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Teller of the Unexpected: The Life of Roald Dahl, An Unofficial Biography
Book of the Week on Radio 4, and in the Observer, Sunday Times, Daily Mail and The Week 'Riveting, and immaculately written' Sunday Telegraph 'A superb psychological study of a literary genius' Business Post 'A rounded picture... and gets to Dahl's flawed, human core' Country Life 'Crisply done and well-judged' TLSRoald Dahl was one of the world's greatest storytellers. He conceived his vocation as one as intrepid as that of any explorer and, in his writing for children, he was able to tap into a child's viewpoint throughout his life. He crafted tales that were exotic in scenario, frequently invested with a moral, and filled with vibrant characters that endure in public imagination to the present day.In this brand-new biography, Matthew Dennison re-evaluates the received narrative surrounding Dahl – that of school sporting hero, daredevil pilot, and wartime spy-turned-author – and examines surviving primary resources as well as Dahl's extensive literary output to tell the story of a man who identified as a rule-breaker, an iconoclast and a romantic, both insider and outsider, hero and child's friend.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2023
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About the author
Matthew Dennison
33 books64 followersMatthew Dennison is the author of five critically acclaimed works of non-fiction, including Behind the Mask: The Life of Vita Sackville-West, a Book of the Year in The Times, Spectator, Independent and Observer. He is a contributor to Country Life and lives in the United Kingdom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 23, 2023
I suppose I was expecting a tale of a whimsical dude and his imagination. I probably should’ve realized he was a human just like any of us, albeit with a gift for fantasy and storytelling. Much of this biography detailed some regular life details. So, Dahl became a little more human for me. I didn’t know much about him prior to this, so it was a nice learning experience.
I liked some of his backstory, in particular the Norwegian fairy tales he heard as a child, and how they began to show through in his writing. I also got the sense he developed a love of the underdog, and how size (both big and small) influenced his characters. I started to understand how he came up with both the BFG and Matilda, given his upbringing. I didn’t know how involved he was in WWII, and his experience as a pilot was terrifying. Shame about him and his first wife, and about her stroke. Kudos to the author for sharing a no-nonsense, unapologetic view of his anti-semiticism.
The book was written strangely, however. The timeline flies all over the place, even as each chapter has a period to cover. Within those, the author jumps from story to story, from places and settings. It got a bit confusing. The style was also quite academic, with big words, long explanations, and dozens of semicolons. Sometimes a sentence was a half-page. Yikes.
But it was short, factual, and quick. You won’t ride the Glass Elevator or fall into a chocolate river, but you’ll get the details of Roald Dahl’s life.
I liked some of his backstory, in particular the Norwegian fairy tales he heard as a child, and how they began to show through in his writing. I also got the sense he developed a love of the underdog, and how size (both big and small) influenced his characters. I started to understand how he came up with both the BFG and Matilda, given his upbringing. I didn’t know how involved he was in WWII, and his experience as a pilot was terrifying. Shame about him and his first wife, and about her stroke. Kudos to the author for sharing a no-nonsense, unapologetic view of his anti-semiticism.
The book was written strangely, however. The timeline flies all over the place, even as each chapter has a period to cover. Within those, the author jumps from story to story, from places and settings. It got a bit confusing. The style was also quite academic, with big words, long explanations, and dozens of semicolons. Sometimes a sentence was a half-page. Yikes.
But it was short, factual, and quick. You won’t ride the Glass Elevator or fall into a chocolate river, but you’ll get the details of Roald Dahl’s life.
August 19, 2022
A new biography by Matthew Dennison of the creator of many much-loved literary characters.
The familiar image of Roald Dahl is that of an old man, a tall, stooping figure usually dressed in a long cardigan, a rug over his knees in his writing hut. But one of our greatest storytellers was, as a young man, a dashing, very tall, handsome chap who women were very much drawn to.
He was brought up by his feisty Norwegian mother, and her love of the country myths and folk tales of the North influenced his writing. A flying accident which nearly killed him ended his war career, which was followed by time in Washington, where he began his writing career with short stories. There he met the beautiful actress Patricia Neale and began a family. Tragedy struck when his elder daughter died from measles, his baby son was nearly killed in a road accident in New York, and his wife suffered a near fatal stroke from which he single-handedly forced her back into good health. For all his life he remained unafraid to court controversy, or to make his views known forcefully.
The familiar image of Roald Dahl is that of an old man, a tall, stooping figure usually dressed in a long cardigan, a rug over his knees in his writing hut. But one of our greatest storytellers was, as a young man, a dashing, very tall, handsome chap who women were very much drawn to.
He was brought up by his feisty Norwegian mother, and her love of the country myths and folk tales of the North influenced his writing. A flying accident which nearly killed him ended his war career, which was followed by time in Washington, where he began his writing career with short stories. There he met the beautiful actress Patricia Neale and began a family. Tragedy struck when his elder daughter died from measles, his baby son was nearly killed in a road accident in New York, and his wife suffered a near fatal stroke from which he single-handedly forced her back into good health. For all his life he remained unafraid to court controversy, or to make his views known forcefully.
May 1, 2023
Disappointing; a mere tracing next to the majesty of Donald Sturrock’s portrait of Roald Dahl in Storyteller.
September 28, 2025
3.5 overall - Goodreads is a good judge of this one it would seem!
November 16, 2023
Time taken to read - 10 days, in and out
Pages - 272
Publisher -
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
“An elegant new biography. In Dennison’s telling, Dahl’s contradictions are beautifully illustrated. I think [Dahl] would have liked Dennison’s writing style, lush but clipped, with such phrases as ‘the ubiquity of caprice’ and ‘buoyant with slang,’ full of a reader’s zest.” -- Alexandra Jacobs, The New York Times Book Review
'Riveting, and immaculately written' Sunday Telegraph
'A superb psychological study of a literary genius' Business Post
'A rounded picture... and gets to Dahl's flawed, human core' Country Life
'Crisply done and well-judged' TLS Roald Dahl was one of the world's greatest storytellers. He conceived his vocation as one as intrepid as that of any explorer and, in his writing for children, he was able to tap into a child's viewpoint throughout his life. He crafted tales that were exotic in scenario, frequently invested with a moral, and filled with vibrant characters that endure in public imagination to the present day. In this brand-new biogrpahy, Matthew Dennison re-evaluates the received narrative surrounding Dahl – that of school sporting hero, daredevil pilot, and wartime spy-turned-author – and examines surviving primary resources as well as Dahl's extensive literary output to tell the story of a man who identified as a rule-breaker, an iconoclast and a romantic, both insider and outsider, hero and child's friend.
My Review
So we all know who Roald Dahl is and have read at least some of his books and even the movies that followed. Personally I knew very little about him, I knew he had lost a child but that was really about it for me. This book was nothing short of eye opening, I had no idea just now much history he had and what a busy "private" life he had.
We hear about Dahl's beginnings, his service for his country, the ups and downs of writing and how he managed to score his big contracts and how his books became the success they were. The shocks for me was how much of a "romantic" life he had before he was married.
He experienced quite a bit of loss and sadness/heartache which I hadn't been aware of, again I didn't know much but even chatting to friends they were unawares also. Reading about his published works was also an education as I actually only knew of a few of the books (some I was exposed to as a child) and of course the ones that made it to movies.
Whilst the book/content was interesting I found the writing hard going at times and it was because the author had a habit of injecting fancy words when they weren't required. I also think I may well not have noticed but for the fact he spoke about Dahl saying you shouldn't use big words when small/simple ones will do, that isn't a verbatim quote but the jist. Then after that so many words appeared I would need to Google and was like well why would you just say parent/mother/father or whatever it was. I even read a few sentences out to a mixed crowd and they were like why wouldn't you just say XYZ. So that took you out of it a little and lead to me putting the book down a fair few times. So that being said that was off putting yet there is no denying the quality of time/research put into the book and educating on so much of Dahl's life we may well be unaware of, 3/5 for me this time.
Pages - 272
Publisher -
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
“An elegant new biography. In Dennison’s telling, Dahl’s contradictions are beautifully illustrated. I think [Dahl] would have liked Dennison’s writing style, lush but clipped, with such phrases as ‘the ubiquity of caprice’ and ‘buoyant with slang,’ full of a reader’s zest.” -- Alexandra Jacobs, The New York Times Book Review
'Riveting, and immaculately written' Sunday Telegraph
'A superb psychological study of a literary genius' Business Post
'A rounded picture... and gets to Dahl's flawed, human core' Country Life
'Crisply done and well-judged' TLS Roald Dahl was one of the world's greatest storytellers. He conceived his vocation as one as intrepid as that of any explorer and, in his writing for children, he was able to tap into a child's viewpoint throughout his life. He crafted tales that were exotic in scenario, frequently invested with a moral, and filled with vibrant characters that endure in public imagination to the present day. In this brand-new biogrpahy, Matthew Dennison re-evaluates the received narrative surrounding Dahl – that of school sporting hero, daredevil pilot, and wartime spy-turned-author – and examines surviving primary resources as well as Dahl's extensive literary output to tell the story of a man who identified as a rule-breaker, an iconoclast and a romantic, both insider and outsider, hero and child's friend.
My Review
So we all know who Roald Dahl is and have read at least some of his books and even the movies that followed. Personally I knew very little about him, I knew he had lost a child but that was really about it for me. This book was nothing short of eye opening, I had no idea just now much history he had and what a busy "private" life he had.
We hear about Dahl's beginnings, his service for his country, the ups and downs of writing and how he managed to score his big contracts and how his books became the success they were. The shocks for me was how much of a "romantic" life he had before he was married.
He experienced quite a bit of loss and sadness/heartache which I hadn't been aware of, again I didn't know much but even chatting to friends they were unawares also. Reading about his published works was also an education as I actually only knew of a few of the books (some I was exposed to as a child) and of course the ones that made it to movies.
Whilst the book/content was interesting I found the writing hard going at times and it was because the author had a habit of injecting fancy words when they weren't required. I also think I may well not have noticed but for the fact he spoke about Dahl saying you shouldn't use big words when small/simple ones will do, that isn't a verbatim quote but the jist. Then after that so many words appeared I would need to Google and was like well why would you just say parent/mother/father or whatever it was. I even read a few sentences out to a mixed crowd and they were like why wouldn't you just say XYZ. So that took you out of it a little and lead to me putting the book down a fair few times. So that being said that was off putting yet there is no denying the quality of time/research put into the book and educating on so much of Dahl's life we may well be unaware of, 3/5 for me this time.
June 23, 2023
Quite an interesting short biography of Dahl, who was often a difficult man but created beloved children’s books.
February 16, 2025
2.5/5 ⭐️
September 5, 2023
I really liked reading this biography of Roald Dahl. I always kind of imagined Roald Dahl to be a perfectly happy-go-lucky guy, but after reading this biography I found out he actually wasn't. He had his fair share of disappointment and grief. But even though life was often times hard on him, he kept on standing and pushed through.
I was astonished about some of the events that occured in his life. I learned a lot about him and I loved to read about how some of his stories got created. I would definitely recommend other people who like his books to read this biography because I think it's wonderful if you know the ideas behind his popular stories.
I was astonished about some of the events that occured in his life. I learned a lot about him and I loved to read about how some of his stories got created. I would definitely recommend other people who like his books to read this biography because I think it's wonderful if you know the ideas behind his popular stories.
July 31, 2023
I never read any Roald Dahl's biography before and found this well researched and informative. It gives a complete picture of the man and how his experiences influences his ideas and his writing.
An excellent biography.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
An excellent biography.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
March 22, 2023
2.5 stars. Interesting content on Dahl, but it would have been stronger with better writing.
July 16, 2025
This biography is very worth a read for any Dahl fan. There is just something very small that holds it back from being a 5-star read. Maybe it’s slightly too short or surface-level? That is part of the appeal - I believe Matthew Dennison specialises in concise biographies - and he does go into detail in places, but it is not a deep, thorough historical account.
The biography’s main focuses - a) Dahl customarily fictionalising his life (either in letters or published volumes) to make the truth more interesting, b) his childhood and time at Repton boarding school, c) his RAF service and accident, and d) his family tragedies: his son being struck by a car and needing intensive surgery, his daughter’s death from measles (due to their only vaccine going to the compromised son!), and his wife’s protracted illness from a stroke - were mostly stuff I knew already, although there were lots of extra details I didn’t know. The main thing I learned from this was how disillusioned Dahl was in his writing career for much of his life! Despite success and positive reviews, there were long periods of modest income, and he often felt insecure in face of his wife Pat’s more successful acting career. It is humbling to know that a literary giant felt this way. It was towards the end of his life, when he remarried, that he got a good run of what are now seen as his classics, especially Matilda and The Witches.
Dennison’s analysis of Dahl’s novels is the book’s most satisfying strength. He aptly identifies that Dahl has a starkly Dickensian black-and-white morality: characters are either very, very good, or disgusting lickspittle grotesque monsters. Dennison argues that Dahl carried this mentality into his daily life too, which leads me on to the next point…
…that his portrait of Dahl is unappealing at times. That is not to say Dahl was not capable of charm and great kindness, but the volume makes other things equally unequivocal. His determination to be free, independent, and better than everyone else gave him a customary arrogance. He frequently flouted the didactic rules espoused in his books - Dennison points out the irony of George’s Marvellous Medicine’s vilifying the grandma for being “grumpy and bad-tempered”, when he was often those things himself. Another irony I thought of is that, in ‘Lucky Break’, Dahl says “the writer who thinks his work is marvellous is heading for trouble.” Dennison makes no bones about the arrogance of Dahl’s views of his work (215), only accepting criticism or rewrites very begrudgingly, to the extent that his agent Alfred Knopf said that his lack of civility was beyond anything he had known in his career. (208)
(Apparently, he mellowed after marrying his second wife.)
He also had an emotionally detached, ‘actions-better-than-words’ manner that scorned any self-pity. Dennison argues that Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny the Champion of the World were self-indulgent “amazing-father” wish-fulfilment narratives - that were partly deserved…but not 100% accurate. His own daughter, Lucy, is described as believing her father to have a “lack of empathy for teenagers”. Dennison describes Dahl’s emotional absenteeism as “blind to Theo’s unhappiness” and even partly responsible for his 16-year-old daughter’s cocaine addiction (205).
Yet you know the phrase about throwing the first stone - because he was also a total hero. His kindness and generosity to young readers of his books - especially deprived or seriously ill children - was extensive (223). He founded the Wade-Dahl-Till valve. His attentiveness to his family was beyond question, regardless of any stoicisms of manner. And he withstood trauma and violence of which most of us can only dream, endured long disillusionment and hardship, yet through sheer persistence revolutionised children’s literature and produced some of the most iconic and valuable novels ever.
And Dahl’s allergy to bullshitting was quite amusing. He hilariously referred to one of his early works as “that ghastly book” (lol). This part at the end is also quite funny: “The Witches also prompted accusations of misogyny. Roald was unperturbed.” It’s as simple as that! Shrug it off, move on, ignore the nonsense with a wry quip. That is the Dahlesque way. I find it admirable.
This book encourages a true relish for both Dahl’s character and his work, warts and all, and that is what makes it truly successful. My prior view of Dahl as a hero did not change after reading this, even if some inconvenient truths were brought home in the process. If anything, I wish it were longer and even more detailed! But then some biographies go into too much detail and end up being ghastly…so maybe Dennison did strike the right middle ground.
The biography’s main focuses - a) Dahl customarily fictionalising his life (either in letters or published volumes) to make the truth more interesting, b) his childhood and time at Repton boarding school, c) his RAF service and accident, and d) his family tragedies: his son being struck by a car and needing intensive surgery, his daughter’s death from measles (due to their only vaccine going to the compromised son!), and his wife’s protracted illness from a stroke - were mostly stuff I knew already, although there were lots of extra details I didn’t know. The main thing I learned from this was how disillusioned Dahl was in his writing career for much of his life! Despite success and positive reviews, there were long periods of modest income, and he often felt insecure in face of his wife Pat’s more successful acting career. It is humbling to know that a literary giant felt this way. It was towards the end of his life, when he remarried, that he got a good run of what are now seen as his classics, especially Matilda and The Witches.
Dennison’s analysis of Dahl’s novels is the book’s most satisfying strength. He aptly identifies that Dahl has a starkly Dickensian black-and-white morality: characters are either very, very good, or disgusting lickspittle grotesque monsters. Dennison argues that Dahl carried this mentality into his daily life too, which leads me on to the next point…
…that his portrait of Dahl is unappealing at times. That is not to say Dahl was not capable of charm and great kindness, but the volume makes other things equally unequivocal. His determination to be free, independent, and better than everyone else gave him a customary arrogance. He frequently flouted the didactic rules espoused in his books - Dennison points out the irony of George’s Marvellous Medicine’s vilifying the grandma for being “grumpy and bad-tempered”, when he was often those things himself. Another irony I thought of is that, in ‘Lucky Break’, Dahl says “the writer who thinks his work is marvellous is heading for trouble.” Dennison makes no bones about the arrogance of Dahl’s views of his work (215), only accepting criticism or rewrites very begrudgingly, to the extent that his agent Alfred Knopf said that his lack of civility was beyond anything he had known in his career. (208)
(Apparently, he mellowed after marrying his second wife.)
He also had an emotionally detached, ‘actions-better-than-words’ manner that scorned any self-pity. Dennison argues that Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny the Champion of the World were self-indulgent “amazing-father” wish-fulfilment narratives - that were partly deserved…but not 100% accurate. His own daughter, Lucy, is described as believing her father to have a “lack of empathy for teenagers”. Dennison describes Dahl’s emotional absenteeism as “blind to Theo’s unhappiness” and even partly responsible for his 16-year-old daughter’s cocaine addiction (205).
Yet you know the phrase about throwing the first stone - because he was also a total hero. His kindness and generosity to young readers of his books - especially deprived or seriously ill children - was extensive (223). He founded the Wade-Dahl-Till valve. His attentiveness to his family was beyond question, regardless of any stoicisms of manner. And he withstood trauma and violence of which most of us can only dream, endured long disillusionment and hardship, yet through sheer persistence revolutionised children’s literature and produced some of the most iconic and valuable novels ever.
And Dahl’s allergy to bullshitting was quite amusing. He hilariously referred to one of his early works as “that ghastly book” (lol). This part at the end is also quite funny: “The Witches also prompted accusations of misogyny. Roald was unperturbed.” It’s as simple as that! Shrug it off, move on, ignore the nonsense with a wry quip. That is the Dahlesque way. I find it admirable.
This book encourages a true relish for both Dahl’s character and his work, warts and all, and that is what makes it truly successful. My prior view of Dahl as a hero did not change after reading this, even if some inconvenient truths were brought home in the process. If anything, I wish it were longer and even more detailed! But then some biographies go into too much detail and end up being ghastly…so maybe Dennison did strike the right middle ground.
October 7, 2023
*3.5 stars*
A full if not very happy life…
That was my take away from this, the first biographical work of Roald Dahl I have read so far. I knew little about the author’s personal life, other than his marriage to Patricia O’Neal. I was really looking forward to learning more about the author himself and perhaps some nuggets about his children’s books I loved so much growing up. I can remember borrowing and returning continuously some of my favourites – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Glass Elevator, James and the Giant Peach. Books that were filled with magic and wonder, and hope…
This book offered a very factual (aka un-whimsical) approach to the author’s life. And perhaps that is a reflection of how Roald Dahl’s life unfolded. It saddened me to read about the tragedies that he lived through, that shadowed his every step. This author offered clues to the inspirations of a number of Mr. Dahl’s writings – from adult-focused short stories to beloved children’s fiction – and how his personal life factored heavily into the choices he made. These revelations were garnered from published news articles, interviews and other writings. While I didn’t want a sugar-coated telling, the no-nonsense approach felt quite dark even when discussing the (I hope) happier times in his life….
I finished this book and couldn’t help but re-read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one more time. For the love and enjoyment Roald Dahl’s books brought to this reader, I hope they brought even a fraction of that joy to the author…
*I happily reviewed this story
**Thank you to Head of Zeus, Apollo publishers & NetGalley
A full if not very happy life…
That was my take away from this, the first biographical work of Roald Dahl I have read so far. I knew little about the author’s personal life, other than his marriage to Patricia O’Neal. I was really looking forward to learning more about the author himself and perhaps some nuggets about his children’s books I loved so much growing up. I can remember borrowing and returning continuously some of my favourites – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Glass Elevator, James and the Giant Peach. Books that were filled with magic and wonder, and hope…
This book offered a very factual (aka un-whimsical) approach to the author’s life. And perhaps that is a reflection of how Roald Dahl’s life unfolded. It saddened me to read about the tragedies that he lived through, that shadowed his every step. This author offered clues to the inspirations of a number of Mr. Dahl’s writings – from adult-focused short stories to beloved children’s fiction – and how his personal life factored heavily into the choices he made. These revelations were garnered from published news articles, interviews and other writings. While I didn’t want a sugar-coated telling, the no-nonsense approach felt quite dark even when discussing the (I hope) happier times in his life….
I finished this book and couldn’t help but re-read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one more time. For the love and enjoyment Roald Dahl’s books brought to this reader, I hope they brought even a fraction of that joy to the author…
*I happily reviewed this story
**Thank you to Head of Zeus, Apollo publishers & NetGalley
June 26, 2023
I read this biography to preview for my school library. I would not recommend this book for young readers.
Matthew Dennison quoted Roald’s conversation with a friend on page 109 about his encounter with Clare Boothe Luce (foul language and detailed description not appropriate for young readers).
Roald initially started writing adult fiction with inappropriate plot lines. One page 180, Dennison discusses Dahl journalist commission from Playboy which uses foul language to describe the plot.
On page 194, Dennison again quotes Dahl who uses foul language.
On page 197, Dahl’s wife, Pat. “boasted of the happiness of her marriage and her sex life”.
Dennison does discuss Dahl’s affair with Liccy, although not in detail. But on page 202, Dennison does mention another one of Dahl’s adult novels, My Uncle Oswald. Playboy had requested a story for his twenty-fifth anniversary issue in Jan. 1979. The plot is based on a schoolboy’s joke about sex.
Dahl had experienced several tragedies throughout his life. His son, Theo, was in a terrible accident. His nanny was pushing his pram across the street when a car hit them, throwing Theo and the pram 40 feet into a bus. Theo did survive but had multiple surgeries and a long recovery. His daughter, Olivia died from measles while Theo was on the end of his recovery.
Matthew Dennison quoted Roald’s conversation with a friend on page 109 about his encounter with Clare Boothe Luce (foul language and detailed description not appropriate for young readers).
Roald initially started writing adult fiction with inappropriate plot lines. One page 180, Dennison discusses Dahl journalist commission from Playboy which uses foul language to describe the plot.
On page 194, Dennison again quotes Dahl who uses foul language.
On page 197, Dahl’s wife, Pat. “boasted of the happiness of her marriage and her sex life”.
Dennison does discuss Dahl’s affair with Liccy, although not in detail. But on page 202, Dennison does mention another one of Dahl’s adult novels, My Uncle Oswald. Playboy had requested a story for his twenty-fifth anniversary issue in Jan. 1979. The plot is based on a schoolboy’s joke about sex.
Dahl had experienced several tragedies throughout his life. His son, Theo, was in a terrible accident. His nanny was pushing his pram across the street when a car hit them, throwing Theo and the pram 40 feet into a bus. Theo did survive but had multiple surgeries and a long recovery. His daughter, Olivia died from measles while Theo was on the end of his recovery.
Want to read
January 18, 2023NY Times gave it a nice review:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/17/bo...
Excerpt:
"Looking back, there were plenty of other oh-no-he-didn’t moments in the literature. The Oompa-Loompas of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” were originally African pygmies — Dahl called the actors who played them wearing orange makeup and green wigs in the 1971 movie “dirty old dwarfs.” And a rapey 1965 story for Playboy, “Bitch,” transformed its adult male protagonist into a “gigantic perpendicular penis, seven feet tall and as handsome as they come,” as if James and his famous peach had grown up and gone horribly wrong.
But none of this is lingered on in Matthew Dennison’s elegant but somewhat glancing new biography of Dahl, subtitled “Teller of the Unexpected.” His subject has sold more books around the world than is possible to count. Netflix bought The Roald Dahl Story Co. in 2021 for a reported $1 billion; “Matilda” alone is movie, musical and multiple memes. Roald Dahl — not mere author but high-yielding content farm — may simply be too big to cancel."
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/17/bo...
Excerpt:
"Looking back, there were plenty of other oh-no-he-didn’t moments in the literature. The Oompa-Loompas of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” were originally African pygmies — Dahl called the actors who played them wearing orange makeup and green wigs in the 1971 movie “dirty old dwarfs.” And a rapey 1965 story for Playboy, “Bitch,” transformed its adult male protagonist into a “gigantic perpendicular penis, seven feet tall and as handsome as they come,” as if James and his famous peach had grown up and gone horribly wrong.
But none of this is lingered on in Matthew Dennison’s elegant but somewhat glancing new biography of Dahl, subtitled “Teller of the Unexpected.” His subject has sold more books around the world than is possible to count. Netflix bought The Roald Dahl Story Co. in 2021 for a reported $1 billion; “Matilda” alone is movie, musical and multiple memes. Roald Dahl — not mere author but high-yielding content farm — may simply be too big to cancel."
August 5, 2023
Terrible biography. Terrible writing.
Of course, the subject is interesting. He was such a difficult man that it's hard for me to understand how he charmed (sorry, seduced) so many women, scored a rich patron who supported him tirelessly and at some expense, and wormed his way into the confidences of leaders of both the U.S. and England. It's puzzling to me because he clearly was also arrogant, aloof, self absorbed, narcissistic, tedious, and an utter boor. Dishonest, stubborn, demanding, deceptive, spiteful, and dismissive of others. Maybe Dahl is not a complex creature in the end, but how he managed to keep people coming back for more when he was such an a** to them repeatedly surprises me.
Anyway, the writing is horrible. The man cannot write his way out of a paper bag. (A paragraph should not span three full pages. I nearly threw the book down. He is not James Joyce. He is a hack. Save yourself the trouble. I'm not sure I would want to recommend the Sturrock, because an authorized biography of a man like this will inevitably spin things. But I deeply regret the two or three hours that I spent ... regretting every page that I was reading.)
Of course, the subject is interesting. He was such a difficult man that it's hard for me to understand how he charmed (sorry, seduced) so many women, scored a rich patron who supported him tirelessly and at some expense, and wormed his way into the confidences of leaders of both the U.S. and England. It's puzzling to me because he clearly was also arrogant, aloof, self absorbed, narcissistic, tedious, and an utter boor. Dishonest, stubborn, demanding, deceptive, spiteful, and dismissive of others. Maybe Dahl is not a complex creature in the end, but how he managed to keep people coming back for more when he was such an a** to them repeatedly surprises me.
Anyway, the writing is horrible. The man cannot write his way out of a paper bag. (A paragraph should not span three full pages. I nearly threw the book down. He is not James Joyce. He is a hack. Save yourself the trouble. I'm not sure I would want to recommend the Sturrock, because an authorized biography of a man like this will inevitably spin things. But I deeply regret the two or three hours that I spent ... regretting every page that I was reading.)
October 27, 2023
I've only read a couple of Roald Dahl's books and am not especially into him but found this book in a local library and got curious. Unfortunately, it let me down and I didn't finish it.
At least it was not overlong, but it definitely needed editing, with unclear dates as to what happened when and some repeated details. Dahl was a boy with a widowed mother and several surviving sisters, with his late Norse father and family having had enough money to send him to British public (private in US definition) schools, but his being physically beaten by teachers there turned him off to education and made him hate authority, which would be reflected in his books which he would start writing after being severely injured in a plane accident during his World War Two service, making him unfit for combat duty.
He would suffer a number of tragedies in his lifetime, but Dahl was not a particularly nice or likeable man and that would later contribute toward his posthumous infamy. Maybe try a different book.
At least it was not overlong, but it definitely needed editing, with unclear dates as to what happened when and some repeated details. Dahl was a boy with a widowed mother and several surviving sisters, with his late Norse father and family having had enough money to send him to British public (private in US definition) schools, but his being physically beaten by teachers there turned him off to education and made him hate authority, which would be reflected in his books which he would start writing after being severely injured in a plane accident during his World War Two service, making him unfit for combat duty.
He would suffer a number of tragedies in his lifetime, but Dahl was not a particularly nice or likeable man and that would later contribute toward his posthumous infamy. Maybe try a different book.
August 31, 2025
Our family brought along a bunch of Roald Dahl movies to watch at the cottage for the week, so I thought it would be interesting to read an account of his life alongside cinematic interpretations of some of the stories he wrote. Dennison writes a solid, if brief, overview of Dahl's life from beginning to end, and it was certainly one filled with more grief, darkness, and tragedy than I could have imagined even if it helped make sense of his world crafting. Dennison does not shy away from speculating on how the events of the life informed the writing, and I think he does this with care. This is definitely not hagiographical- and Dahl does not emerge from this account on unscathed. At times, the portrayal is unflinching, but I think it is conveyed with a sense of understanding and empathy. For someone with a deep interest in Dahl's life and work, a more probative account might be necessary, but this satisfied my curiosity on a cursory level and gave me a different appreciation for his body of writing.
July 24, 2023
It was ok and interesting in parts, but basically, Roald's life is a bit dull. yes he's had stuff to deal with, like everyone, but throughout i couldn't help thinking that he is just a normal bloke with a gift for writing. The book is not better than Dahl's own embellished versions of his life and there was little knowledge within that was new to me, but the author does well to not gloss over the fact that Dahl was a bit of a bastard especially after he'd had a few. its amusing what he said when sober, to an interviewer, something along the lines of "i only want to talk to you for half an hour so i'm not answering any questions after 2pm" its worth reading if you want to know about his post war life. Netgalley ARC
August 5, 2023
3.5 stars
An interesting account of Roald Dahl’s life, but not a lot of new material, using information from Boy, Going Solo and a recent documentary.
This book does dive into the sadder parts of Dahl’s life, which was full of tragedy, with accidents, deaths and childhood trauma, that don’t make for particularly happy reading.
It’s therefore unsurprising that he chose to escape into the world of fiction, when adulthood seemed fraught with difficulties.
In spite of his faults - and by all accounts he wasn’t a particularly nice person - his legacy is remarkable and his stories remain beloved around the world.
An interesting account of Roald Dahl’s life, but not a lot of new material, using information from Boy, Going Solo and a recent documentary.
This book does dive into the sadder parts of Dahl’s life, which was full of tragedy, with accidents, deaths and childhood trauma, that don’t make for particularly happy reading.
It’s therefore unsurprising that he chose to escape into the world of fiction, when adulthood seemed fraught with difficulties.
In spite of his faults - and by all accounts he wasn’t a particularly nice person - his legacy is remarkable and his stories remain beloved around the world.
September 13, 2023
I have always wanted to know all about the famous children’s authors life Ronald Dahl, that’s why I took the opportunity to read this book. I don’t know why but I was quite surprised to learn that Ronald Dahl actually kept a diary. I’ve always wanted to know what inspired Dahl to write all the books for children, and I found out through this biography how Roald Dahl came up with the idea to write one of the biggest selling novels for children Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I loved looking at the few pages of black and white and colour photographs.
November 25, 2024
This book provides an excellent detail of his life, but doesn’t dive deeply into the personal morals of the author. He is definitely deeply moved by the events of his personal life to create the way that he did, and realizing that his children’s books are a tribute to his undying commitment to care for the young lives around him opened my eyes into who he was. He was definitely a product of his time.
February 12, 2023
A little dry at times and I wish the chapters had been broken up a bit more, but overall it was an interesting and inspiring read about an author I love reading. It touches only very lightly on the accusations of anti-semitism and mostly chronicles his childhood and the events surrounding most of his publications.
March 13, 2023
This biography of Roald Dahl wasn't a bad read. Since I knew little about the author (what I DID know was primarily that he was that author of some classic children's books and that he'd been married to Patricia Neal) I found the book a serviceable rendering of Dahl. There were no particular surprises, but it was enjoyable.
April 24, 2023
Good, succinct review of Dahl's life. Much of this I had no idea about, my only real Dahl read until having kids of my own was Matilda, which remains one of my favorite books. He may be problematic as a person, but his works still resonate with many, including my own kids. Glad I took the time to get to know the man more through Dennison's excellent writing.
August 16, 2022
So interesting to hear what inspired this infamous author and life in the early 20th century.
Such a shame that he was antisemitic !! I can't believe I never knew that. Can't look at his books in the same way now.
Such a shame that he was antisemitic !! I can't believe I never knew that. Can't look at his books in the same way now.
December 28, 2022
Really enjoyed this. As my sister said, „It‘s a keeper“—to be referred to or re-read in the future. I appreciate the author‘s economy of style, fitting lots of information and observation/analysis into a book of reasonably short length. (I read it in chunks, between other books, over a few months.)
February 11, 2023
I always marvel at the piecing together of someone else's life by biographers almost like a Sisyphean task. To then pick the narrative thread that connects all the major milestones is another hard thing to do, and I felt that Dennison has accomplished this well here.
August 15, 2023
I enjoyed it but much preferred the more detailed biography of Roald Dahl that I had previously read. My biggest issue with this book though was sentenced structure- I found I often had to go back to re-read a sentence as it just didn't made sense.
January 18, 2024
This book was celebrated for its honesty about Dahl and all of his warts. I think it’s so heavily fixated on the negative that it barely gives the man a fair shot for his good traits. I don’t know. Sure, I want truthfulness but Dennison could’ve been more balanced in his assessment.
August 26, 2022
I listened to this on Book of the Week on Radio 4, so it was a concise verion. It was excellent.
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