Dahl, Roald
Dahl, Roald (1917–90),British author of macabre short stories and liberating fairy tales. Born in Wales of Norwegian parents, he always felt an affinity to Norway and its folklore. He attended British schools where, according to his first autobiography (Boy: Tales of Childhood, 1985), he met the nasty authority figures like children‐flogging headmasters and grouchy sweet‐shop owners that would figure in his books. At Repton School, where his marks were undistinguished, he volunteered as a chocolate taster for Cadbury's. He opted not to attend university, worked for Shell Oil in East Africa, and during World War II flew with the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot and wing commander—events recorded in Going Solo (1986). Sidelined by a severe crash, he became an air attaché in the British Embassy in Washington, DC, did intelligence work, and started writing short stories about his flying experience (collected in Over...
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