Roald Dahl, a storyteller

“A little nonsense now and then is

relished by the wisest men.”

English Reading Club

2016-2017
Biblioteca Municipal de Illescas
Biography
 Born in Llandaff,
Wales, 1916. His
parents were
norwegian.
 RAF pilot during de
World War II.
 Married to actress
Patricia Neal.
 Died in 1990.
Literary Life and Style
 Start writing while living in
Washington D. C.
 He wrote autobiographic tales (he
used to say they were inspired in his
life, but not autobiographic) for
different magazines. He also
published adult tales.
 He succeeded with his children
stories.
Literary Life and Style
 As he told about his writing: “As I
went on, the stories became less and
less realistic and more fantastic”.
 He wrote short tales for adults and
children, several novels, plays,
autobiographic texts and also scripts.
 Some of his works were adapted for
films.
Literary Life and Style
 He has been defined as a “creative anarchist”.
He wrote very inventive and clever stories.
 He usually starts his stories with daily
situations and gets slowly to the absurd or to
fantasy.
 There are three main characteristics of his
writing:
 Expressive, direct and cutting language.
 Irony, scathing and sarcastic language, absurd
and also spooky aspects, all perfectly mixed.
 Surprising endings.
Criticism and Most Known Works
 Antisemitism.  Charlie and the
 Misogyny. Chocolate Factory
 James and the Giant
Peach
 Social criticism:  Matilda
 Some social rules.  The Witches
 Stupidity and
ambition.
 Shrewdness and  Tales of the Unexpected
cleverness.
 Recomended to learn
social coexistence.
 My uncle Oswald