Thursday, September 13, 2007

In memory of Dahl


The books of Roald Dahl played an important - vital - role in my children's growing-up. Charlie, The Twits, Revolting Rhymes (where Little Red Riding Hood 'whips a pistol from her knickers') and, of course, The BFG.

Seeing Google's tribute, I thought I'd like to remember him too. Unfortunately all my children's books are in the attic - awaiting grandchildren - so I looked in the Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations. Not a thing! Not a single mention. They had Paul Daniels, for goodness sake, but no Dahl! But I managed to find these on the net.

"The matter with human beans is that they is absolutely refusing to believe in anything unless they is actually seeing it right in front of their own schnozzles." (The BFG)

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." (Roald Dahl)
xx

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not surprisingly we have lots of Roald Dahl books around here :0)


O.T (answering your question) yes we plan to home educate the children all the way through, unless anyone wants to go to school ;0)

Furtheron said...

Roald gets a huge vote from the Furtheron family. Hugely important in our kids development of the enjoyment of fiction and reading.

Anna said...

He was a genius, wasn't he? Really beautiful language and amazing imagination.

(Great, I have the world's hardest word verification now.)

Anonymous said...

I miss the taste of Afghanistan Lamb ;-)

Crushed said...

I used to ike his books as a kid.
I'm not sure now whether they weren't sometimes a little disturbed, but the Twits is amusing, and James and the Giant Peach a classic in surreality.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I've never been a fan of Dahl but those are nice quotes.

Gledwood said...

Roald Dahl is far better than JK Rowling, don't you think?

For one thing his books are far more manageable... once this Harry Potter hysteria has died down people are going to wonder how on earth small children managed to tackle such GYNORMOUS volumes of wizzardry

(I wonder if they'll bind up the entire series in a "wizard's spellbook sized edition? They really should do that would be my first instinct if I were Harry Potter's publisher. And if I were a child that would be what I'd want ...)

Gledwood said...

O I tell you another great children's book that is LIKE Roald Dahl but not by him

BAD JELLY THE WITCH by Spike Milligan... contains the immortal line "sticky poo to all of you" - oh the laughs that got when Mrs Cranston read it out in assembley!!

Gledwood said...

Also do you know The Chimneys of Green Knowe? by Lucy M Boston... + she also wrote a string of others... they are the most magical children's books I ever came across I was meaning to mention them to someone I used to exchange comments with who is a "witch"

Gledwood said...

How lucky Sophie Dahl was to have him as Grandad!

Anonymous said...

We gave one of our grandsons a Roald Dahl book today for his birthday - a purely coincidental choice, made because he has just discovered them for himself. Seems strange to have to buy children's books after all those years of 'freebies'. When I was reviewing, I had all the RDs and many other complete sets. I gave them up in favour of room to store my crafting!