I'm Roald Dahl, nice to meet you!
Maybe you have read my stories. Maybe you have seen some movies based on MY stories. Maybe Matilda, James and the Giant Peach or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ring a bell. Did you know all these stories were created by the same person? Yes, we are talking about me, Roald Dahl.
The genius behind the books, me, Roald Dahl!
My parents were born in Norway, a very, very cold country in the north of Europe, but they moved to the United Kingdom before I was born. I arrived to this world in 1916, in the beautiful city of Cardiff.
When I was a child, as most of you, I loved pranking and making jokes. Have I told you about that time I brought a dead mouse to a sweet shop? It was hilarious! Well, it was not... You shouldn't do that! Anyway, it was my childhood what gave me inspiration to write my books and stories. But I didn't want to become a writer. In fact, I wanted to be a pilot, you know, I loved planes. I studied hard, I prepared myself a lot and, finally, I could enlist in the Royal air force, one of the most important air forces in the world, when I was twenty-trhee years old.
Being a pilot was not very easy. In fact, I had to fight during the Second Wolrd War. And then, something very bad happened. I had an accident! I lost my sight during a period of time, I was not able to see and, of course, I could not fly! When I finally recovered, I kept flying, but I got older and I decied to retire. And then was when I decided to start writing. I met Patricia, my first wife, and had five children: Olivia, Sophie, Theo, Ophelia and Lucy. I married again, and lived a happy life. But in 1990, when I was 74 years old, something strange happened with my body. Some of you call it "death", but I'm not really dead. My soul lives in the books I wrote some years ago.
And speaking of my books! I wrote a lot of different books. The ones you know, of course, but also books for adults, poetry and even scheenplay for cinema and television. You will know, if you don't know already, some of my most famous books for children. You will be delighted!
My good friend, Quentin Blake!
Have you seen the amazing pictures you can find in my books? They are very special, because they are all drawn by the same person: my good friend, Quentin Blake. He was the first one to draw the Queen of the Witches, Willy Wonka or Ms. Honey. I wanted someone to draw beautiful drawings of my characters, and Blake's were very original and even a little crazy, as crazy as my characters!
Quentin Blake was born in Kent, a country in the United Kingdom, in 1932. He was only sixteen years old when he published his first drawing in a magazine. He studied art, but was also very interested in literature. He also worked as a teacher in some important schools!
Do you want to know how many books have been illustrated by Quentin Blake? More than 320! Even though he also wrote some books, exactly 35 books, he also illustrated all my books, 18 in total. He's a very great illustrator, and his drawings are amazingly unique. It's very easy to identify them!
Blake is still alive. He keeps drawing pictures for different books, as people always love his drawings. Do you want to see something amazing? He drew me, and also himself! Take a look:
This is me!
And this is Quentin!
“If you want to read and you want to draw, that helps you to express yourself."
Quentin Blake
"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
Roald Dahl
Quotes
If you want to see the amazing artist Quentin is, check out his webpage. You will find drawings of my stories, of course, but also other stories or books he has illustrated. And also information about his own books! Take a look, and you will discover amazing stories illustrated with love and care.
My website is just amazing. There, you will find a lot of information about my stories, and you could also find activities to do in class with your teachers. Just check it out if you have a moment, you won't regret it! You will have the opportunity to meet all my characters, have a lot of fun and learn more than you imagine!
Check out our websites!
