Roald Dahl Brief Biography

Roald Dahl's parents were from Norway, but he was born in Wales, in 1916. The family used to spend the summer holidays on a Norwegian island, swimming, fishing and boating. When Roald was four years old, his father died, so his mother had to organize the trip alone for herself and her six children.

Dahl went to St. Peter's Prep School, and later to Repton Public School After school, Roald Dahl didn't go to a university, but applied for a job at the Shell company, because he was sure they would send him abroad. He was sent to East Africa, where he got the adventure he wanted: great heat, crocodiles, snakes and safaris. He lived in the jungle, learned to speak Swahili, and suffered from malaria. When the Second World War broke out, he went to Nairobi to join the Royal Air Force. He was a fighter pilot and shot down German planes and got shot down himself. After 6 months in hospital he flew again.

In 1942, he went to Washington as Assistant Air Attachй. There, he started writing short stories. In 1943, he published his first children's book "The Gremlins" with Walt Disney and in 1945 his first book of short stories appeared in the US. His marriage with the actress Patricia Neal was unhappy. None of their kids survived, and his wife suffered a stroke. When she regained consciousness, she could hardly read, count and talk. But Roald managed to nurse her back to health, so that she could act again. Nevertheless, he got divorced in 1983 and married Felicity Crosland.

He received many awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award. His collections of short stories have been translated into many languages and have been best-sellers all over the world. Among the "Adult books" are "Someone Like You", "Sweet Mystery Of Life", "Kiss Kiss" and "Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories". He wrote TV series like "Tales of the Unexpected" and the novel "My Uncle Oswald".

Roald Dahl didn't only write books for grown-ups, but also for children, such as "James and the Giant Peach," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "The Gremlins." About his children's stories he said once: "I make my points by exaggerating wildly. That's the only way to get through to children." Roald Dahl is one of the most popular and best-selling children's book authors ever. Roald Dahl died from Leukemia

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