Boy: Tales of Childhood

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McCall, Douglas (2013). Monty Python: A Chronology, 1969–2012 (2nded.). McFarland. ISBN 9780786478118. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023 . Retrieved 24 October 2022. First look at Roald & Beatrix starring Dawn French with special cameo from Bill Bailey, 17 November 2020". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020 . Retrieved 6 October 2022. Bergeson, Samantha (15 June 2022). " 'Matilda' Trailer: Emma Thompson Is Unrecognizable as Monstrous Miss Trunchbull in Roald Dahl Musical". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022 . Retrieved 14 October 2022. de Castella, Tom (12 September 2011). "The darkness of Dahl". BBC News. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020 . Retrieved 23 September 2020. Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. VNR AG. ISBN 978-0-918432-61-2.

a b "Wes Anderson Speaks Out Against Roald Dahl Book Censorship in Venice". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 3 September 2023. Roald Dahl's School Days". BBC Wales. Archived from the original on 25 February 2010 . Retrieved 24 January 2010. His first children's book was The Gremlins, published in 1943, about mischievous little creatures that were part of Royal Air Force folklore. [104] The RAF pilots blamed the gremlins for all the problems with the aircraft. [105] The protagonist Gus—an RAF pilot, like Dahl—joins forces with the gremlins against a common enemy, Hitler and the Nazis. [106] While at the British Embassy in Washington, Dahl sent a copy to the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who read it to her grandchildren, [104] and the book was commissioned by Walt Disney for a film that was never made. [107] Dahl went on to write some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as 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. [5] Day, Elizabeth (9 November 2008). "My years with Roald. Felicity Dahl talks to Elizabeth Day". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019 . Retrieved 16 May 2019. . Fantastic Mr. Fox' movie review: Wes Anderson joyfully re-creates Roald Dahl's foxy family". The Star-Ledger. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016 . Retrieved 21 January 2016.

Dahl was also famous for his inventive, playful use of language, which was a key element to his writing. He invented over 500 new words by scribbling down his words before swapping letters around and adopting spoonerisms and malapropisms. [129] [130] The lexicographer Susan Rennie stated that Dahl built his new words on familiar sounds, adding: Roald Dahl started at the Elm Tree House Primary School in Cardiff in 1921, when he was five years old. He was there for a year, but had few memories of his time there. NLS: Say How, A–D". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018 . Retrieved 25 April 2017. At this time Dahl met the noted British novelist C. S. Forester, who was also working to aid the British war effort. Forester worked for the British Ministry of Information and was writing propaganda for the Allied cause, mainly for American consumption. [75] The Saturday Evening Post had asked Forester to write a story based on Dahl's flying experiences; Forester asked Dahl to write down some RAF anecdotes so that he could shape them into a story. After Forester read what Dahl had given him, he decided to publish the story exactly as Dahl had written it. [76] He originally titled the article as "A Piece of Cake" but the magazine changed it to "Shot Down Over Libya" to make it sound more dramatic, although Dahl had not been shot down; it was published on 1 August 1942 issue of the Post. Dahl was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) in August 1942. [77] Later he worked with such other well-known British officers as Ian Fleming (who later published the popular James Bond series) and David Ogilvy, promoting Britain's interests and message in the US and combating the " America First" movement. [58] A UK television special titled Roald Dahl's Revolting Rule Book which was hosted by Richard E. Grant and aired on 22 September 2007, commemorated Dahl's 90th birthday and also celebrated his impact as a children's author in popular culture. [131] It also featured eight main rules he applied on all his children's books:

While his whimsical fantasy stories feature an underlying warm sentiment, they are often juxtaposed with grotesque, darkly comic and sometimes harshly violent scenarios. [10] [12] The Witches, George's Marvellous Medicine and Matilda are examples of this formula. The BFG follows, with the good giant (the BFG or "Big Friendly Giant") representing the "good adult" archetype and the other giants being the "bad adults". This formula is also somewhat evident in Dahl's film script for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Class-conscious themes also surface in works such as Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny, the Champion of the World where the unpleasant wealthy neighbours are outwitted. [76] [125] White, Bethany (18 November 2016). "We've all been pronouncing Roald Dahl's name wrong for years". walesonline. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020 . Retrieved 11 January 2020.Higgins, Charlotte (31 January 2006). "From Beatrix Potter to Ulysses... what the top writers say every child should read". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014 . Retrieved 16 September 2014. In November 1939, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an aircraftman with service number 774022. [56] After a 600-mile (970km) car journey from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, he was accepted for flight training with sixteen other men, of whom only three survived the war. With seven hours and 40 minutes experience in a De Havilland Tiger Moth, he flew solo; [57] Dahl enjoyed watching the wildlife of Kenya during his flights. He continued to advanced flying training in Iraq, at RAF Habbaniya, 50 miles (80km) west of Baghdad. Following six months' training on Hawker Harts, Dahl was commissioned as a pilot officer on 24 August 1940, and was judged ready to join a squadron and face the enemy. [56] [58] Dahl was flying a Gloster Gladiator when he crash landed in Libya Dahl had Jewish friends, including the philosopher Isaiah Berlin, who 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." [197] Amelia Foster, director of the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden, says: "This is again an example of how Dahl refused to take anything seriously, even himself. He was very angry at the Israelis. He had a childish reaction to what was going on in Israel. Dahl wanted to provoke, as he always provoked at dinner. His publisher was a Jew, his agent was a Jew... and he thought nothing but good things of them. He asked me to be his managing director, and I'm Jewish." [205] Harald and his brother Oscar, who were born in the 1860s, split up and went their separate ways after deciding that a better future lay before them outside their native Norway. Oscar headed to La Rochelle, France.