New Arrival: Storyteller: the authorized biography of Roald Dahl

Donald Sturrock takes a look at Roald Dahl, one of the most popular authors of children’s literature in the Anglophone world. Throughout most of the mid to late 20th century, until his death in 1990, Dahl authored many books for children, including Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Enormous Crocodile, and perhaps his best known work, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Sometimes controversial—in fact, Dahl was called an anti-Semite, a racist and a misogynist—Dahl’s wild imagination, quirky sense of humor and literary style was never fully appreciated until after his death.

When granted access to the archives of Dahl’s family estate, Donald Sturrock finds a wealth of information, most of it unpublished, that provide insight on Dahl’s unconventional life. Examples include his experience as a Royal Air Force fighter pilot, his relationship and marriage issues, and having to deal with the death of one of his children. Sturrock ultimately conveys to the reader that perhaps, PERHAPS—it is because of his life experiences that Dahl wrote the kinds of stories he did.

-Stefan Baer, Technical Services Manager