life and his initial employment, involving kerosene sales in Midsomer Norton and nearby Somerset villages, are detailed in Boy: Tales of Childhood.

After School

Upon completing his education, in August 1934, Dahl traversed the Atlantic aboard the RMS Nova Scotia and undertook an expedition across Newfoundland as part of the British Public Schools Exploring Society.

In July 1934, Dahl commenced employment with the Shell Petroleum Company. Subsequent to four years of training in the United Kingdom, he received postings, initially to Mombasa, Kenya, and subsequently to Dar es Salaam within the British colony of Tanganyika (present-day Tanzania). In his autobiographical work, Going Solo, Dahl recounts that the Shell company in the region was managed by only three young Englishmen, with him being the youngest and most junior among them. Residing in opulence at the Shell House situated outside Dar es Salaam, he shared accommodations with the sole two other Shell employees in the entire territory, benefiting from the services of a cook and personal staff. During his assignments, which involved distributing oil to clients throughout Tanganyika, he encountered various indigenous wildlife, including black mamba snakes and lions.

Fighter Pilot

In August 1939, with the imminent outbreak of the Second World War, British authorities initiated plans for the internment of hundreds of German nationals residing in Dar es Salaam. Dahl received a commission as a lieutenant in the King's African Rifles, where he commanded a platoon of Askari, indigenous soldiers serving within the colonial military.

In November 1939, Dahl enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an aircraftman, assigned service number 774022. Following a 600-mile (970 km) vehicular journey from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, he was admitted to flight training alongside sixteen other recruits; notably, only three of these individuals survived the conflict. After accumulating merely seven hours and 40 minutes of experience in a De Havilland Tiger Moth, he completed his first solo flight, often observing Kenya's wildlife during these aerial excursions. His advanced flight training subsequently took place in Iraq, at RAF Habbaniya, located 50 miles (80 km) west of Baghdad. Subsequent to six months of training on Hawker Harts, Dahl received his commission as a pilot officer on 24 August 1940, thereby being deemed prepared for squadron deployment and combat operations.

He received an assignment to No. 80 Squadron RAF, where he piloted obsolete Gloster Gladiators, which represented the final biplane fighter aircraft utilized by the RAF. Dahl expressed astonishment upon discovering the absence of specialized training for aerial combat or for operating the Gladiators. On 19 September 1940, Dahl and a fellow pilot were instructed to ferry their Gladiators in stages from Abu Sueir (located near Ismailia, Egypt) to 80 Squadron's forward airstrip, situated 30 miles (48 km) south of Mersa Matruh. During the concluding segment of their journey, they failed to locate the airstrip; consequently, with diminishing fuel reserves and impending darkness, Dahl was compelled to execute an emergency landing in the desert. The aircraft's undercarriage struck a boulder, resulting in a crash. Dahl sustained a fractured skull and a shattered nose, leading to temporary blindness. He succeeded in extricating himself from the wreckage before losing consciousness. His colleague, Douglas McDonald, had successfully landed and provided comfort to Dahl until their rescue. The details of this crash were subsequently documented in his inaugural published work. Dahl later posited that the head injury incurred during this incident was instrumental in fostering his creative abilities.

Dahl was subsequently rescued and transported to a first-aid post in Mersa Matruh, where he regained consciousness but remained visually impaired. His blindness persisted for six weeks, attributed to significant cerebral swelling. He was then transferred by train to the Royal Navy hospital in Alexandria. During his recovery there, he developed and subsequently lost romantic feelings for a nurse named Mary Welland. An official RAF inquiry into the crash determined that the designated flight location was entirely erroneous, having inadvertently directed him into the contested territory between Allied and Italian forces.

In February 1941, Dahl was medically cleared for flight operations following his hospital discharge. Concurrently, 80 Squadron had relocated to Eleusina, near Athens, as part of the Greek campaign, and its arsenal now included Hawker Hurricanes. In April 1941, with only seven hours of prior experience in Hurricanes, Dahl piloted a replacement aircraft across the Mediterranean Sea. At this juncture of the Greek campaign, the Royal Air Force (RAF) possessed a mere 18 combat aircraft in Greece, comprising 14 Hurricanes and four Bristol Blenheim light bombers. Dahl engaged in his inaugural aerial combat on April 15, 1941, operating solo above Chalcis. He intercepted six Junkers Ju 88s targeting maritime vessels, successfully downing one. The following day, he achieved another aerial victory against a Ju 88.

On April 20, 1941, Dahl participated in an engagement he termed the Battle of Athens, alongside Pat Pattle, the leading British Commonwealth ace of World War II, and his colleague David Coke. Out of 12 Hurricanes deployed, five were lost, resulting in the deaths of four pilots, including Pattle. Ground observers in Greece reported 22 German aircraft destroyed; however, the chaotic nature of the aerial engagement prevented individual pilots from confirming their specific victories. Dahl characterized the experience as "an endless blur of enemy fighters whizzing towards me from every side."

In May, with German forces advancing on Athens, Dahl was subsequently evacuated to Egypt. His squadron reconvened in Haifa to participate in Operation Exporter. Over a four-week period, Dahl conducted daily sorties from this location, successfully downing a Vichy French Air Force Potez 63 on June 8 and a Ju 88 on June 15. In his memoir, Dahl provides a detailed account of an assault he and his fellow Hurricane pilots conducted on the Vichy-controlled Rayak airfield. He describes their approach:

... flying low over the airfield at midday, we were astonished to observe a group of young women in brightly colored cotton dresses standing near the aircraft, holding glasses and socializing with the French pilots. I distinctly recall seeing bottles of wine positioned on the wing of one aircraft as we swept past. It was a Sunday morning, and the French personnel were evidently entertaining their companions and showcasing their aircraft, a characteristic French behavior even amidst wartime at a frontline aerodrome. During that initial pass over the airfield, every pilot withheld fire, and it was remarkably comical to witness the women dropping their wine glasses and hastily retreating in their high heels towards the nearest building. Upon a second pass, our element of surprise was lost, and they were prepared with ground defenses. Regrettably, our initial chivalry led to damage to several Hurricanes, including my own. Nevertheless, we successfully destroyed five of their aircraft on the ground.

Notwithstanding this somewhat anecdotal recollection, Dahl also recorded that Vichy forces ultimately caused the deaths of four out of the nine Hurricane pilots in his squadron. Characterizing the Vichy forces as "disgusting," he asserted that "... thousands of lives were lost, and I for one have never forgiven the Vichy French for the unnecessary slaughter they caused."

Experiencing severe headaches that resulted in blackouts, he was medically repatriated to Britain, residing with his mother in Buckinghamshire. Despite holding the rank of pilot officer on probation at this juncture, Dahl was simultaneously confirmed in his rank and promoted to war substantive flying officer in September 1941.

Diplomatic, Literary, and Intelligence Career

Following his medical repatriation, Dahl received a posting to an RAF training camp located in Uxbridge. He endeavored to regain sufficient health to qualify as an instructor. In late March 1942, during his time in London, he encountered Major Harold Balfour, the Under-Secretary of State for Air, at Balfour's club. Impressed by Dahl's military service and conversational aptitude, Balfour subsequently appointed him as assistant air attaché at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. Despite initial reluctance, Dahl was ultimately convinced by Balfour to accept the position, embarking on the MS Batory from Glasgow a few days thereafter. His arrival in Halifax, Canada, occurred on April 14, followed by a sleeper train journey to Montreal.

Having arrived from wartime Britain, which was experiencing severe rationing, Dahl was astonished by the abundance of food and amenities available in North America. Upon his arrival in Washington a week later, Dahl initially appreciated the ambiance of the U.S. capital. He resided with another attaché at 1610 34th Street, NW, in Georgetown. However, within ten days of commencing his new assignment, Dahl developed a profound distaste for it, perceiving it as "a most ungodly unimportant job". He subsequently articulated his disillusionment, stating, "I'd just come from the war. People were getting killed. I had been flying around, seeing horrible things. Now, almost instantly, I found myself in the middle of a pre-war cocktail party in America."

Dahl found his office within the British Air Mission, an appendage of the embassy, to be unremarkable. Similarly, he held a modest opinion of Ambassador Lord Halifax, with whom he occasionally played tennis and whom he characterized as "a courtly English gentleman". Dahl engaged in social interactions with Charles E. Marsh, a Texan publisher and oil magnate, at Marsh's residence located at 2136 R Street, NW, and at the Marsh country estate in Virginia. In his capacity as assistant air attaché, Dahl's responsibilities included mitigating the prevalent isolationist sentiments among many Americans through delivering pro-British addresses and recounting his wartime experiences. The United States had only entered the conflict the preceding December, subsequent to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

During this period, Dahl encountered the distinguished British novelist C. S. Forester, who was similarly contributing to the British war effort. Forester was employed by the British Ministry of Information, where he composed propaganda primarily intended for American audiences, supporting the Allied cause. The Saturday Evening Post had commissioned Forester to author a narrative derived from Dahl's aerial experiences; consequently, Forester requested Dahl to document various RAF anecdotes for adaptation into a story. Upon reviewing Dahl's submission, Forester resolved to publish the narrative precisely as Dahl had composed it. However, several modifications were, in fact, implemented in the original manuscript prior to its publication. Dahl's original title for the article was "A Piece of Cake," but the magazine altered it to "Shot Down Over Libya" to enhance its dramatic appeal, despite Dahl not having been shot down. The piece was published in the 1 August 1942 issue of the Post. Dahl received a promotion to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) in August 1942. Subsequently, he collaborated with other prominent British officers, including Ian Fleming (who later authored the acclaimed James Bond series) and David Ogilvy, to advance British interests and disseminate its message within the United States, while also counteracting the "America First" movement.

This engagement initiated Dahl's involvement in espionage and exposed him to the operations of the Canadian spymaster William Stephenson, who operated under the codename "Intrepid." Throughout the war, Dahl transmitted intelligence from Washington to Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Dahl later articulated his role, stating: "My job was to try to help Winston to get on with FDR, and tell Winston what was in the old boy's mind." Furthermore, Dahl provided intelligence to Stephenson and his organization, British Security Coordination, which functioned as a component of MI6. On one occasion, British Embassy officials repatriated Dahl to Britain, ostensibly due to misconduct; he remarked, "I got booted out by the big boys". Stephenson, however, promptly reinstated him to Washington, accompanied by a promotion to the rank of wing commander. Nearing the conclusion of the war, Dahl documented aspects of the secret organization's history. Their friendship with Stephenson endured for several decades following the cessation of hostilities.

At the cessation of the war, Dahl held the temporary rank of wing commander, with a substantive rank of flight lieutenant. Due to the gravity of injuries sustained in his 1940 accident, he was deemed medically unfit for continued service and was consequently invalided out of the RAF in August 1946. He departed the service holding the substantive rank of squadron leader. His documented record of five aerial victories, which accorded him the status of a flying ace, has been corroborated by post-war investigations and cross-referenced against Axis records. It is plausible that he downed additional aircraft, such as on 20 April 1941, when German forces incurred the loss of multiple aircraft.

Post-War Life

Dahl solemnized his marriage to American actress Patricia Neal on 2 July 1953, at Trinity Church in New York City. Their marital union spanned three decades, producing five children:

• Olivia Twenty (1955–1962);
• Chantal Sophia "Tessa" (born 1957), who pursued a career as an author and is the mother of author, cookbook writer, and former model Sophie Dahl (the namesake for the character Sophie in The BFG);
• Theo Matthew (born 1960);
• Ophelia Magdalena, born in 1964.
• Lucy Neal, born in 1965.

On December 5, 1960, Theo, then four months old, sustained severe injuries when his baby carriage was hit by a taxicab in New York City. Subsequently, he developed hydrocephalus. This experience prompted Dahl's involvement in the creation of the "Wade-Dahl-Till" (WDT) valve, an innovative device designed to enhance the shunt mechanism used for treating hydrocephalus. This collaborative effort involved Dahl, hydraulic engineer Stanley Wade, and neurosurgeon Kenneth Till from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, ultimately leading to the successful implementation of the valve in nearly 3,000 pediatric patients globally.

In November 1962, Olivia passed away at the age of seven due to measles encephalitis. Her demise profoundly affected Dahl, leaving him "limp with despair" and burdened by guilt over his perceived inability to intervene. Consequently, Dahl emerged as a vocal advocate for immunization, authoring "Measles: A Dangerous Illness" in 1988 in response to outbreaks in the UK, and dedicating his 1982 novel, The BFG, to her memory. Following Olivia's death and a subsequent encounter with a Church official, Dahl developed a skeptical view of Christianity, considering it a deception. During his period of mourning, he had sought spiritual counsel from Geoffrey Fisher, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and was disheartened by the assertion that while Olivia was in Paradise, her cherished dog, Rowley, would not be permitted to join her. Years later, Dahl recounted:

I wanted to ask him how he could be so absolutely sure that other creatures did not get the same special treatment as us. I sat there wondering if this great and famous churchman really knew what he was talking about and whether he knew anything at all about God or heaven, and if he didn't, then who in the world did?

In 1965, Patricia Neal, Dahl's wife, experienced three ruptured cerebral aneurysms during her pregnancy with their fifth child, Lucy. Dahl assumed primary responsibility for her rehabilitation over the subsequent months; Neal underwent a challenging process to relearn speech and ambulation, ultimately succeeding in resuming her acting career. This challenging phase of their lives was subsequently dramatized in the 1981 film The Patricia Neal Story, featuring Glenda Jackson and Dirk Bogarde in the roles of the couple.

In 1972, Roald Dahl encountered Felicity d'Abreu Crosland, who was the niece of Lt.-Col. Francis D'Abreu (married to Margaret Bowes Lyon, the Queen Mother's first cousin). At the time, Felicity was employed as a set designer for a Maxim coffee advertisement, working alongside Dahl's then-wife, Patricia Neal. Shortly after their introduction, they commenced an 11-year extramarital relationship. In 1983, Neal and Dahl finalized their divorce, and Dahl subsequently married Felicity at Brixton Town Hall in South London. Felicity, also known as Liccy, resigned from her profession and relocated to Gipsy House in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, a residence Dahl had occupied since 1954.

Dahl consistently expressed antisemitic views throughout his life, culminating in a late-life declaration of his antisemitism. In August 1983, Dahl reviewed Australian author Tony Clifton's God Cried, a pictorial account detailing the Israeli army's siege of West Beirut during the 1982 Lebanon War. This article, published in the Literary Review, contained Dahl's assertion that Jewish people had "switched so rapidly from much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers," drawing significant media commentary and criticism upon its release. Dahl contended that Clifton's work would incite readers to become "violently anti-Israeli," simultaneously claiming, "I am not anti-Semitic. I am anti-Israel." In 1990, Dahl revisited the topic of the Lebanon invasion, asserting that "they killed 22,000 civilians when they bombed Beirut. It was very much hushed up in the newspapers because they are primarily Jewish-owned. I'm certainly anti-Israeli and I've become antisemitic in as much as that you get a Jewish person in another country like England strongly supporting Zionism. I think they should see both sides. It's the same old thing: we all know about Jews and the rest of it. There aren't any non-Jewish publishers anywhere, they control the media—jolly clever thing to do." These remarks elicited reactions from Jewish colleagues and acquaintances; philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin commented, "I thought he might say anything. Could have been pro-Arab or pro-Jew. There was no consistent line. He was a man who followed whims, which meant he would blow up in one direction, so to speak," while Amelia Foster, the Jewish director of the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden, observed, "He had a childish reaction to what was going on in Israel. Dahl wanted to provoke, as he always provoked at dinner." Consequently, in 2014, the Royal Mint opted against issuing a commemorative coin for the centenary of Dahl's birth due to these statements. In 2020, Dahl's family issued an apology for his antisemitism via the official Roald Dahl website.

During the 1986 New Year Honours List, Dahl received an offer for appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), which he declined. Reports indicated his preference for a knighthood, which would have conferred the title of Lady Dahl upon his wife. Dahl's final notable engagement with medical charities during his lifetime focused on dyslexia. In 1990, coinciding with the United Nations' International Literacy Year, Dahl contributed to the British Dyslexia Association's Awareness Campaign. During the same year, Dahl authored one of his final children's books, The Vicar of Nibbleswicke, which portrays a vicar afflicted with a fictional type of dyslexia causing him to utter words in reverse. Described by Waterstones as "a comic tale in the best Dahl tradition of craziness," the rights to the book were subsequently donated by Dahl to the Dyslexia Institute in London.

Literary Works

Dahl's inaugural published work, "A Piece of Cake," appeared on August 1, 1942, following inspiration from a meeting with C. S. Forester. This narrative, detailing his wartime experiences, was acquired by The Saturday Evening Post for US$1,000 (equivalent to $20,000 in 2025) and subsequently published under the title "Shot Down Over Libya."

His initial children's book, The Gremlins, released in 1943, centered on mischievous entities from Royal Air Force folklore. Royal Air Force pilots attributed aircraft malfunctions to these gremlins. The protagonist, Gus, an RAF pilot akin to Dahl, allies with the gremlins to confront a shared adversary: Hitler and the Nazis. While stationed at the British Embassy in Washington, Dahl dispatched a copy to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who read it to her grandchildren; subsequently, Walt Disney commissioned the book for a film adaptation that ultimately remained unproduced. Dahl subsequently authored several of the twentieth century's most cherished children's stories, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits, and George's Marvellous Medicine.

Roald Dahl maintained a successful parallel career as an author of macabre short stories for adults, frequently integrating humor and innocence with unexpected narrative developments. The Mystery Writers of America honored Dahl with three Edgar Awards for his contributions. Many of these stories were initially published in prominent American magazines, including Collier's (where "The Collector's Item" was designated the Star Story of the week on 4 September 1948), Ladies' Home Journal, Harper's, Playboy, and The New Yorker. Subsequent anthologies, such as Kiss Kiss, compiled Dahl's stories, achieving considerable acclaim. Dahl authored over 60 short stories, which have appeared in numerous collections, with some being published posthumously in book format. His three Edgar Awards were conferred for: the collection Someone Like You in 1954; the story "The Landlady" in 1959; and the episode of Tales of the Unexpected titled "Skin" in 1980.

"The Smoker," also known as "Man from the South," stands as one of Dahl's most renowned adult short stories, undergoing multiple adaptations. It was filmed twice as episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1960 and 1985, adapted into a 1979 episode of Tales of the Unexpected, and incorporated into Quentin Tarantino's segment of the 1995 film Four Rooms. This frequently anthologized narrative centers on a Jamaican man who engages visitors in a high-stakes wager, seeking to acquire their fingers. The initial 1960 adaptation within the Hitchcock series featured Steve McQueen and Peter Lorre. Furthermore, five other Dahl stories were utilized in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series. Dahl received teleplay credits for two episodes, and Alfred Hitchcock personally directed four episodes based on Dahl's works, including "Lamb to the Slaughter" (1958).

In the 1960s, Dahl acquired a traditional Romanichal vardo, which initially served as a playhouse for his children at their Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire residence. Subsequently, he repurposed the vardo as a writing studio, where he authored Danny, the Champion of the World in 1975. A similar caravan features prominently in the novel's plot, serving as the dwelling for the young English protagonist, Danny, and his father, William (portrayed by Jeremy Irons in the cinematic adaptation). Numerous other elements and personalities from Great Missenden are discernible throughout his literary output. For instance, the local village library provided the inspiration for Mrs. Phelps' library in Matilda, a setting where the titular character demonstrates an extraordinary capacity for reading classic literature by the age of four.

Dahl's short story collection, Tales of the Unexpected, was successfully adapted into a television series bearing the same title, commencing with the episode "Man from the South." Following the depletion of Dahl's original narratives, the series proceeded to adapt stories by other authors, such as John Collier and Stanley Ellin, which emulated Dahl's distinctive style. Another compilation of short stories, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, was released in 1977. The titular short story from this collection was subsequently adapted into a 2023 short film by director Wes Anderson, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as the character Henry Sugar and Ralph Fiennes portraying Dahl.

A subset of Dahl's short stories are presented as excerpts from the diary of his fictional character, Uncle Oswald, an affluent gentleman whose romantic escapades constitute the central theme. In the novel My Uncle Oswald, this character employs a seductress to entice prominent 20th-century intellectuals and members of royalty, utilizing a love potion covertly incorporated into chocolate truffles sourced from Prestat of Piccadilly, London, Dahl's preferred chocolatier. Memories with Food at Gipsy House, co-authored with his wife Felicity and published posthumously in 1991, comprises a compilation of recipes, familial anecdotes, and Dahl's reflections on favored topics, including chocolate, onions, and claret.

Esio Trot, published in January 1990 as Dahl's final book during his lifetime, signified a notable stylistic departure for the author. In contrast to many of his other works, which frequently depict authoritarian adults and heroic or magical children, this narrative focuses on an elderly, solitary man endeavoring to establish a relationship with a woman he has admired from a distance. In 1994, the English-language audiobook version was narrated by Michael Palin, a member of Monty Python. Screenwriter Richard Curtis subsequently adapted the story into a 2015 BBC television comedy film, Roald Dahl's Esio Trot, starring Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench in the lead roles.

Published posthumously in 1991, Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety, completed in 1990, represents one of Dahl's final literary contributions. Commissioned by the British Railways Board in response to increasing child fatalities related to train incidents, the booklet aimed to promote safe railway usage among young people, with Dahl providing the text and Quentin Blake the illustrations. Structured as a direct dialogue with children, the guide was disseminated to primary school students across Britain. Children's literature critic Deborah Cogan Thacker notes Dahl's characteristic placement of "child characters in powerful positions" within his works, making the concept of "talking down" to children fundamentally antithetical to his writing philosophy. Consequently, Dahl acknowledged this departure in the booklet's introduction, stating, "I must now regretfully become one of those unpopular giants who tells you WHAT TO DO and WHAT NOT TO DO. This is something I have never done in any of my books."

Children's Fiction

Roald Dahl's children's literature predominantly employs a child's perspective, frequently featuring antagonistic adult figures who harbor animosity towards and mistreat children. These narratives often include at least one benevolent adult character who serves to counterbalance the malevolent forces. Such recurring character archetypes may allude to the abuse Dahl reportedly endured during his boarding school years. Biographer Matthew Dennison observed that Dahl's "writing frequently included protests against unfairness." Ultimately, Dahl's narratives consistently depict the triumph of the child, a point underscored by children's book critic Amanda Craig, who asserted, "He was unequivocal that it is the good, young and kind who triumph over the old, greedy and the wicked." Writing for The Telegraph, Anna Leskiewicz suggested that Dahl's enduring popularity stems from his remarkable ability to penetrate children's fantasies and fears, articulating them with an "anarchic delight." She further noted that adult villains are meticulously detailed in their terrifying aspects before their exposure as deceitful hypocrites, leading to their downfall through either sudden magical intervention or the superior intellect of the children they victimize.

Although Dahl's whimsical fantasy narratives possess an inherent warmth, they frequently incorporate grotesque, darkly comic, and occasionally starkly violent elements. Prominent examples of this narrative structure include The Witches, George's Marvellous Medicine, and Matilda. Similarly, The BFG exemplifies this pattern, with the titular "Big Friendly Giant" embodying the benevolent adult archetype, contrasted with the malevolent nature of the other giants. This thematic framework is also discernible in Dahl's screenplay for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Furthermore, Dahl's works often explore class-conscious themes, as seen in Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny, the Champion of the World, where affluent, disagreeable neighbors are ultimately outsmarted.

Dahl's narratives frequently include characters characterized by extreme corpulence, often children, such as Augustus Gloop, Bruce Bogtrotter, and Bruno Jenkins. However, this trait is also present in adult figures like Aunt Sponge in James and the Giant Peach and the malevolent farmer Boggis in Fantastic Mr Fox. With the potential exception of Bruce Bogtrotter, these characters are typically portrayed as antagonists or disagreeable gluttons, and their excesses are invariably met with retribution. For instance, Augustus Gloop's disregard for adult warnings leads him to fall into Willy Wonka's chocolate river, resulting in his being sucked into a pipe and nearly transformed into fudge. In Matilda, Bruce Bogtrotter, after stealing cake, is compelled by the tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull to consume an enormous chocolate cake before the entire school; his unexpected success is met with Trunchbull smashing the empty plate over his head. In The Witches, Bruno Jenkins is enticed by the Grand High Witch and her coven with the promise of chocolate, only to be transmuted into a mouse. Aunt Sponge, similarly, meets her demise by being flattened by a giant peach. Beyond these character tropes, Dahl's childhood was significantly influenced by his mother's Norwegian folktales of trolls and other mythical creatures. This inspiration is evident in several of his children's books, including the giants in The BFG, the fox family in Fantastic Mr Fox, and the trolls in The Minpins.

In 1972, children's author Eleanor Cameron published an article in The Horn Book, critiquing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for its portrayal of the African-derived Oompa-Loompas, asserting they "have never been given the opportunity of any life outside of the chocolate factory." Dahl responded in 1973, dismissing Cameron's allegations as "insensitive" and "monstrous," which subsequently ignited extensive public discourse and numerous letters to the editor. Later, in 1991, Michael Dirda addressed additional critiques of Dahl's literary output, including accusations of sexism, noting that "The Witches verges on a general misogyny." Michele Landsberg further analyzed these alleged thematic problems in 1998, concluding that "Throughout his work, evil, domineering, smelly, fat, ugly women are his favourite villains." Conversely, in 2008, Una Mullally contended that Dahl's narratives contain feminist undertones, despite their potential obscurity, stating, "The Witches offers up plenty of feminist complexities. The witches themselves are terrifying and vile things, and always women... The book is often viewed as sexist, but that assessment ignores one of the heroines of the story, the child narrator's grandmother."

Upon receiving the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, Dahl advocated for both his children and his readership to cultivate uninhibited imagination. His daughter, Lucy, remarked on his profound influence, stating, "his spirit was so large and so big he taught us to believe in magic." She further recounted that her father considered a bedtime story unsuccessful if it concluded with a simple goodnight; however, persistent requests for continuation signaled a promising narrative, often leading to the development of a full-length book.

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

Dahl was renowned for his innovative and whimsical linguistic style, a fundamental aspect of his literary craft. He is credited with coining over 500 neologisms, often developed through phonetic manipulation, including the application of spoonerisms and malapropisms. Lexicographer Susan Rennie observed that Dahl's new vocabulary was grounded in recognizable phonemes, elaborating:

He didn't always explain what his words meant, but children can work them out because they often sound like a word they know, and he loved using onomatopoeia. For example, you know that something lickswishy and delumptious is good to eat, whereas something uckyslush or rotsome is definitely not! He also used sounds that children love to say, like squishous and squizzle, or fizzlecrump and fizzwiggler.

During the 1980s, Barry Cunningham, then marketing director for Penguin Books, accompanied Dahl on a promotional book tour across the UK. Cunningham inquired about the secret to Dahl's success, to which Dahl replied, "the thing you've got to remember, is that humour is delayed fear, laughter is delayed fear." Cunningham subsequently reflected that "if you look at the way he uses humour and the way that children use humour, perhaps sometimes it's the only weapon they have against terrifying circumstances or people. That's very indicative of his stories and the style of those stories."

A UK television special, Roald Dahl's Revolting Rule Book, hosted by Richard E. Grant and broadcast on ITV on 22 September 2007, commemorated Dahl's 90th birthday and acknowledged his significant cultural influence as a children's author. The program also outlined eight principal guidelines he incorporated into all his children's literature:

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

In 2016, commemorating the centenary of Dahl's birth, Rennie curated The Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary, which catalogs numerous of his invented words and their definitions. Rennie noted that certain Dahlian neologisms, such as Scrumdiddlyumptious, defined as "Food that is utterly delicious," have permeated common lexicon beyond his literary universe. Furthermore, Dahl's poetic works offer humorous reinterpretations of classic nursery rhymes and fairy tales, subverting traditional narratives and introducing unexpected conclusions instead of conventional happy endings. His poetry collection, Revolting Rhymes, is available as an audiobook, narrated by actor Alan Cumming.

In 2023, Puffin Books, the rights holder for all Roald Dahl's children's books, released revised editions incorporating hundreds of textual alterations based on recommendations from sensitivity readers. These modifications encompassed the adoption of gender-neutral terminology, such as "parents" or "siblings" instead of "boys and girls" or "mothers and fathers," the substitution of "fat" with terms like "enormous" or "large," and the consistent removal of words such as "crazy" and "mad." While this initiative garnered support from some authors, including Society of Authors chair Joanne Harris and Diego Jourdan Pereira at Writer's Digest, it provoked significantly more critical reactions. Notable public figures, including then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and author Salman Rushdie, publicly opposed these revisions. Reports indicated that Dahl, during his lifetime, had vehemently objected to any alterations to his works. Consequently, on February 23, 2023, Puffin declared its intention to publish an unedited selection of Dahl's children's books as 'The Roald Dahl Classic Collection,' asserting, "We've listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl's books" and "recognise the importance of keeping Dahl's classic texts in print."

Screenplays

During a concise period in the 1960s, Dahl engaged in screenplay writing. Two of his works, the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, constituted adaptations of novels by Ian Fleming. Dahl also commenced the adaptation of his own novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; however, due to his failure to meet deadlines, David Seltzer completed and rewrote the script, which was subsequently produced as the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). Dahl later repudiated the film, expressing "disappointment" that it "placed too much emphasis on Willy Wonka and not enough on Charlie." He was additionally "infuriated" by the plot deviations introduced by David Seltzer in his screenplay draft. This dissatisfaction ultimately led to Dahl's lifelong prohibition of any further adaptations of the book during his lifetime.

Dahl also authored the screenplay for Death, Where is Thy Sting-a-ling-ling?, a film that commenced production but was subsequently abandoned.

Influences

A significant portion of Dahl's literary influences originated during his childhood. As a youth, he was a voracious reader, particularly captivated by fantastical narratives of heroism and triumph. At the age of six, he encountered his literary idol, Beatrix Potter. Other esteemed authors who profoundly impacted his life and writing included Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, and former Royal Navy officer Frederick Marryat, whose novel Mr Midshipman Easy Dahl cited as his favorite. Joe Sommerlad, writing in The Independent, observes, "Dahl's novels are often dark affairs, filled with cruelty, bereavement and Dickensian adults prone to gluttony and sadism. The author clearly felt compelled to warn his young readers about the evils of the world, taking the lesson from earlier fairy tales that they could stand hard truths and would be the stronger for hearing them."

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland also served as an influence on Dahl. Specifically, the "Drink Me" sequence in Alice provided inspiration for a scene in Dahl's George's Marvellous Medicine, where a despotic grandmother consumes a potion and expands to the dimensions of a farmhouse. Confronted with excessive distractions within his residence, Dahl recalled that the poet Dylan Thomas had utilized a tranquil shed near his home for writing. In the 1950s, Dahl journeyed to During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in October 1979, Dahl acclaimed Thomas as "the greatest poet of our time" and included Thomas's recitation of his poem "Fern Hill" among his eight selected recordings.

Roald Dahl expressed an affinity for ghost stories, asserting that Jonas Lie's Trolls represented a pinnacle of the genre. During his formative years, his mother, Sofie Dahl, frequently recounted traditional Norwegian myths and legends from her homeland to him and his sisters. Dahl consistently attributed a profound influence on his literary work to his mother and her narratives. He once remarked in an interview, "She was a great teller of tales. Her memory was prodigious and nothing that ever happened to her in her life was forgotten." As Dahl commenced writing and publishing his renowned children's literature, he incorporated a grandmother character into The Witches, subsequently confirming this portrayal was a direct homage to his own mother.

Television

In 1961, Dahl served as both host and writer for 'Way Out, a science fiction and horror anthology television series that aired on the CBS network for 14 episodes between March and July, preceding The Twilight Zone. This production, notable as one of the final dramatic network programs filmed in New York City, is fully accessible for public viewing at The Paley Center for Media locations in New York City and Los Angeles. Furthermore, Dahl contributed writing to the BBC's satirical comedy program, That Was the Week That Was, which was presented by David Frost.

The British television series Tales of the Unexpected was broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1988. This series was launched in conjunction with Dahl's short story anthology of the identical title, which had previously familiarized audiences with recurring themes in his literary works. Functioning as an anthology, the program initially adapted Dahl's short stories, which frequently featured sinister or wryly comedic narratives culminating in a surprise ending. Dahl personally introduced every episode of the initial two series, which were officially titled Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected.

Death and Legacy

Roald Dahl passed away on 23 November 1990, at the age of 74, in Oxford, due to myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood cancer. He was interred in the cemetery of the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England. His obituary in The Times bore the headline "Death silences Pied Piper of the macabre." His granddaughter reported that the family conducted a "sort of Viking funeral," burying him with personal items including snooker cues, burgundy, chocolates, HB pencils, and a power saw. To this day, children frequently place toys and flowers at his gravesite.

In 1996, the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery was inaugurated at the Buckinghamshire County Museum in Aylesbury, situated 10 miles (16 km) from Great Missenden. Concurrently, the main-belt asteroid 6223 Dahl, identified by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos, was designated in his honor.

In 2002, the Oval Basin plaza, a prominent contemporary landmark in Cardiff Bay, was officially renamed Roald Dahl Plass. The term Plass, meaning "place" or "square" in Norwegian, acknowledges the author's ancestral heritage. Public appeals have also advocated for the erection of a permanent statue commemorating Dahl in Cardiff. The city observed the centenary of Dahl's birth in Llandaff in 2016. Various Welsh arts organizations, including National Theatre Wales, Wales Millennium Centre, and Literature Wales, collaborated on a series of commemorative events under the banner "Roald Dahl 100," which featured a city-wide "City of the Unexpected" celebration to honor his enduring legacy.

Dahl's philanthropic endeavors in neurology, haematology, and literacy, initiated during his lifetime, have been sustained posthumously by his widow through Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, previously known as the Roald Dahl Foundation. This organization delivers care and assistance to critically ill children and adolescents across Britain. In June 2005, the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, located in the author's home village of Great Missenden, was formally inaugurated by Cherie Blair, spouse of the then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair. This institution serves to commemorate Roald Dahl's literary contributions and promote his advocacy for literacy education. Annually, over 50,000 international visitors, predominantly from Australia, Germany, Japan, and the United States, frequent the village museum.

In 2008, the United Kingdom charity BookTrust, in collaboration with Children's Laureate Michael Rosen, established The Roald Dahl Funny Prize, an annual accolade recognizing authors of humorous children's fiction. A blue plaque commemorating Dahl was unveiled in Llandaff on September 14, 2009, the day following what would have been his ninety-third birthday. This plaque, however, did not mark his birthplace but was instead affixed to the former sweet shop, the location of "The Great Mouse Plot of 1924," which is prominently featured in the initial section of his autobiography, Boy. His widow, Felicity, and son, Theo, performed the unveiling ceremony. Subsequently, in 2018, Weston-super-Mare, a locality Dahl characterized as a "seedy seaside resort," dedicated a blue plaque to him at the former site of St Peter's, the now-demolished boarding school he attended. The anniversary of Dahl's birth, September 13, is observed as "Roald Dahl Day" across Africa, Latin America, and the United Kingdom.

To honor Dahl, the Royal Gibraltar Post Office released a series of four stamps in 2010, showcasing Quentin Blake's original illustrations from four of Dahl's prominent children's books: The BFG, The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. In 2012, Royal Mail issued a set of six commemorative stamps, also featuring Blake's illustrations, for the works Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, The Twits, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox, and James and the Giant Peach.

In 2012, Dahl was included in the compilation The New Elizabethans, a recognition coinciding with the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A seven-member panel comprising academics, journalists, and historians identified Dahl as one of the British individuals "whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and given the age its character." In September 2016, his daughter, Lucy Dahl, posthumously accepted the BBC's Blue Peter Gold badge on his behalf, marking the inaugural instance of such an award being granted posthumously.

Dahl's literary influence has transcended the realm of fellow authors. For example, film director Tim Burton recounted his childhood experience of discovering "the second layer [after Dr. Seuss] of connecting to a writer who understands the modern fable—encompassing the blend of light and darkness, an avoidance of condescension towards children, and the type of politically incorrect humor that resonates with young audiences. This aspect has consistently appealed to me and has profoundly influenced my creative endeavors." Steven Spielberg, who read The BFG to his children during their youth, articulated that the book champions individuality and the cultivation of an active imagination, asserting: "It is imperative that we uphold the tradition of enabling young children to freely explore their imaginations, as magic and imagination are intrinsically linked." Actress Scarlett Johansson cited Fantastic Mr Fox as one of five books that significantly impacted her.

Dahl's literary style is remarkably distinctive, characterized by subversive, unpredictable narratives, lyrical prose, and incisive wit, rendering it inimitable. Nevertheless, his stories have demonstrated remarkable adaptability. Frequently reinterpreted by equally idiosyncratic writers and directors, his works, when adapted for stage and screen, effortlessly assimilate the distinct vision of their new creators. Consistent with many of his narratives, Dahl constructs worlds where mischievousness is often rewarded, and ingenuity through games and tricks proves more efficacious than strict adherence to rules. This characteristic, perhaps more than any other, explains the enduring appeal of Dahl's stories to both adults and children, and why numerous storytellers across various media are compelled to reinterpret his tales in their unique artistic styles. Throughout his extensive oeuvre, qualities such as playfulness and inventiveness are consistently valued above conventional attributes like obedience and deference. Within Dahl's fictional universe, creative disruption is portrayed with such an alluring and delightful quality that it becomes irresistible to engage with.

Recognized as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century," Dahl was designated by The Times as one of the 50 most significant British writers since 1945. He is among the world's top-selling fiction authors, with estimated sales exceeding 300 million copies, and his works have been translated into 63 languages. In 2000, Dahl achieved the top position on the list of Britain's most beloved authors. By 2003, four of Dahl's books, notably Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at number 35, were included in the Top 100 of The Big Read, a BBC survey conducted to identify the "nation's best-loved novel" of all time among the British public. Surveys involving British educators, parents, and students consistently rank Dahl as the foremost children's writer. He received the inaugural three Australian BILBY Younger Readers Awards for Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

In a 2006 compilation for the Royal Society of Literature, J. K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, identified Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as one of her ten essential books for children. Critics have observed parallels between the Dursley family in Harry Potter and the formidable guardians depicted in numerous Dahl novels, such as Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker from James and the Giant Peach, Grandma from George's Marvellous Medicine, and the Wormwoods from Matilda. Barry Cunningham, the Bloomsbury publisher who signed Rowling, attributed his understanding of Rowling's potential to his experiences on promotional book tours with Dahl in the UK, noting his non-traditional background in marketing and promotion provided insight into children's engagement with books. In 2012, Matilda was ranked 30th among the greatest children's novels of all time in a survey published by School Library Journal, a monthly publication primarily serving a U.S. audience. This Top 100 list featured four books by Dahl, surpassing any other author. The American magazine Time included three Dahl books in its list of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time, more than any other author. Dahl remains one of the most frequently borrowed authors in British libraries.

In 2012, Dahl was among the British cultural figures chosen by artist Peter Blake to be featured in a contemporary rendition of his renowned artwork—the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover—commemorating the British cultural icons he most admired throughout his life. Dahl's sustained popularity was evidenced in 2016 by his inclusion among Amazon's top five best-selling children's authors, based on print and Kindle sales over the preceding year. A 2017 UK poll, which assessed the greatest authors, songwriters, artists, and photographers, named Dahl the greatest storyteller of all time, positioning him ahead of Dickens, Shakespeare, Rowling, and Spielberg. In 2017, the airline Norwegian announced that Dahl's image would adorn the tail fin of one of their Boeing 737-800 aircraft. He is one of the company's six "British tail fin heroes," alongside Queen singer Freddie Mercury, England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore, novelist Jane Austen, pioneering pilot Amy Johnson, and aviation entrepreneur Freddie Laker.

In September 2021, Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in a transaction valued at over £500 million ($686 million). A cinematic adaptation of Matilda the Musical was released by Netflix and Sony Pictures Releasing in December 2022, featuring Emma Thompson in the role of Miss Trunchbull. The subsequent Dahl adaptation for Netflix, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, premiered in September 2023, with its director Wes Anderson also slated to adapt three additional Dahl short stories for Netflix in 2024.

Filmography

Writing roles

Presenting roles

Non-presenting appearances

Publications

List of people who have declined a British honour

• List of people who have declined a British honour

Notes

References

Sources

• Roald Dahl's Darkest Hour (biographical excerpt)
• Roald Dahl's darkest hour (biography excerpt)
• Roald Dahl at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Roald Dahl at IMDb
• Works by Roald Dahl at Open Library
• Radio interview conducted by NRK (1975) (in Norwegian)
• "The Devious Bachelor" is a Sunday Book Review of The Irregulars, Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington, authored by Jennet Conant and published in The New York Times on October 17, 2008.
• A profile of Patricia Neal, published in 2011 by Voice of America, includes a full transcript.
• Archival footage documents a Whitbread Book Prize presentation delivered by Dahl in 1982.
• Coren, Michael. "How I Outed Roald Dahl as a Venomous Antisemite."