Raold Dahl

Roald Dahl was a British novelist, Norwegian short story writer and screenwriter, who rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the worlds bestselling authors. Dahl's first published work was Shot Down Over Libya, inspired by a meeting with C. S. Forester. The story is being released today as A Piece of Cake. The story, about his wartime adventures, was purchased for $900 from the Saturday Evening ... Post, pushing him into a career as a writer. His title was inspired by a highly inaccurate and sensationalized article about the crash that blinded him, claiming that he had been shot down rather than simply landing due to low fuel. His first book for children was The Gremlins, about mischievous little creatures that were part of RAF folklore. Walt Disney commissioned the book for a film that had never been made and published in 1943. Dahl continued to create some of the 20th century's best-loved children's stories, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and James, and the Giant Peach. He also had a successful parallel career as a writer of macabre adult short stories, usually with a dark sense of humor and surprise. Many were originally written for American magazines like Ladies Home Journal, Harpers, Playboy and The New Yorker, then collected into anthologies by Dahl and gained worldwide acclaim. Dahl wrote more than 60 short stories and appeared in numerous collections, some of which were only published after his death in book form. His stories also brought him three Edgar Awards: in 1954, for the Someone Like You collection; in 1959, for the "The Landlady" story; and in 1980, for the "Skin" episode of Tales of the Unexpected.READ MORE