This year is the hundredth birthday of the children's book author, Roald Dahl.
Born on the 13th of September 1916, to Norwegian parents in Cardiff, Roald Dahl's early life did have some downs (such as the deaths of his older sister and father in 1920) and ups (such as the playing a trick on a shopkeeper by planting a mouse in a gobstopper jar). In 1939, the Second World War broke out and Roald Dahl joined the RAF, fighting over Greece in early 1941. After the War, Roald Dahl married Patricia Neal in 1953 an together had five children before their divorce in 1983.
But it is his writings that has made him more famous. Books such as James and the Giant Peach, Fantiastic Mr Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG and Matilda have been a success and have been adapted into films (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory twice, the first with the late Gene Wilder and the second with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, and Disney has released Steven Spielberg's adaption of The BFG earlier this year) and stage plays. Matilda the Musical won many Olivier awards when it first performed in 2010 including Best New Musical, Best Actor and Best Actress (one for each of the four girls who performed Matilda).
One short story I read involved a driver who picks up a hitchhiker on his way to the horse races, who encourages the driver to speed along the road on a dare when the driver (who narrates the story) tells of how fast the car can go, before being stopped by a policeman who takes notes, gives a ticket and lets them go. The hitchhiker reveals that he's a "fingersmith" (another way of saying pocket-picker) and that he's got the policeman's notebook and the story ends with the hitchhiker suggesting that the amazed driver stops so they can get rid of the notebook.
Roald Dahl wrote film scripts for many films, such as Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1967 and You Only Live Twice in 1968.
Roald Dahl sadly passed away on the 23rd of November 1990.
Roald Dahl will always be remembered for his children's books, all of whom filled with colourful character, (such as Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Matilda, Miss Trunchball, The BFG, Sophie and Mr Fox) funny plots and the many words Dahl made up. I hope that his books will continue to entertain children around the world.
