Roald Dahl was a famous British writer. He was inspired to write because of his dreams and life experiences. He enjoyed telling bedtime stories to his children. These bedtime stories were published and some were made into films. Roald Dahl was great writer and was recognized for his work. Roald Dahl was a famous British Writer. He was born in Llandeff, Wales on September 13th 1916. His parents, Harold and Sofie, came from Norway. He had four sisters, Astri, Affhild, Else and Astra, His father died when Roald was only four years old. Roald attended Repton, a private school in Derbyshire.
He did not enjoy his school years, “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 got over it” These experiences inspired him to write stories in which children fight against cruel adults and authorities. When he was 18 years old, he went on expedition to Newfoundland. Upon returning to England, he worked for Shell. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air forces in Libya, Greede and Syria. Being a pilot was dangerous and Dahl had a bad crash in the desert.
While he was recovering from his wounds, he had strange dreams. These dreams inspired him to write his first short stories. He wrote about his most exiting Royal Air force adventures. The Saturday Evening Post published the story, A Piece of Cake. Later, this story was included in a book called, Over To You: the Stories of flyers and flying (1946). In 1953, Roald Dahl marries Patricia Neal. They had one son and four daughters. His eldest daughter Olivia died of measles when she was eight years old. He later divorced her and remarried to Felicity Ann Crossland in 1983.
Dahl’s first children’s book, The Gremlins (1943) was written for Walt Disney. The following years he wrote a collection of short stories. In 1954, the story, Someone Like You, was very successful worldwide. He wrote a sequel, KISS KISS in 1959. The two books were serialized for television in America. Some of the stories were seen in programs like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and in Tales of the Unexpected. Roald Dahl used to tell bedtime stories to his children and these became the books he is now famous for. In 1961, he published James and the Giant Peach.
This book was first published in the United States and later in Britain. The animated film of James and the Giant Peach was produced in 1996. I enjoyed seeing the movie and reading the book. There were a few differences in the movie but it was good. The next book published in 1964 was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is a great story about a poor boy that wins the ultimate prize of visiting a chocolate factory along with greedy children. The story was produced into a film in 1971 and was titled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl has received many awards for his writing.
He has won three Edgar Allan Poe Awards in 1954, 1959 and in 1980. In 1982, he won his first literary prize with Big Friendly Giant. The story is about a giant who kidnaps a little girl and takes her to Giantland where giants eat children. In 1983, he received the World Fantasy Convention Lifetime Achievement Award. On November 23, 1990, Roald Dahl died in Oxford. Roald Dahl was a great writer that wrote many famous children books. Some of his books have been made into movies. He was recognized for his writing by receiving a lifetime achievement award. Roald Dahl was a famous British author.