Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Dahl in 1954
Born(1916-09-13)13 September 1916
Cardiff, Wales
Died23 November 1990(1990-11-23) (aged 74)
Oxford, England
Resting placeChurch of St Peter and St Paul, Great Missenden, England
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • poet
  • screenwriter
Period1942–1990
GenreChildren's literature
Spouse
  • (m. 1953; div. 1983)
  • (m. 1983)
Children
Relatives
Signature
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1939–1946
RankSquadron Leader
UnitNo. 80 Squadron RAF
Battles/wars

Roald Dahl[a] (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime fighter ace.[1][2] His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide.[3][4] Dahl has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".[5]

Dahl was born in Wales to affluent Norwegian immigrant parents, and spent most of his life in England. He served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He became a fighter pilot and, subsequently, an intelligence officer, rising to the rank of acting wing commander. He rose to prominence as a writer in the 1940s with works for children and for adults, and he became one of the world's best-selling authors.[6][7] 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".[8] In 2021, Forbes ranked him the top-earning dead celebrity.[9]

Dahl's short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, macabre, often darkly comic mood, featuring villainous adult enemies of the child characters.[10][11] His children's books champion the kindhearted and feature an underlying warm sentiment.[12][13] His works for children include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits, George's Marvellous Medicine and Danny, the Champion of the World. His works for older audiences include the short story collections Tales of the Unexpected and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.


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  1. ^ "Roald Dahl British author". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  2. ^ Sturrock 2010, p. 19.
  3. ^ "Penguin to publish "classic" Roald Dahl books after "censorship" backlash". www.cbsnews.com. 24 February 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  4. ^ Nunis 2016.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference IND was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Global was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference BDC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference TIM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Freeman, Abigail (30 October 2021). "The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities 2021". Forbes. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference INT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Criado 2014.
  12. ^ Hamlin 2015.
  13. ^ de Castella 2011.