THE MASTER OF THE ART OF STORYTELLING: ROALD DAHL

Roald Dahl was a British author who wrote 19 children’s books in his life-time. He was born on September 13th, 1916 in Wales to Norwegian parents. After the death of his sister and his father, his mother sent him to a boarding school where he collected many bizarre and interesting events to be recounted in his book Boy. Children at this school were often invited to try out and give feedback on newly produced chocolate bars, the memory of which stayed with Roald Dahl throughout his life, inspiring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and many other stories he wrote. He was not only an author, he was also a spy, a fighter, a pilot and a medical inventor.

After his graduation, Dahl travelled to many countries. While he was travelling, he found a job in an oil company in East Africa. There, he worked and lived until the outbreak of World War II. He was enlisted in the Royal Air Force when he was 23 years old. In the autumn of 1940, he received severe injuries to his head, nose and back when his plane crashed in the Western Desert. It took him more than 6 months to recover and turn back to his duties in the army and provided intelligence for his country. He used his memories in the army to write the book Going Solo.

In 1960, he took part in the invention of a medical device that was used to decrease the pain caused by head injuries. His son had been suffering from severe headaches after a head injury he had received as a result of an accident in New York. Roald Dahl died on November 23rd, 1990. He was 74 years old. Today, The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre continues his extraordinary mission to inspire both children and their parents. He is still the number one storyteller for many people.