2. About the Author - Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born on \(13\) September \(1916\) in Wales. His parents were originally from Norway but immigrated to the United Kingdom when Dahl was very young. He had three younger sisters with whom he shared a special bond. Dahl's father was a huger admirer of exploration and hence named him after the Norwegian polar explorer 'Roald Amundsen'.

 

 

After his father's death, Dahl's mother enrolled him in Repton School, which proved to be the setting of most of his books. Dahl had a very bad experience in the school as it was known for caning and hazing the young boys. Dahl himself described the environment as the cruellest place, which was filled with status domination. Younger students were ragged by the seniors and were made to act as their servants. The headmaster and the other teachers were arrogant and rude. His experiences in this school shaped Dahl's personality and made him empathise more with young children. This made him write numerous books that come under children's literature and was also hailed as one of the World's best children's writers. Dahl wrote about dark experiences that children go through when subjected to parental pressure and corporal punishments.

 

Although most of his books have a lighter tone, the themes revolve around a very serious issue. Roald Dahl novels have unique characteristics that differentiate them from the rest of the children's books. It usually has a child narrating the story from his perspective. It involves a villain who mistreats children and an adult who helps children to come out of the trouble. Most of his books were fantasy and juxtaposed dark comedy with violent scenes. Dahl also wrote short stories for adults.

 

Apart from being a writer, Dahl is also a poet, screenwriter and a war-time fighter pilot. He fought during the second world war and served in Royal Air Force. His experiences in the war also led him to write realism based novels for children. His works have been recognised by many organisations as he was awarded the 'World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement'. The Times also placed him under Top '\(50\) great British novelists since \(1945\)'. He served as a screenwriter for most of his novels that were made into movies. His novels that were adapted, such as 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Matilda', were received by the audience from around the globe.

 

Some quotes from Roald Dahl:

 

Famous Works: