| Author: | Roald Dahl |
| Novel: | 19 |
| Novellink: | Novels |
| Collection: | 13 |
| Collectionlink: | Short story collections |
| Script: | 12 |
| Poem: | 3 |
| Editorbook: | 1 |
| Option: | 9 |
| Optionname: | Non-fiction |
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was a British author and scriptwriter, and "the most popular writer of children's books since Enid Blyton", according to Philip Howard, the literary editor of The Times.
Dahl wrote his first story for children, The Gremlins, in 1943; the story was also written for Walt Disney, who was interested in turning it into a film that was ultimately never made.[1] This was Roald Dahl's first children's book published, though it was originally not written as such.[2] Dahl continued to write short stories, although these were all aimed at the adult market. Dahl worked for periodicals as a short story contributor. Other stories were sold to magazines and newspapers, and were later compiled into collections, the first of which was published in 1946. Dahl began to make up bedtime stories for the children, and these formed the basis of several of his stories. His first novel intentionally written for children, James and the Giant Peach, was published in 1961, which was followed, along with others, by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), Fantastic Mr Fox (1970), Danny, the Champion of the World (1975), The BFG (1982) and Matilda in 1988.
Dahl's first script was for a stage work, The Honeys, which appeared on Broadway in 1955. He followed this with a television script, "Lamb to the Slaughter", for the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series. He co-wrote screenplays for film, including for You Only Live Twice (1967) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). In 1982 Dahl published the first of three editions of poems aimed at children. The following year he edited a book of ghost stories. He wrote several works of non-fiction, including three autobiographies, a cookery book, a safety leaflet for the British railways and a book on measles, which was about the death of his daughter Olivia from measles encephalitis.
As at 2019, Dahl's works have been translated into 63 languages and have sold more than 200 million books worldwide. Dahl was known as “The World’s No. 1 Story-teller” due to how his books celebrate nonsense, imagination, and creativity. It is because of this that his books are still popular with children.[3] His awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and the British Book Awards' Children's Author of the Year in 1990. In 2008 The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". He has been referred to by The Independent as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century". On his death in 1990, Howard considered him "one of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation".
| Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Scope | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random House, New York | Children | |||
| Charles Scribner's Sons, New York | Adult | |||
| James and the Giant Peach | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Children | ||
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Children | ||
| Harper & Row, New York | Children | |||
| Fantastic Mr Fox | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Children | ||
| Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Children | ||
| Danny, the Champion of the World | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Children | ||
| Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Children | |||
| My Uncle Oswald | Michael Joseph, London | Adult | ||
| Jonathan Cape, London | Children | |||
| George's Marvellous Medicine | Jonathan Cape, London | Children | ||
| Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York | Children | |||
| Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York | Children | |||
| Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York | Children | |||
| Matilda | Viking Kestrel, New York | Children | ||
| Esio Trot | Jonathan Cape, London | Children | ||
| Century, London | Children | |||
| Jonathan Cape, London | Children |
See also: Roald Dahl short stories bibliography.
| Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Scope | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reynal & Hitchcock, New York | Adult | |||
| Someone Like You | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Adult | ||
| Kiss Kiss | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Adult | ||
| Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl | Michael Joseph, London | Adult | ||
| Switch Bitch | Alfred A. Knopf, New York | Adult | ||
| Jonathan Cape, London | Children | |||
| Vintage Books, New York | Adult | |||
| Tales of the Unexpected | Michael Joseph, London | Adult | ||
| More Tales of the Unexpected | Michael Joseph, London | Adult | ||
| A Roald Dahl Selection: Nine Short Stories | Longmans, London | Adult | ||
| Two Fables | Viking Press, London | Adult | ||
| Michael Joseph, London | Adult | |||
| Jonathan Cape, London | Children | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult | |||
| Penguin Books, London | Adult |
Many of Dahl's works were used as the basis for films or television programmes. The following are where he is credited as the writer of the performed script.
| Title | Year of first publication or production | First edition publisher, where relevant | Media | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Stage work | Produced at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway. | |||
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | – | Television script | |||
| Way Out | – | Television script | Also introduced by Dahl on CBS | ||
| You Only Live Twice | – | Film script | With Jack Bloom | ||
| Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | – | Film script | With Ken Hughes | ||
| Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory | 1971 | – | Film script | ||
| – | Film script | ||||
| 1976 | Puffin Books, London | Stage work | |||
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: A Play | Puffin Books, London | Stage work | |||
| James and the Giant Peach: A Play | Puffin Books, London | Stage work | |||
| Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator: A Play | Allen & Unwin, London | Stage work | |||
| Fantastic Mr Fox: A Play | Puffin Books, London | Stage work |
| Title[4] | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revolting Rhymes | Jonathan Cape, (London) | ||
| Dirty Beasts | Jonathan Cape, (London) | ||
| Rhyme Stew | Jonathan Cape, (London) | ||
| Songs and Verse | Jonathan Cape, (London) | ||
| Vile Verses | Viking Juvenile, (New York) |
| Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Scope | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boy: Tales of Childhood | Jonathan Cape, London | Autobiography | |||
| Going Solo | Jonathan Cape, London | Autobiography | |||
| Measles, a Dangerous Illness | Sandwell Health Authority | Medical/Autobiographical | About the death of his daughter Olivia from measles encephalitis | ||
| Memories with Food at Gipsy House | Viking Press, London | Cook book | With Felicity Dahl; reissued in softcover in 1996 as Roald Dahl's Cookbook | ||
| Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety | British Railways Board, London | Safety booklet | |||
| Puffin Books, London | Diary | ||||
| My Year | Jonathan Cape, London | Autobiography | |||
| Puffin Books, London | Diary | ||||
| Jonathan Cape, London | History | First published in book form in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More before release in 1999 as a single title edition |