Roald Dahl's Life and Accomplishments

936 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: British author's that influenced roald dahl

Have you ever wondered who creatively wrote stories about an extraordinary chocolate factory? Or a story about a girl who became best friends with a Big Friendly Giant? He has won a lot of awards for his best-selling stories for children, and also for adults. His name is Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl was known as a British novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and fighter pilot. His tremendous success in writing has influenced a lot of childrenin their habit of writing. Did you know that Roald Dahl remains as the most popular author of a survey among children, according to The Guardian? But, what led to his success? How was he motivated to write for children?

Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales on 13 September 1916 as the only son of a second marriage. His parents were Norwegian. The young Roald Dahl really loved stories and books. His mother would tell him stories about mythical Norwegian creatures which grow his interest in short stories. Roald really admired his mother’s ability to tell stories. “She was a great teller of tales,” Roald said, “Her memory was prodigious and nothing that ever happened to her in her life was forgotten.” (Penguin Group). At the age of eight, he tied his secret diary to the top branch of a tall tree. He would climb up the tree and write his diary entries there. His father was also a writer; he would write observations about the World War 1 and put them into his diary. His father kept on writing in his diary for 5 years (1914-18). His unhappy years at school seemingly became an inspiration to his writings. He despised his teacher who hated small boys, named Miss Trunchbull, which later became one of the characters in his book, titled Matilda. He used to write letters to his mother and he began to ...

... middle of paper ...

...ce at his childhood and his trained skills of writing, therefore, led him to his success and become noticed by child readers.

Works Cited

Dunne, Jerry. What makes Roald Dahl such a successful children’s writer?.

10 July 2012. Web. Last accessed 19th March 2014.

Faundez, Anne. on target for literacy Author profile: Roald Dahl. on target for literacy.

PDF file. Last accessed 19th March 2014.

Lazar, Tara. Roald Dahl: What Makes a Good Children’s Writer.

10 July 2012. Web. Last accessed 19th March 2014.

Penguin Group (USA). Roald Dahl: About Roald Dahl. 2000. Web. Last accessed

19th March 2014.

The Guardian Press Association. Dahl beats Rowling as young adults' favourite

author. 11 September 2007. Web. Last accessed 19th March 2014.

Middleton, Haydn. Heinemann Profiles: RoaldDahl. Great Britain : Heinemann

Library, 1998. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Pullman And Ransom

    1983 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion, critical evaluation of what makes a book good or bad depends on the selection criteria and agenda of those making the evaluation. The prizes have been criticised through the years and the selection committees have risen to this by changing the selection process, even if this change has been slow. Children’s Literature is in flux due to the ever-changing ideas and perceptions of childhood. Children’s books seen as prestigious today may become, like Blyton, unpalatable to the critics of tomorrow.

    Read More

  • Writers of the 1920's

    483 Words  | 1 Pages

    William Cuthbert Faulkner was born into a financially stable family from New Albany, Mississippi. Faulkner dropped out of high school to work in his grandfathers store. While at the store Faulkner found out he enjoyed writing. Faulkner enrolled at U of Mississippi to pursue his his passion of writing. ("William Faulkner",Discovering Authors)

    Read More

  • Comparing Brown's Goodnight Moon and Krauss’s A Hole is to Dig

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    Margaret Wise Brown is not the only author that has been able to adjust her writing style to better suite different age levels for children. Another author that could fit into this category would be Ruth Krauss, author of “A Hole is to Dig,” and many more other great children’s books. Both of these authors’ genres could be categorized as simple and defining. For example, Margaret Wise Brown wrote the famous book, “Goodnight Moon” and compared to Ruth Krauss’s book, “A Hole is to dig”, it is easy to see these attributes of writing style.

    Read More

  • The Life and Works of Ezra Jack Keats

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    After a four week survey of a multitude of children’s book authors and illustrators, and learning to analyze their works and the methods used to make them effective literary pieces for children, it is certainly appropriate to apply these new skills to evaluate a single author’s works. Specifically, this paper focuses on the life and works of Ezra Jack Keats, a writer and illustrator of books for children who single handedly expanded the point of view of the genre to include the experiences of multicultural children with his Caldecott Award winning book “Snowy Day.” The creation of Peter as a character is ground breaking in and of itself, but after reading the text the reader is driven to wonder why “Peter” was created. Was he a vehicle for political commentary as some might suggest or was he simply another “childhood” that had; until that time, been ignored? If so, what inspired him to move in this direction?

    Read More

  • Dr Seuss Biography

    1454 Words  | 3 Pages

    He was a perfectionist in his work and would sometimes spend up to a year on a book. It was not uncommon for him to throw out 95% of his material until he settled on a theme for his book. For a writer he was usual in that he preferred to be paid only after he finished his work rathe...

    Read More

  • Dr Seuss Biography

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. His father was Theodor Robert Geisel and his mother was Henrietta Seuss Geisel. He had 2 sisters. One of his sisters passed away from pneumonia at the age of 5. Theodor Seuss Geisel love of drawing was inspired by his father. His mother influenced his writing skills. Theodor Seuss Geisel’s grandfather and father owned a popular brewery. When he was a young boy his friends would always tease him for being German. To prove to his friends that he was proud to be in America he joined the boy scouts. While in the boy scouts Theodor Seuss Geisel was one of the top U.S. Bond sellers. One story that many of his fans do not know about is that him and 9 other boy scouts were to receive an award from then President Theodore Roosevelt for selling so many U.S. Bonds. He was the last boy in line to receive a medal but the President only had 9 medals to give out. When President Theodore Roosevelt got to young Theodor Seuss Geisel he asked “What is this boy doing here?” Theodor Seuss Geisel was escorted off stage without a medal. This incident caused him to suffer stage fright for the rest of his life. He avoided public speaking events and di...

    Read More

  • Thoreau: Right or Wrong?

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...efore people became impressed with his writing. Only when the man himself was forgotten did the people begin to appreciate his musings.

    Read More

  • Lamb to the Slaughter

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Levi, Claudia. "Roald Dahl: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Voices In The Park by Browne, Mortal Engines by Reeve and Little Women by Alcott

    2659 Words  | 6 Pages

    Whalley, J. (2009) ‘Texts and Pictures: A History’ in Montgomery H and Watson N (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University, pp.299-310

    Read More

  • That Devious Spy: A Book Review on Roald Dahl’s Time as a British Spy

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    In September of 1940, a debonairly young RAF pilot named Roald Dahl crashed in the Western Desert of North Africa. From the crash, Dahl is rewarded with severe injuries to the head, nose and back. In 1942, Dahl, was commanded to take a job working at the British Embassy in Washington where he worked as an assistant air attaché. He was a 26 year old and he desperately wanted to be in the middle of the battle, where he could shoot other planes and enemy soldiers from his Gladiator plane. He didn’t want to be shoved into an office where he had to sit at a desk for 11 hours. Soon after his arrival in the United States Capitol, Dahl was “"caught up in the complex web of intrigue masterminded by [William] Stephenson, the legendary Canadian spymaster, who outmaneuvered the FBI and State Department and managed to create an elaborate clandestine organization whose purpose was to weaken the isolationist forces in America and influence U.S. policy in favor of Britain. Tall, handsome, and intelligent, Dahl had all the makings of an ideal operative. A courageous officer wounded in battle, smashing looking in his dress uniform, he was everything England could have asked for as a romantic representative of their imperiled island. He was also arrogant, idiosyncratic, and incorrigible, and probably the last person anyone would have considered reliable enough to be trusted with anything secret. Above all, however, Dahl was a survivor. When he got into trouble, he was shrewd enough to make himself useful to British intelligence, providing them with gossipy items that proved he had a nose for scandal and the writer's ear for damning detail. Already attached to the British air mi...

    Read More

  • Dr. Seuss Contribution To Children's Literature

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    What kid hasn’t heard of Dr. Seuss? From “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish” to “A person’s a person, no matter how small” to “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere”, Dr. Seuss has filled the lives of children with whimsical stories and ideas. (8) Using casual dialect and everyday objects, he was able to spark the imagination of others. All the while, he instilled lessons into his writings. It is not a surprise that Dr. Seuss received an award for a “Lifetime of Contribution to Children’s Literature”. His work will be read and enjoyed for decades to come. All in all, no matter which Dr. Seuss story that the reader might select, his or her imagination will be sparked, and the reader will surely be entertained.

    Read More

  • Courage in Little Women and Treasure Island

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Text and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University

    Read More

  • Sci Fi Essay

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    Novels of the 1950s such as Crucifixus Exam by Walter M. Miller, Jr. had a very complex style of writing that was almost poetic and often focused on something small with very much detail. On the other hand later writings like James Patterson’s Maximum Ride have almost all child characters who are quite relatable for anyone 10-17 years old. The writing is also very young, straightforward, and direct to the readers for a much more “kid-like” reading experie...

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Voices In The Park By Anthony Browne

    1960 Words  | 4 Pages

    A children book is an extremely substantial and significant form of literature. It educates, affects and amuses at the same time. Although its main audience are the small children, the majority of adults in fact enjoy this type of literature as much as children do. This can be explained by the capacity of children literature to deal with great themes and topics that are too large for adult fiction. (Philip Pullman) For its great importance, the style and technique by which it is produced, is a major concern for both of the authors and critics. One technique has a particular impact in the children book, that is to say, illustration. Bearing the visual nature of children in mind, we understand that their books should be delivered with

    Read More

  • Roald Dahl was a famous British Writer

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roald Dahl was a famous British Writer. He was born in Llandeff, Wales on September 13th 1916. His parents, Harold and Sofie, came from Norway. He had four sisters, Astri, Affhild, Else and Astra, His father died when Roald was only four years old. Roald attended Repton, a private school in Derbyshire. He did not enjoy his school years, “I was appalled by the fact that masters and senior boys were allowed, literally, to wound other boys and sometimes quite severely. I couldn’t get over it. I never got over it…” These experiences inspired him to write stories in which children fight against cruel adults and authorities.

    Read More

More about Roald Dahl's Life and Accomplishments

Open Document