The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More

‘One of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation * The Times *An unforgettable read, don’t miss it * Sunday Times *

Roald Dahl received terrible reports for his writing at school. One teacher wrote, ‘I have never met a boy who so persistently writes the exact opposite of what he means. He seems incapable of marshalling his thoughts on paper!’ After finishing school, Dahl travelled to East Africa to work for Shell. He learnt to speak Swahili, drove from diamond mines to gold mines, and survived a bout of malaria.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Dahl joined the RAF. Being nearly two metres tall, he found himself squashed into his fighter plane. Tragically, of the 20 men in his squadron, Dahl was one of only three to survive. He wrote about these experiences in his books Boy and Going Solo. Later in the war, Dahl was sent to America where he met C.S. Forester, who asked him to write down his war experiences. Forester was amazed, telling Dahl ‘I’m bowled over. Your piece is marvellous. It is the work of a gifted writer. I didn’t touch a word of it.’

Dahl’s growing success as an author led him to meet many famous people, including Walt Disney, Franklin Roosevelt, and Patricia Neal. Patricia and Roald were married only one year after they met! The couple bought a house in Great Missenden called Gipsy House. It was here that Dahl began to tell his five children made-up bedtime stories and from those, he began to consider writing stories for children.

An old wooden shed in the back garden, with a wingbacked armchair, a sleeping bag, an old suitcase to prop his feet on, and six yellow pencils, was where Dahl created the worlds of The BFG, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and many more.