I have so much to do this weekend, so of course I spent 16 hours adding an entirely new section to the website – Magazines. Previously if a story or article had been published in a magazine, there was simply a note about it. Now each publication has its own page of information that I can add to. It’s still a work in progress, so stay tuned!
Month: May 2016
All the Roald Dahl things!
I’ve added loads more Dahl-related merchandise to the site, including activity kits, board games, book and toy box sets, cushion trays, mugs, duvet covers, calendars and diaries, stationery, and stuffed toys. You can fill your whole house with Dahl stuff!
Looking to put on a Dahl play?
Did you know David Wood has adapted EIGHT of Roald Dahl’s stories for the stage? I’ve just added or updated details for all of them: The BFG, Danny the Champion of the World, Fantastic Mr. Fox, George’s Marvellous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach, The Magic Finger, The Twits, and The Witches.
If you’d like to put on one of these plays, you’ll need to obtain the rights from Casarotto. We have contact details for them here.
A Willy Wonka postcard for Katherine Arcese
When she was in the 4th grade in 1973, Katherine Arcese sent Roald Dahl a letter asking him how to pronounce “Gnoolies.” She got a fabulous Willy Wonka postcard from him in return! Thanks for sharing, Katherine.
Did you know we have a whole section of Letters from Roald? If you have a letter from him you’d like to share, just get in contact.
Roald Dahl’s “5 Books to Take to a New Planet”
Many thanks to Stephen Jarvis, who unearthed an interesting contribution from Roald Dahl in 1983’s The Book of Lists 3. It’s Dahl’s list of “5 Books to Take to a New Planet.” (I’ve added it to the site under Essays and Articles.) I’m amused to see that 2 of them aren’t actually books, but rather pieces of music! I think that’s cheating, Roald. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Stephen!
Added Little Red Riding Hood details
I’ve added a calendar page for the current Welsh Ballet touring production of Little Red Riding Hood & The Three Little Pigs. That, in turn, prompted me to finally add details of the filmed BBC production of Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood as well as the orchestral pieces Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs.
And did you know, you can actually watch the BBC production online?!
The BFG: Trailer #2
The second official trailer is out for The BFG, and it looks really exciting! Don’t forget to vote in the poll and tell us when you plan to see it.
More reviews are streaming in too!
- Review: Spielberg’s BFG Honors Roald Dahl’s Spirit, Farts and All from Time
- ‘THE BFG’: DOES SPIELBERG AND DISNEY’S TALL TALE MEASURE UP? from Newsweek
- Spielberg Delivers One of the Best Roald Dahl Adaptations With ‘The BFG’ from popmatters
- “The BFG” Isn’t As Gloriously Dark Or As Weird As The Book It’s Based On from Buzzfeed
Early reviews of The BFG are in…
The BFG has had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and early reviews are now being published online. I’ve just added three to the movie info page:
- “The BFG review: Spielberg and Rylance’s delicate touch proves hugely charming” from The Guardian
- “The BFG: Cannes Review” from The Hollywood Reporter
- “Cannes 2016: Spielberg creates a landscape of astonishments in The BFG“ from The Telegraph
Interestingly, it appears that one of the reporters questioned Steven Spielberg about Dahl’s alleged anti-Semitism. Spielberg claimed that he’d never heard of this when he took on the project, and that he focused simply on the story.
A little nonsense now and then…
Two Charlie-related links that I found today that amused me:
- “What Children’s Literature Teaches Us About Money: Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’” – a blog post on The Billfold that makes the case that the traditional interpretation of the story (selflessness is rewarded and greed is punished) is not necessarily accurate!
- “The Sequel To Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory That Charlie’s Mother Deserves” – a piece by the brilliant Mallory Ortberg that points out something that always bothered me about the Bucket grandparents…
Site updates and a long overdue fix
A few updates to the site today (in addition to the relaunch!):
- Several new Letters from Roald added.
- Added “Gobsmacked! Memories of Editing ‘The Witches’” article.
- I finally tracked down the missing and mislabelled clues for the Children’s Books Crossword. Whoops. Those have been incorrect for 15 years! Sorry about that.
- Added details for an interesting-sounding new book of analysis/criticism: Roald Dahl: Wales of the Unexpected. It’ll be out in October.
- Added details for a new book of Dahl’s letters to his mother: Love from Boy. It’ll be out in September.
- Added details for a new book coming in September: the Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary!
- Added details for D is for Dahl and So You Think You Know Roald Dahl?
- Added a new section of Activity Books, including The Big Friendly Doodle Book and Roald Dahl’s Story-Sketcher, and more!
- Added information and photos for Ashley Wilde cushions and duvet covers