Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born to Norwegian parents in 1916 in a village in Wales. Orphaned by his father at the age of two, Roald attended the renowned Repton School. A lover of adventure, he applied for a position at Shell, which in 1938 sent him to present-day Tanzania. With the outbreak of World War II, he enlisted in the RAF. Despite being seriously injured when his plane crashed in Libya, he served as a combat pilot in Greece and the Middle East. In 1942, due to health issues, he was stationed in Washington as an Air Attaché and later held other administrative positions. In America, he began his writing career. There, he met his first wife, Hollywood star Patricia Neal. They married in 1953 and had five children. The blows of fate were overwhelming: their only son was seriously injured in the head in 1960, their eldest daughter died in 1962, and in 1964, Neal suffered a severe stroke. During this time of misfortune, he began writing his most beautiful books. Worldwide recognition soon followed. In 1983, he divorced to marry Felicity d'Abreu, with whom he spent perhaps his happiest years at their home in Missenden, known as Gipsy House. Dahl was a contradictory personality. A war hero, art lover, generous, good family man, devoted to his children—but also a gambler, drinker, argumentative, and authoritarian in his interactions. However, no one can dispute his talent, his sarcastic humor, and his unpredictable imagination. He passed away in November 1990, leaving a legacy to children all over the world with stories that revolutionized children's literature.