Poison

by Roald Dahl

Poison is a short, sharp, frightening story from Roald Dahl, the master of the shocking tale

In Poison, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a man waits in paralysing fear for the venomous snake asleep on his stomach to awaken . . .

Poison is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; a very unusual painting which proves to be more valuable than anyone, especially its owner, could ever have predicted; and others.

'The absolute master of the twist in the tale.' (Observer )

This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Richard E. Grant.

Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Childrens, Audiobook, Teaching, Read For School

18 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Roald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07j4kc7

Description: Charles Dance leads the cast as the urbane Storyteller in dramatisations of five classic tales by Roald Dahl. Bizarre and amusing by turns, these dark comedies are justly famous for their surprise endings, and for their rogues gallery of crooks, cheats and schemers.

The stories show Dahl at the height of his powers as a writer of adult fiction, combining black comedy with sly social satire. They are stylishly plotted, vividly characterised and made unforgettable by their breezy cynicism, presenting a hilariously bleak view of human nature.

In Poison, rubber planter Harry Pope fears that a krait - a lethally venomous snake - has crawled under his bed sheets and is nestling on his stomach. His friend, Timber Woods, calls the local doctor for urgent assistance. When Dr Ganderbai arrives, tension mounts as he puts an ingenious and desperate plan into operation.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

ungrateful wretch

read and then heard it here

[Aizat Affendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspenseful and tense, as Dahl vividly describes the mounting anxiety that the characters have as they try to stop an impending lethal snake bite. Yet, after all the trouble he has caused, Harry embodied the creature itself and launche a vicious racist tirade against the very person whom was trying very hard to save him. Just goes to show that not unlike snakes, some humans are venomous too and they will try to take you down with their venom, sometimes for no reason at all!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

وا! بی‌شعور!
مار واقعی خود طرف بود.:/

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dahl manages to built up the tension very well throughout the story, but the ending is extremely disappointing. Other than the ending, it is very well written! But since I find endings quite important to the overall story I distracted 2 stars.

[Bhavik (Semi Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another nicely written short story with wtf ending

[nmv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um. Ok. Yeah. Sure. Ok. Like yeah. I *get* it. But also. Um. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Sure.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

25october2019

read as part of the collection someone like you.

[Mayumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu já tinha lido alguns contos pra adultos do Roald Dahl (nunca li os livros mais famosos dele, os livros da Fábrica de Chocolate ou o James e o Pêssego Gigante, por incrível que pareça), mas agora tô lendo esses contos em ordem de publicação e eu sinto que aqui começou o Roald Dahl que eu conhecia. Esse climão tenso, nervoso, o que vai acontecer agora, e a reviravolta no final. Man from the South foi o início e esse conto consolidou. Muito bom. Espero que só melhore a partir daqui.

[Eugenio · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was just a bad dream....

[August]

❤️
A Video-Book directed by Wes Anderson #3
Absolutely tense and brilliant, and also, set in India!

[Lannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bro was the real snake all along.

[Eurydice · Rating 3 out of 5]

წავა რა

[Ev · Rating 2 out of 5]

what..

[Migue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this one! Another great macabre story by Roald Dahl!

[Sohail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of the story, Poison, is rife with meaning, but you'll find it only at the very end.

[Ananya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible

[Bella Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story TRAUMATIZED me. The suspense is real! I would literally kill to read this for the first time again because boy was it an experience.

[Josh Ashing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Krait & Chloroform
Human beings can be the most poisonous species of life on earth.
(1953)

[kutingtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think this would be my favorite of the four newly adopted Wes Anderson short films on Netflix, i jumped from my seat at one scene! haha!🫣

my brother actually had the same incident at our house in the province in his bedroom, one night he felt something warm and swivelling on the side of his belly and dare he shouts it was a house snake! matteblack and thin, he was so shocked he jumped out of bed and called my dad, good thing the slimy creature didnt bite him. My dad casually came to the rescue, a fork and a knife on hand, still on the bed, he held the the tail end with the fork and with a quick slash sliced off the head of the snake with the knife with its body still loving headless. 🐍🍴Ooooh whatta night it was! They threw the whole thing over the lake a kilometer from our house and prayed to God there would be no other (snake relatives) or incidents like that ever again. 🙏🏻😰

[Anatoly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poison by Roald Dahl — Review

In the story “Poison” by Roald Dahl the main character finds himself lying on a bed, and very scared. There is a poisonous snake on his chest. It is urgently necessary to call a doctor so that he can help in case of a snake bite…

Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://psv4.userapi.com/c237131/u500...

[Asim Bakhshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting from the point of view of the craft how he builds up tension. But it is equally educating how you have to have a significant central idea to reach the climax as well as make a narrative satisfying an memorable. It fails on both of these latter accounts; a lesson that masters do have their limitations as well.

[Adrini Chia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The suspense was very... hold-your-breath-and-don’t-blink vibes,
i was locked in, waiting for it to land.

And then the ending happened.

Didn’t like it.
At.
All.

It deflated everything that came before. The tension just… leaked out. What should’ve hit hard felt meh instead.

Bad ending. Ruined it for me.

[My Nhâm · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is good at the beginning, but the ending is not quite great. It’s quite disappointing. Because after all, it’s just a joke of Harry.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

This certainly was very tense...but the ending was perhaps a little anti-climactic, even though it was rather amusing and did at least raise issues of racism. Classic Dahl! :)

[Georgina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, that ending was disappointing

[Gerald Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginations at night are quite awful. Harry received an injection due to that; however, Timber couldn’t control his mouth at the end. 🤣🤣🤣

[Macky · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️2.5⭐️

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

La construcción de la tensión es excelente pero el abrupto final resuelve de forma algo tosca la metáfora que representa el relato.

[Kailen J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roald never misses. I hate snakes. The human kind especially but also the animal