Roald Dahl
Who was Roald Dahl?
British author who created beloved children's books including Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The BFG. He served as a fighter pilot during World War II before becoming one of the world's most popular children's writers.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Roald Dahl (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian immigrant parents Harald and Sofie Magdalene Dahl. Though he grew up in Britain, his Norwegian roots were a big part of his life. He went to The Cathedral School in Llandaff, moved on to Weston-super-Mare, and later attended Repton School in Derbyshire. It was there that he developed a love for English and began to dislike the harshness of institutional life. His childhood experiences, including the strict discipline of boarding school, later influenced the unsentimental and often darkly funny worlds he created in his stories.
Before Fame
Roald Dahl was raised in a family that held onto its Norwegian roots while living in South Wales. His father passed away when Dahl was just three years old, and his mother decided to stay in England, thinking it provided the best education. At Repton, where he went to school, Dahl experienced both the benefits and harsh realities of the British public school system, which led him to mistrust authority and empathize with those lacking power. After finishing school, he worked for the Shell Oil Company in Africa until the war changed his life direction completely.
Key Achievements
- Authored globally beloved children's books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and The Witches, which have collectively sold over 300 million copies worldwide.
- Received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1983, recognising his outstanding contribution to imaginative literature.
- Served as an RAF fighter pilot and acting wing commander during the Second World War, seeing active combat in the Western Desert Campaign.
- Won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in both 1954 and 1960 for his short fiction.
- Named by The Times in 2008 as one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945, placing 16th on the list.
Did You Know?
- 01.Dahl wrote all of his books in a small, cluttered writing hut at the bottom of his garden in Great Missenden, sitting in an armchair with a sleeping bag over his legs regardless of the season.
- 02.His first published story, based on his RAF crash landing in the Libyan desert, appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1942 after C.S. Forester had interviewed him and found his account so gripping he submitted it almost verbatim.
- 03.Dahl was involved in developing a valve shunt to treat hydrocephalus after his son Theo was struck by a taxi in New York in 1960; the device, co-developed with engineer Stanley Wade, was used on nearly 3,000 children.
- 04.He was an avid collector of fine art, antiques, and orchids, and his home at Gipsy House in Great Missenden was filled with objects he had acquired over decades.
- 05.Dahl received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America twice, in 1954 and again in 1960, recognising his mastery of the suspenseful short story form.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Edgar Awards | 1954 | — |
| Zilveren Griffel | 1984 | — |
| World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement | 1983 | — |
| Golden Paintbrush | 1979 | — |
| De Kinderjury | 1989 | — |
| De Kinderjury | 1991 | — |
| De Kinderjury | 1993 | — |
| Edgar Awards | 1960 | — |
| Children's Book Award (UK) | — | — |
| Premio Bernard Versele | 1991 | — |
| Bancarellino Prize | 1988 | — |
Explore More
Famous People from United Kingdom
Historical figures and notable individuals from United Kingdom.
Born on September 13
Famous people who share this birthday.
Population of United Kingdom
Historical population data and growth trends.
Population Pyramid of United Kingdom
Age and sex distribution, 1950–2100.