If you didn't spend your childhood under a rock, you probably know who Roald Dahl is. I discovered the British storyteller, children’s novelist, screenwriter, poet and magic-weaver accidentally, when Enid Blyton’s pixies and brownies made way for James sitting inside a big giant peach. That was the first Roald Dahl book I ever read and I have never had a reason to look back.
Today is Dahl’s 99th birth anniversary, celebrated the world over as Roald Dahl Day. Kids and Roald Dahl lovers the world over will dress up as Willy Wonka, or Charlie Bucket or maybe even the twits. Re-read his books and watch the movies. Here’s what you can do to join in the fun.
“I’m wondering what to read next.”
There is some incredible Roald Dahl advice out there, in defence of fun, nonsense, magic and sparkle. But one that seems to be the easiest to work with is this:
You don’t need to be eight (assuming you aren’t Matilda Wormwood, in which case you don’t need to be four!) to read Dahl’s spectacular children’s literature. Matilda, Charlie, Danny and Sophie are waiting for you with their fabulous stories and crazy adventures, the kind that only Roald Dahl can think up! I’m sure a factory full of huge chocolate bars and tiny Oompa Loompas sounds like a treat no matter how old you are. And that a tip or two on surviving a whole convention of wile witches won’t do you any harm.
Roald Dahl’s eccentric and darkly comic world comes with a host of amazingly brave kids and some really nasty, unbearable grown-ups. If you discount the dream-catching Big Friendly Giants, I’d say it’s all very relatable!
However, if you just cannot get yourself to read any of his children’s novels, Roald Dahl’s creepy, sinister and often scary short stories for grown ups might be your thing. Over to You, Kiss Kiss, Someone Like You or Switch Bitch – pick up any of these anthologies and be assured that it won’t be easy going to sleep tonight.
“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest man”
This year the Dahl Estate and Penguin Random House have released a game based on The Twits, with art inspired by the unbeatable Quentin Blake. This has been done to introduce the younger and more digitally active generation to the world of Roald Dahl.
The game is fairly simple and a lot of fun too. Mr Twit is eating, while Mrs Twit sleeps close by. As flecks of food fly over to her and hit her, she wakes up and is obviously angry. Your job is to swat the food away from her. There are titles to be won and they go from Unsavoury and Rank, all the way to Disgusting and Repulsive – at least that’s how far I’ve reached.
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
It’s only natural for such an immense body of work to be translated for the screen. From Matilda to The Witches , Roald Dahl’s popular and widely loved books have been adapted to TV, movies or even the stage time and again.
Among most popular ones is the 2005 Tim Burton adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp. Which is fine, but you know what you should really not miss? The 1971 adaptation Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder and written by Dahl himself. It is scrumdiddlyumptious, to say the least.
Wes Anderson’s 2009 interpretation of Fantastic Mr Fox is in a whole new league of brilliant. Starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr and Mrs Fox, it adds many layers to the basic structure of the original story.
But the most recent one that just took my heart away was the 2014 BBC adaptation of Esio Trot, starring Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench. The TV movie is just all kinds of mushy and fuzzy and lovely. Hoffman is adorable as the awkward Mr Hoppy, hopelessly in love with Judi Dench’s sparkling Mrs Silver.
However, if the magical world of the s children’s novels is not your thing, you could always check out Tales of the Unexpected which aired in the UK from 1979 to 1988. Based on an anthology of mostly sinister, dark yet funny twist-in-the-tale short stories for adults, the series is available on YouTube. Most of the stories were introduced by Dahl himself, with short monologues about what inspired him to write them.
"Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog."
Read a book. Catch a dream. Wear Purple. Willy Wonka would really appreciate it. It’ll probably please the Oompa Loompas as well. Go inventing. Believe in magic. Visit a library. Become friends with a talking parrot. Or go hunting at Beans, Boggis and Bunce’s. Be fantastic.
"Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it."
But you know what would make the day especially phizz-wizzing? If you were to Gobblefunk all day long. Gobblefunk, to a regular unimaginative grown-up is quite simply the language of the wonderful Roald Dahl. All through his many books, Dahl has invented, created and coined words that describe the world for those not limited by the common dictionary.
Honestly, how isn’t “Kiddles” more appropriate than the boring grown-up word “Children”? And if there is a barrister, a register and a canister, it only makes sense for the queen to be called “Majester”. And yes, “Crumpets” is the same thing as trumpets – don’t let anybody fool you with that one.
And if instead of saying that Dahl’s wonderful words will live on forever, I said that GobbleFunk is a Whoopsy-splunker Time-Twiddler – it might just help me convey my feelings so much better.
Well, clearly I’m not the only one who thinks that Gobblefunk ought to be the international language of everything awesome. Oxford University Press is set to release the Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary in 2016, just in time for the author’s 100th birthday.
Simply whoopsy-whiffling, eh? Now go eat some chocolate!
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Today is Dahl’s 99th birth anniversary, celebrated the world over as Roald Dahl Day. Kids and Roald Dahl lovers the world over will dress up as Willy Wonka, or Charlie Bucket or maybe even the twits. Re-read his books and watch the movies. Here’s what you can do to join in the fun.
“I’m wondering what to read next.”
There is some incredible Roald Dahl advice out there, in defence of fun, nonsense, magic and sparkle. But one that seems to be the easiest to work with is this:
“So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
go throw your TV set away,
and in its place you can install,
a lovely bookcase on the wall.”
You don’t need to be eight (assuming you aren’t Matilda Wormwood, in which case you don’t need to be four!) to read Dahl’s spectacular children’s literature. Matilda, Charlie, Danny and Sophie are waiting for you with their fabulous stories and crazy adventures, the kind that only Roald Dahl can think up! I’m sure a factory full of huge chocolate bars and tiny Oompa Loompas sounds like a treat no matter how old you are. And that a tip or two on surviving a whole convention of wile witches won’t do you any harm.
Roald Dahl’s eccentric and darkly comic world comes with a host of amazingly brave kids and some really nasty, unbearable grown-ups. If you discount the dream-catching Big Friendly Giants, I’d say it’s all very relatable!
However, if you just cannot get yourself to read any of his children’s novels, Roald Dahl’s creepy, sinister and often scary short stories for grown ups might be your thing. Over to You, Kiss Kiss, Someone Like You or Switch Bitch – pick up any of these anthologies and be assured that it won’t be easy going to sleep tonight.
“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest man”
This year the Dahl Estate and Penguin Random House have released a game based on The Twits, with art inspired by the unbeatable Quentin Blake. This has been done to introduce the younger and more digitally active generation to the world of Roald Dahl.
The game is fairly simple and a lot of fun too. Mr Twit is eating, while Mrs Twit sleeps close by. As flecks of food fly over to her and hit her, she wakes up and is obviously angry. Your job is to swat the food away from her. There are titles to be won and they go from Unsavoury and Rank, all the way to Disgusting and Repulsive – at least that’s how far I’ve reached.
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
It’s only natural for such an immense body of work to be translated for the screen. From Matilda to The Witches , Roald Dahl’s popular and widely loved books have been adapted to TV, movies or even the stage time and again.
Among most popular ones is the 2005 Tim Burton adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp. Which is fine, but you know what you should really not miss? The 1971 adaptation Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder and written by Dahl himself. It is scrumdiddlyumptious, to say the least.
Wes Anderson’s 2009 interpretation of Fantastic Mr Fox is in a whole new league of brilliant. Starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr and Mrs Fox, it adds many layers to the basic structure of the original story.
But the most recent one that just took my heart away was the 2014 BBC adaptation of Esio Trot, starring Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench. The TV movie is just all kinds of mushy and fuzzy and lovely. Hoffman is adorable as the awkward Mr Hoppy, hopelessly in love with Judi Dench’s sparkling Mrs Silver.
However, if the magical world of the s children’s novels is not your thing, you could always check out Tales of the Unexpected which aired in the UK from 1979 to 1988. Based on an anthology of mostly sinister, dark yet funny twist-in-the-tale short stories for adults, the series is available on YouTube. Most of the stories were introduced by Dahl himself, with short monologues about what inspired him to write them.
"Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog."
Read a book. Catch a dream. Wear Purple. Willy Wonka would really appreciate it. It’ll probably please the Oompa Loompas as well. Go inventing. Believe in magic. Visit a library. Become friends with a talking parrot. Or go hunting at Beans, Boggis and Bunce’s. Be fantastic.
"Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it."
But you know what would make the day especially phizz-wizzing? If you were to Gobblefunk all day long. Gobblefunk, to a regular unimaginative grown-up is quite simply the language of the wonderful Roald Dahl. All through his many books, Dahl has invented, created and coined words that describe the world for those not limited by the common dictionary.
Honestly, how isn’t “Kiddles” more appropriate than the boring grown-up word “Children”? And if there is a barrister, a register and a canister, it only makes sense for the queen to be called “Majester”. And yes, “Crumpets” is the same thing as trumpets – don’t let anybody fool you with that one.
And if instead of saying that Dahl’s wonderful words will live on forever, I said that GobbleFunk is a Whoopsy-splunker Time-Twiddler – it might just help me convey my feelings so much better.
Well, clearly I’m not the only one who thinks that Gobblefunk ought to be the international language of everything awesome. Oxford University Press is set to release the Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary in 2016, just in time for the author’s 100th birthday.
Simply whoopsy-whiffling, eh? Now go eat some chocolate!
