Roald Dahl's Life and Literary Career

Study Notes

• Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 to Norwegian parents and was sent to boarding school at a young age, where he experienced physical punishment and cruel treatment, which inspired some of his stories.

• Dahl's mother would take him and his sisters on holiday to Norway, which he loved, and after graduating from high school, he went on an expedition to Newfoundland and later joined the Shell Oil Company, working in East Africa.

• When World War II broke out, Dahl joined the British Royal Air Force as a pilot, but was injured in a crash landing in Libya, and was later reassigned to work at the British Embassy in the United States, where he was suspected of being an undercover spy.

• Dahl started writing short stories for adults during his time in the Air Force, and was later encouraged to write for children, which led to his success as a children's author.

• One of his first children's books, "James and the Giant Peach," was based on stories he told his own children, and he went on to write many famous books, including "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Matilda."

• Dahl was married to movie star Patricia Neal and had five children with her, and he was known to have a love for chocolate, which inspired some of his writing.

• Dahl used journals to capture ideas throughout his life, and experts say he may have written ideas for "Matilda" 30 years before he actually wrote the book.

• In addition to writing books, Dahl co-wrote film scripts, including the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice" and the children's classic "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

• Dahl also helped invent a life-saving medical device, the Wade-Dahl-Till Valve, after his son Theo developed hydrocephalus, and worked with an engineer and neurosurgeon to create the device.

• Despite his many accomplishments, Dahl was not perfect and made anti-Semitic and racist statements against Jewish people multiple times, for which his family and the Roald Dahl Museum later apologized.

Description

Learn about the life of beloved children's author Roald Dahl, from his childhood to his writing career and personal life. Explore his experiences, inspirations, and accomplishments. Discover the man behind iconic books like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Matilda'.