Honoring Roald Dahl

Posted on by

t2-dahl-4801196_210684cRoald Dahl born today September 13th 1916 in Llanduff, South Wales, of Norwegian parents. Dahl was educated in English boarding schools. In search of an adventure, the young Dahl took a job with Shell Oil in Africa. When World War II broke out he joined the RAF as a fighter pilot, receiving terrible injuries and almost dying in a plane crash in 1942.

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”

He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults and he became one of the world’s best-selling authors.

He has been referred to as “one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century”. His awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and the British Book Awards’ Children’s Author of the Year in 1990. In 2008, The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945”

“Good morning starshine the earth says hello….”

Here are two of my favorite’s Dahl Classics!

(Click any picture for more info.)

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”

Raold Dahl is a legend. His stories enchant, his charming characters are unforgettable, and his timeless tidbits of wisdom are beautiful and provoking. I’m so happy to be able to honor him on this day.

“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books.”
~Roald Dahl

Which Dahl stories have you cherished and loved?

28 thoughts on “Honoring Roald Dahl”

  1. My kids absolutely loved The BFG and Fantastic Mr Fox but really all of his stories were so great. I used to love reading them as well! He had such an amazing talent and you did a wonderful job honoring him here. Lovely post. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  2. Oh, a tricky one… I liked his ‘dark’ adult short stories, but became very disenchanted with his children’s books. At one point there seemed to be no other author anybody rated for children, at least in the UK. I’m rather revising my opinions now, but used to find him rather deliberately rude for no good reason. (Which, of course, children love.)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  4. Pingback: Honoring Roald Dahl – worldtraveller70

  10. The BFG has always been one of my favorites too, even though as a kid it terrified me. I think the idea of someone being able to mess with my dreams while I was asleep was unsettling.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  12. Interestingly, we went for lunch at a restaurant in the Shard, a very tall building that provides panoramic views of London, then went down to the Oblix for a bottle of wine with relatives. All of the decor, both panels and window paintings, were scenes from Roald Dahl, especially the BFG. I guess it was just released as a movie. But this is a very sophisticated bar, and I was fascinated that it was decorated in early Dahl. Shows how popular he is in England!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  13. I remember reading his books when I was in the fourth grade and Matilda is still one of my favorite stories as a college freshman, obviously I’ve started reading material suited for my age but Matilda will always have a special place in my heart. It made me happy to see his books turn into movies as I grew up.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓

  14. Pingback: Honoring Roald Dahl | John Priest

  17. Such a nice post! I remember how I always wandered over to the Roald Dahl section of the library in grade school. 🙂 The Witches was one of my favorites! Anyways, there is a good Roald Dahl (very) short story that I had never heard of until recently. It is called the Land Lady…google it and some pdfs of it will pop up. It’s so clever, just like all his other stories!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  18. A true legend, my favourites have to be Fantastic Mr. Fox and James & the Giant Peach, oh, and The Twits! The quote you’ve chosen to use above, about throwing away the TV and installing a bookshelf – absolutely priceless. One of the better quotes there is. To me, a life without books isn’t a life at all!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  20. I love all of his stories as a kid and I felt that all elders are like he tells them to be! I vowed never to be one of those when I grow up. I just posted a review of Matilda on my blog when I have started reading it to my toddler. The BFG is better for a toddler though 🙂
    Ur tribute is heartfelt ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

Leave a reply to Resh Susan @ The Book Satchel Cancel reply