Roald Dahl's life, works, and literary legacy

Roald Dahl is the author of numerous books and short stories, enjoyed by children and adults altogether. Despite the fact that they were written throughout the past century, the works of Dahl do not just delight the contemporaneous men, but also continue to apply to the modern society.

Dahl lived a difficult childhood and even as an adult, he was faced with tragic situations. Despite the difficulties however, he managed to write in a unique style that lured the audience into a new and captivating world. The author is best known for his stories for children, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Matilda. Yet, he has activated in various other literary fields, such as non-fiction, novels and he has even tried to write theater plays, with no success however. Several of his works were adapted to television and registered tremendous success. In 1983, Roald Dahl was credited with the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Brief Synopsis of Dahld' Life

Dahl did not have an easily life. Son of two Norwegian immigrants to Wales, Dahl lost both his father and elder sister at the early age of four. Family tragedies would not stop to follow him, and as he grew older, his eldest daughter died and one of his sons was brain damaged in a car accident. As a child, Roald went to private and public schools in Wales and England; the life experiences here would inspire him to write stories in which children rebel against cruel grown ups.

After he finished school, he did not go to college, but got various jobs. He enlisted in the army and fought in the World War II; after being wounded, he was transferred to Washington, where he worked for the British Security. While he was recovering from his war wounds, Roald had several dreams, which represented the inspiration for the first short stories (Liukkonen, 2008).

The future author married actress Patricia Neal and the marriage lasted for 30 years, during which time they had five children. After the divorce, Roald married Felicity Ann Crossland, to whom he was married until his death in 1990. Roald died at the age of 74 due to a rare blood condition (myelodysplastic syndrome) in Oxford, where he is through today buried.

4. Dahl's Matilda

Matilda is one of the most representative works for Roald Dahl for several reasons. First, it is part of the series addressed to children. Then, it has been so well received by the public that it was put into film in 1996. Finally, it is inspired from the author's own life and experiences at the boarding school. Matilda is as such the story of a young girl, Matilda Wormwood, with high intelligence, who is neglected by her parents that force her to watch television, and abused by her teachers, mainly Miss Trunchbull. Miss' Trunchbull's niece, Miss Honey appreciates Matilda's intelligence, but her efforts to move the young girl to a more advanced class are impeded by her ruthless aunt. As Matilda discovers her telekinetic powers, she plays a trick to convince Miss Trunchbull to return the estate she had stolen from her niece. At the end of the book, Matilda's family moves and leaves her with Miss Honey (Dahl, 2004).

The story presented in Matilda is an apparently sad one, and parents might feel reluctant to reading it to their children or to encouraging them to read it. In spite of this perception nevertheless, the book has elements of amusement, in which the children fight back with the weapons they have at their disposal. It is as such an educative work, teaching children to make the right decision and to stick up for themselves. But what is even more so important is for parents to discuss the book with their children and to assure them that it is fantasy, rather than reality.

5. Dahl's Literary Influence

As it has been mentioned throughout the previous pages, Dahl' inspiration for his children's stories came from his own life, namely his experiences while at boarding school. At that age, he simply could not understand how an adult could be so cruel and unfair to a defenseless child. These feelings gave birth to books such as Matilda in which the young rebel against the cruel matures.

Another source of inspiration was constituted by the author's own mother. He recollects how she would tell him and his siblings stories of her home town in Norway. "The young Roald loved stories and books. His mother told Roald and his sisters tales about trolls and other mythical Norwegian creatures. "She was a great teller of tales," Roald said, "Her memory was prodigious and nothing that ever happened to her in her life was forgotten" (Infloox, 2009). As a tribute to her, he even constructed a character in her honor (the grandmother in The Witches).

Then, aside mother and school, Dahl's work was also influenced by the classic writers. Like Matilda, young Dahl enjoyed reading, and he early on began to read the works of classics. So many of his later stories are inspired from Rudyard Kipling's or Charles Dickens's writings.

References:

Dahl, R., Matilda, Puffin Books, 20004, ISBN 0142402532

Liukkonen, P., Roald Dahl (1916-1990), Pegasos, 2008, http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/rdahl.htm last accessed on January 14, 2010

Wands, D.C., Roald Dahl (1916-1990),Fantastic Fiction, 2010, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/roald-dahl / last accessed on January 14, 2010

Roald Dahl, Infloox, 2009, http://www.infloox.com/person?id=6a5f6877 last accessed on January 14, 2010