'Each new day demands new ideas'

 

“A writer of fiction lives in fear. Each new day demands new ideas and he can never be sure whether he is going to come up with them or not.”  – Roald Dahl

Dahl rose to writing prominence during WWII with works for both children and adults, ultimately becoming one of the world's best-selling authors.   His first books, written for adults, were about his wartime adventures, but his first big splash came with his tale Gremlins, the start of his terrific career in writing for children.

Born on this date in 1916, Dahl has been referred to as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century,” earning the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1983, and Children's Author of the Year from the British Book Awards in 1990. 

Dahl's adult stories, like Tales of the Unexpected, were adapted into movies and a television series.  But it's his works for children that are among the world’s most beloved, especially James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda.  The “Charlie” book grew out of a childhood fantasy that he might someday work for the famed Cadbury chocolate company.

 

 

“When you're writing a book, with people in it as opposed to animals, it is no good having people who are ordinary, because they are not going to interest your readers at all,” Dahl said about his writing style.  “Every writer in the world has to use the characters that have something interesting about them.”