Roald Dahl’s Matilda is smart, strong, kind, and fiery, but, more than that, an ordinary little girl with a love of reading and learning.
Source: 100 years of Dahl: Revisiting the magic of Matilda
Lovely article about Matilda and how the book touched the author’s life! I was honoured to be interviewed and have some of my quotes included as well.
Happy Roald Dahl Day! September 13, 2016 marks the 100th anniversary since Roald Dahl’s birth. The official Roald Dahl site has lots of information about the day and the many events and celebrations taking place. Don’t forget to check your local news too for events happening near you!
Just added some new Dahl-related Theater & Symphony productions to the site, including some upcoming performances in the UK:
If you attend any of these performances, send me an email afterwards with a review!
Many thanks to the folks at The Book People for sharing a new Teacher Idea: “If I were a giant…” Teachers can download a template for students with prompts to describe and draw themselves as a giant. You can read more about the activity on the Book People website.
I’ve added a new section to the site for Rides & Video Games. Did you know there were two different Charlie games produced? And Alton Towers has a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ride!
Recently I got an email from a visitor asking why, in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka chooses to open his factory on October 1st. The book, you may recall, has the date on February 1st. So I did some digging…
The archive of The New York Times is a treasure trove. Recently I managed to find more than a dozen mentions of “The Honeys,” Roald Dahl’s one failed attempt at playwriting from 1955. It’s fascinating to trace the trajectory from the optimistic early days when the project was first kicking off, to the first indications of trouble (the director quit!), the eventual premiere, subsequent bad reviews, and ultimately its closing. Even at the end, Dahl was still vowing to rewrite and launch a new production in London. Looks like that never happened…
It’s not often I get to read a Roald Dahl story for the first time, much less twice in one day!
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Zoran Pajic, who was trying to find a copy of an obscure story that Dahl had contributed to called “Death in the Square: A Christmas Mystery in Four Parts.” It was published in the December 24, 1988 issue of The Daily Telegraph Magazine. I had to confess I’d never heard of it! I went down a research rabbit-hole and eventually managed to locate a copy with the help of a librarian friend, Amy Allenspach. It’s a very, very odd story, and I’ve written up a plot description if you’re curious. Thanks for the prompt, Zoran, and thank you Amy for assisting!
Ever since Zoran’s question, I’ve continued to research the various periodicals that published Dahl short stories. I started with the list at the end of Sturrock’s biography. Sturrock says that the first printing of “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life” was in the September 1974 issue of The New Yorker. However, when I started looking for it I discovered this is an error. The story was actually published in the September 14, 1974 issue of The New York Times. I managed to find a copy of the issue, and to my surprise the story is quite different from the version I was familiar with. Dahl relates it as a true story that happened to him, and there’s no mention of Claud in it anywhere. It also has a slightly different title. I’ve transcribed Dahl’s introduction and added some funny letters that were later published in The Times as a response. Pretty cool!
I’ve added details on some of the earliest TV adaptations of Dahl’s work: Suspense, CBS Television Workshop, Lux Video Theatre, The Philip Morris Playhouse, Danger, and Star Tonight.
I’ve also added information about an interesting looking forthcoming book: Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Medicine.
Did you know that Roald Dahl stories were featured on Jackanory more than 14 times? I’ve added a whole page of information about it. You can even watch the infamous and hilarious episode where Rik Mayall read George’s Marvelous Medicine!
