Almost every child in the world has seen, heard of, or read one of Roald Dahl’s books. As a children’s author he is perhaps one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach are two of the most recognizable and read children’s stories in the world.
Roald Dahl started out working for the Shell Petroleum company before becoming a successful and prolific fighter pilot in World War II, having taken part in the famous ‘Battle of Athens’after recovering from a near fatal crash in the Egyptian desert. Once he moved back to Britain, he became an intelligence officer, and was responsible for gaining favour with the American politicians and armed forces in order to convince them to aid the war efforts against the German Forces.
His first book ‘The Gremlins’paid homage to the folklore that was prominent in the Royal Airforce, when pilots would blame the mythical Gremlins for the problems they found in their planes. The book was in development for Disney, but a feature length film never materialized. Some of his other prominent works, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach did eventually become some of the most popular movies in their times. His children’s book ‘The BFG’(Big Friendly Giant), which eventually became an animated movie, was written in honor of his daughter Olivia, who passed away at the age of 7 to measles.
Roald Dahl, perhaps more than any other writer during his time recognized the value of reading and telling stories, especially for children. His stories are used as tales for teaching lessons, and while they sometimes border on dark humor, always carry messages with them that can be used practically and philosophically all the way into adulthood.
Dahl passed away at the age of 74 in 1990 due to a blood disease. He has been honored a number of times in various ways, most notably with the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery in November 1996 at the Buckinghamshire County Museum near where he was born.
Written by Wesley Geyer
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