Roald Dahl - the man to whom the career of a writer was destined. His life was everything: a difficult childhood, war, exotic travels and explorations, marriage to a Hollywood star, and happy fatherhood. Roald set forth his impressions and thoughts in books: detective stories, science fiction novels, and even stories for children. His works became the basis for popular films and made the author truly famous.
Childhood and youth
The biography of the future writer began in 1916. The boy was born on September 16 in a family of Norwegian immigrants and received a name in honor of the famous traveler Roald Amundsen. Later, Dahl himself admitted that his name determined fate: with him it was simply impossible to remain an ordinary person.
In addition to Roald, the family of Harald and Sophie Dahl had 5 more children, but one of the daughters died of appendicitis. Father also died early, leaving the family on the verge of survival. Mother, despite the difficulties and eternal problems with money, always found time for the spiritual education of her children. Roald recalled her amazing stories about Norwegian trolls and other fairy creatures, folk tales and legends. Sophie turned them into small fascinating performances and never repeated. It is possible that the future writer received his literary gift from his mother.
At the age of seven, the grown-up boy was sent to a closed school in Lunduff, and then transferred to a boarding school. Roald hardly endured the painful atmosphere of educational institutions, in addition, he suffered from bullying of classmates. At 13, the boy went to Repton school with particularly cruel methods of education. Over the years, the writer has always considered the most difficult and hopeless. The boy sent home letters full of longing, which later served as the basis for an autobiographical novel.
Roald did not like to study, but he was happy to play sports. Having hardly finished school, the young man did not go to university, deciding to start a career with the work of a photographer. The next step was a trip to Africa as an employee of Shell.
The beginning of the literary path
The career of a writer began in Africa. Here Roald wrote his first story, which was published quickly enough. Further writing experiments were interrupted by the war. Dahl volunteered for the font, learned to pilot a military aircraft, but was seriously injured in the first battle. The novice pilot had to make an emergency landing, after which he was hospitalized with a severe head injury. Having restored his health, Roald returned to the Air Force, taking part in air battles over Greece, Libya, Syria.
In 1942, Dahl was commissioned, offering him the post of assistant military attache in Washington. This position made it possible to freely engage in literature.
The debut of the author was a series of stories about the war, which were later compiled into a book. At the same time, Dahl worked on children's novels about fairy-tale creatures, which he called gremlins. The book of the same name will later become the basis for the script of the film.
In 1945, Dahl returned home and settled with his mother. He writes a science fiction novel, but fails, after which he decides to specialize in short stories and short stories. In 1953, Dahl released a new collection called Claude’s Dog. Later, the book will receive the Edgar Allan Poe Prize, which marks especially original works combining grotesque, mysticism and humor.
In addition to short stories, Dahl successfully writes scripts. After moving to the USA, he creates more than 20 stories for film and television. The books of the original English author are translated into different languages and sold out in impressive print runs. Dahl has many prestigious awards and the unofficial title of “King of Black Humor”.
In the 60s and 70s, the writer worked a lot on works for children. The first book was the fantastic novel "James and the Wonder Peach, " which was a great success with publishers. Then came Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Glass Lift, Danny the World Champion, Matilda, and Witches. The books were richly illustrated and repeatedly reprinted, using the same popularity among children and parents.
In 2000, Roald Dahl was recognized as Britain's most popular writer. The royalties from his work go to a personal charity fund that helps children with neurological and hematological diseases.
