Some of your top Roald Dahl questions answered.
Here at the Museum we get lots of questions about Roald Dahl. Sometimes it's from school children on their class visit. Sometimes it's from families who are looking round the Museum. Sometimes it's in letters sent to us.
We thought we'd compile some of the most asked questions here. We don't want you missing out. Oh deary me, no!
Download a fantabulous poster with even more facts from the links on this page.
Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, near the Welsh capital of Cardiff, on 13 September 1916. Roald’s parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg, were both Norwegian and he was named after Norway’s famous polar explorer, Roald Amundsen.
Roald Dahl went on holiday to Norway with his family every summer from the age of four to seventeen. He said in Boy, that going to Norway was like going home. They would visit Roald’s grandparents in Oslo, before travelling to the island of Tjöme.
Yes! When Roald Dahl was at his boarding school in Repton, his class was sent boxes of chocolates to taste test for Cadbury’s. It was the first time he realised that you could have a job creating chocolate and this inspired him to write Charlie and Chocolate Factory when he was older.
Roald Dahl wrote lots and lots of books for children - 17 to be precise. He also wrote lots of poems for children which were made into three books called Revolting Rhymes, Dirty Beasts and Rhyme Stew, as well as two autobiographies which were about his own life (Boy and Going Solo), two grown-up books and lots of short stories for adults.
His favourite of all the books he wrote was The BFG, because it was one of the stories he used to tell his children and the BFG reminded him a little of himself. The BFG was also featured in Danny the Champion of the World as one of the Danny’s dad’s bedtime stories.
Roald Dahl took inspiration from all sorts of things, including his family and friends, his experiences in life and sights around the local village. For example, lots of the landmarks on the High Street in Great Missenden are featured in Roald Dahl’s stories, such as the ‘Norphanage’ from The BFG and the red petrol pumps from Danny the Champion of the World.
Roald Dahl usually took around one year to write a book; however, at two years, Matilda took him the longest to write!
When we re-open you can come and ask us all your Roald Dahl questions! Visit us at the Museum in Roald Dahl's home-village of Great Missenden.
© The Roald Dahl Story Company Limited / Quentin Blake 2018.
Roald Dahl is a registered trademark of The Roald Dahl Story Company Limited.
