Roald Dahl was a famous British author born in Wales in 1916. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II before pursuing a writing career. Some of his most famous works for children include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and The BFG. Dahl married twice and had five children of his own, drawing inspiration from telling them stories. A museum was opened in his honor in 2005 to continue his legacy of bringing joy to children through creative storytelling.

1. Roald Dahl
María Jesús Duque Sánchez

2. Biography
• 1916 - 1990
• Born in Wales but was
educated at a boarding
school in England
• His parents were Norwegian
and that was his first
language
• He was voted the UK’s
favorite author in 2000

3. Dahl & WWII
• Dahl moved to East Africa to work for the Shell Oil
Company when he graduated from school
• In 1939, at the beginning of WWII, Dahl joined the Royal
Air Force
• He worked as a fighter pilot even after his plane crashed
in the desert. Later in the war, he was sent home on the
disabled list when he suffered from headaches and black
outs
• He accepted a job in Washington, DC, where he provided
information to the MI6 British secret intelligence

4. Writing Career
• In 1942 he published his first work, “Shot Down Over
Libya” about his plane crash
• Dahl’s first children’s book, The Gremlins, is about a silly
military story that little creatures are responsible for the
mechanical problems on airplanes. Eleanor Roosevelt, the
First Lady of the United States at this time, read the story to
her grandchildren.

5. Personal Life
• Dahl met his future wife,
the famous American
actress Patricia Neal, at
a dinner party in NYC
• They had five children
and separated after 30
years of marriage in
1983
• Also in 1983, Dahl
married his second wife,
Felicity Crosland, a
friend of Pat’s

6. The BFG
• The main character, Sophie, is named after Dahl’s
first grandchild
• The character of the BFG is based on stories that
he told his own children when they were young;
he used to climb a ladder to their bedrooms and
pretend to blow dreams through their window, just
like the BFG
• This is one of Dahl’s favorite stories that he wrote.
• The animated film version was released in 1989

7. Other Works
• His most famous works include Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and James and the Giant
Peach
• Dahl wrote his own adaptation of Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory for the film version, and it was
released as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in
1971
• In total, Dahl wrote 17 children’s stories and over 60 short
stories for adults
• The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre was opened
in the UK in 2005 to help educate children and carry on

8. The Museum
• The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre was opened
in the UK in 2005 to help educate children and carry on
Dahl’s legacy.