Category: General Dahl News

Roald Dahl’s nature journal My Year republished after decades out of print

My Year, which Dahl wrote shortly before his death in 1990, has been out of print since 1998. Packed with illustrations by Quentin Blake, it deals with everything from the changing seasons to the pranks he pulled as a child on unsuspecting passers-by, moving through the months of the year as Dahl documents the flora and fauna around his house in Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire. The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre has collaborated with Penguin Random House and the Roald Dahl Story Company to bring the book back into print.

Head over to The Guardian to read more!

September 13 is Roald Dahl Day 2018!

This Thursday, September 13th, will be Roald Dahl’s 102nd birthday, so it’s time to celebrate! The official Dahl site has loads of ideas for activities:

Roald Dahl Easter Crafts

I hope you’re enjoying the Easter weekend! I’ve seen some fabulous Dahl-related Easter crafts on Twitter lately…

A Violet Beauregarde Easter egg!

Chocolate bar invention!

A pair of Golden Ticket-inspired Easter Bonnets!

And Puffin Books have a tutorial to make your own Willy Wonka Easter Egg!

If you craft something inspired by Dahl, be sure to tag the site on Twitter!

Some Dahl videos to watch!

I’ve found a couple of interesting Dahl-related videos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

The first is a clip from Season 14 of the show Pawn Stars, where a collector shows off his set of original props from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You won’t believe the price he wants for an everlasting gobstopper!

And the second is a one-off sketch comedy special from the UK in 1980 called Peter Cook & Co. It features a spoof of Tales of the Unexpected that starts around the 1:09 mark! (I’ve got a transcript here if you can’t make out the dialogue.)

Is there a formula for LOVE? – Roald Dahl essay

Thanks to the National Library of Australia’s Trove, I was able to track down a Roald Dahl essay that I’d never read before! It’s called “Love”… and it’s pretty cynical. It’s his attempt to give young women advice on the formula for a lasting marriage, but he basically says that it’s impossible to tell when you’re in a relationship so you just have to ask your Dad for advice. 😳 He was 33-years-old by then, and still two years away from meeting his future wife Patricia Neal. Interesting view into his mindset at the time!

Quentin Blake: ‘A new Roald Dahl character to draw, nearly 40 years after my first’

The Guardian has a lovely piece by Quentin Blake, talking about how he came to create Billy, the Minpins and the other characters in a new version of one of Dahl’s last books. The new version is called Billy and the Minpins, and it’s available from September 2017. (The older version with Patrick Benson’s illustrations isn’t going away though!)

September 13 is Roald Dahl Day!

This Wednesday, September 13th, will be Roald Dahl’s 101st birthday, so it’s time to celebrate! The official Dahl site has loads of ideas for activities:

If you’re in the UK, make sure to check out the LEGO® sculptures of Roald Dahl characters appearing at various locations around England, Ireland, and Wales!