Roald Dahl Biography
Roald Dahl was a world famous and best-selling author. He was
born on September 13th 1916 in Llandaff, Wales to his Norwegian
parents Harald and Sofie, whom were married in 1911. Together they had four
other children: Astri, Alfhild, Else and Asta. Roald was the only boy in the
family of sisters. Roald also had a much older half-brother Louis and
half-sister Ellen from his father’s previous marriage.
When Roald was just three years, his older sister Astri died from appendicitis at the age of seven. A short time later his father died and Roald never really got to know him. His mother Sofie was left to raise her own four kids and two step children.
Dahl received his earliest education at Llandaff Cathedral School. He never really enjoyed school and his memories from this time were mainly of trips to the sweet shop, the makings of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ At age nine, he then shifted to St Peter’s, a British boarding school after a harsh beating by the headmaster for playing a practical joke. He disliked this experience even more, having to endure an overpowering matron, his inspiration for ‘Matilda.’ At 13 years of age, he later transferred to Repton, a public school in Derbyshire. Here Dahl excelled in sports however struggled academically. One positive memory of his time there is that Dahl recalls the school was close to Cadbury’s chocolate factory where he and his friends would be involved in tasting new varieties of chocolate bars, another stimulus for ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Instead of going to University, Roald Dahl went on an expedition with ‘The Public School’s Exploring Society’ to Newfoundland at age 18. He acquired a job at Shell in Dar-es-Salaam and worked at the company as a salesman. At age 23, when World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force in Nairobi as a fighter pilot and underwent flight training mainly in Iraq. On a flight to Libya he was forced to crash land in the desert where he sustained multiple serious injuries, fracturing his skull and having his nose pulled out and shaped, blinding him for days. Although Dahl recovered and was sufficient to fly again, he was later sent home as an invalid but transferred to Washington as an assistant air attaché.
In 1942, whilst in Washington, Dahl met with author C S Forrester who encouraged him to start writing after he anonymously posted a barely edited version of Dahl’s first writing piece on his experiences during the war in the ‘Saturday Evening Post’. Dahl’s writing career began from here.
‘Gremlins’ was Roald Dahl’s first children’s book which was published in 1943. It was commissioned by Walt Disney but the film was later abandoned. He then began writing for an adult intended audience for the next 15 years, mostly publishing his works in magazines like the New Yorker.
In 1952 Dahl met Broadway and Hollywood actress, Patricia Neal whom he married in 1953. They had five children together: Olivia, Theo, Tessa, Ophelia and Lucy. Sadly Olivia died tragically at the age of seven after developing a bout of measles.
In 1960, Dahl and his family moved to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, England at ‘Gipsy House’. On the edge of an orchard at Gipsy House, Dahl was built a special brick hut which is where Roald Dahl wrote his renowned books. Dahl got his inspiration for writing children’s books from his nightly bedtime stories he made up and shared with his children. He first established himself as a children’s writer in 1961, publishing ‘James and the Giant Peach’. He then went on to publish multiple books and some of the best-loved and award winning children’s titles including, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964),’ ‘Fantastic Mr Fox (1970),’ ‘The BFG (1982),’ ‘The Witches (1983)’ and ‘Matilda (1988).’
Dahl and Neal’s marriage lasted three decades until eventually they divorced in 1983. Soon after Dahl remarried Felicity ‘Liccy’ Ann Crosland who gave up her career and moved in to the Gipsy House.
In 1990 Dahl was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder Myelo-dysplastic anaemia. On the 23rd of November that year, Roald Dahl died in Oxford, England at the age of 74. He is remembered as one of the world’s top selling authors and his books have since remained a popular choice, particularly among young children.
When Roald was just three years, his older sister Astri died from appendicitis at the age of seven. A short time later his father died and Roald never really got to know him. His mother Sofie was left to raise her own four kids and two step children.
Dahl received his earliest education at Llandaff Cathedral School. He never really enjoyed school and his memories from this time were mainly of trips to the sweet shop, the makings of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ At age nine, he then shifted to St Peter’s, a British boarding school after a harsh beating by the headmaster for playing a practical joke. He disliked this experience even more, having to endure an overpowering matron, his inspiration for ‘Matilda.’ At 13 years of age, he later transferred to Repton, a public school in Derbyshire. Here Dahl excelled in sports however struggled academically. One positive memory of his time there is that Dahl recalls the school was close to Cadbury’s chocolate factory where he and his friends would be involved in tasting new varieties of chocolate bars, another stimulus for ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Instead of going to University, Roald Dahl went on an expedition with ‘The Public School’s Exploring Society’ to Newfoundland at age 18. He acquired a job at Shell in Dar-es-Salaam and worked at the company as a salesman. At age 23, when World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force in Nairobi as a fighter pilot and underwent flight training mainly in Iraq. On a flight to Libya he was forced to crash land in the desert where he sustained multiple serious injuries, fracturing his skull and having his nose pulled out and shaped, blinding him for days. Although Dahl recovered and was sufficient to fly again, he was later sent home as an invalid but transferred to Washington as an assistant air attaché.
In 1942, whilst in Washington, Dahl met with author C S Forrester who encouraged him to start writing after he anonymously posted a barely edited version of Dahl’s first writing piece on his experiences during the war in the ‘Saturday Evening Post’. Dahl’s writing career began from here.
‘Gremlins’ was Roald Dahl’s first children’s book which was published in 1943. It was commissioned by Walt Disney but the film was later abandoned. He then began writing for an adult intended audience for the next 15 years, mostly publishing his works in magazines like the New Yorker.
In 1952 Dahl met Broadway and Hollywood actress, Patricia Neal whom he married in 1953. They had five children together: Olivia, Theo, Tessa, Ophelia and Lucy. Sadly Olivia died tragically at the age of seven after developing a bout of measles.
In 1960, Dahl and his family moved to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, England at ‘Gipsy House’. On the edge of an orchard at Gipsy House, Dahl was built a special brick hut which is where Roald Dahl wrote his renowned books. Dahl got his inspiration for writing children’s books from his nightly bedtime stories he made up and shared with his children. He first established himself as a children’s writer in 1961, publishing ‘James and the Giant Peach’. He then went on to publish multiple books and some of the best-loved and award winning children’s titles including, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964),’ ‘Fantastic Mr Fox (1970),’ ‘The BFG (1982),’ ‘The Witches (1983)’ and ‘Matilda (1988).’
Dahl and Neal’s marriage lasted three decades until eventually they divorced in 1983. Soon after Dahl remarried Felicity ‘Liccy’ Ann Crosland who gave up her career and moved in to the Gipsy House.
In 1990 Dahl was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder Myelo-dysplastic anaemia. On the 23rd of November that year, Roald Dahl died in Oxford, England at the age of 74. He is remembered as one of the world’s top selling authors and his books have since remained a popular choice, particularly among young children.