Roald Dahl

There are a couple authors who impacted my childhood deeply. Walter Farley, Arnold Lobel, Dr. Seuss, Julie Edwards (Andrews), and of course Roald Dahl all wrote the kind of books that I wanted to read as a child. There are few books from any of these writers that I haven't read. And no one was better loved in our household than Roald Dahl. We each came home after listening to The BFG in school and demanded that my parent read us the rest of his books. There's something magical about that man and his mischievous books. As a child I judged him by his stories, recently I learned a little more about the man behind the writing.

I just finished a very good Roald Dahl biography called Storyteller by Donald Sturrock. I'd heard plenty of rumors about Dahl, his prickliness, his questionable past, and his even more questionable views. I'd never seen any of these in his stories, but this book did a lot to set me straight on Dahl's personality. What I encountered was a character in his own right.

I'd read Dahl's two "autobiographical" books (Boy and Going Solo) but Sturrock informs us that much of those stories were fabricated (or tweaked a bit) by Dahl to make more interesting stories. But the real story is fascinating enough. Dahl was not only a RAF pilot during World War 2 but a spy for the British in the US after the war. He seduced numerous women (some quite well known) and ended up married to a famous actress. He invented and patented a valve that saved many brain injured children after his child was involved in an accident. He raced greyhounds, married twice, and managed to father a couple children. Oh yeah and he wrote some of the best loved books of all time. A recent poll just listed him as the most popular children's book writer ever. This almost three decades after his death.

Dahl had his prickly side and loved to stir up controversy at the dinner table. But many of the rumors about his controversial views are a bit misguided. Dahl may have been controversial in his conversations but he seems tame in his actual views. He reminds me a bit of my father, who loves to see if he can rile people up. Like my dad, Dahl would play devils advocate for hours just to get a flush out of people. And that earned him a reputation for prickliness.

No matter what your view on the man, you have to give him credit for his books. As a child we listened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, and of course The BFG. We sat spellbound as bad people got their just desserts, and good children prevailed against evil. We fell in love with his characters, his wording, and his imagination. I can still read Dahl's work and be spellbound. Even his adult fare is seductive. A prolific writer and a consummate storyteller who lived a life almost as exciting as his books.

Don't Care How, I Want it Now

I've actually been trying to post this blog post for most of the day now. Blogger has decided that it didn't want to let me in. Not sure why. Perhaps it doesn't like my topic. Or maybe it just isn't happy that I'm been taking my weekends off from logging on. For those of you who are wondering I've been unplugging on my weekends for the last couple weeks. I don't read comics. I don't check email. I don't look at the news. And I certainly haven't been blogging. That will probably stay the same for the next couple of weekends if not permanently. I spend too much time online the rest of the week. Weekends are to recharge.

I sat down last night to do a Chocolate Factory marathon. I just finished reading Mel Stuart's Pure Imagination about the making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and realized that it's been almost a year since I last watched the film. I'm completely mad for the 1971 version with Gene Wilder playing Willy Wonka. Pure Brilliance. So I figured if I was going to watch one version of Roald Dahl's immortal classic, then I might as well watch both. I own both of them. I enjoyed both for their very different takes on the story. They offer two very different Willy Wonka's which originally I was okay with. But I made a discovery last night. And it has more to do with the music than anything else.

Mel Stuart wrote in Pure Imagination that he didn't want to make the 1971 version into a musical. He didn't really want music. He felt that it would detract from the reality he was trying to create. After all very few of us randomly burst into song as we go about our daily lives. He relented after his producer convinced him that music would only enhance the film. And it has. I spent all yesterday singing "Pure Imagination", the wonderful song that Gene Wilder sings in the Chocolate Room. This morning I've been singing Veruca Salt's bratty anthem, "I Want it Now". And that's when I realized that there are no good songs from the new movie. In fact many of the Oompa Loompa songs made me want to fast forward through them. They are simply too over the top. In a film as flamboyant as Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that is saying a lot.

I will freely admit that I loved Johnny Depp's socially awkward (and slightly misanthropic) Willy Wonka and Burton cast Charlie perfectly. The visuals for Burton's film were incredible. I actually liked that over the top look. But nothing quite rivals the maniacal elegance of Gene Wilder in his top hat and purple coat. How one man could come off as suave and insane and sweet and devilish at the same time is beyond me. It was an incredible performance and I still claim Gene Wilder as the better Wonka. I liked the supporting cast for both films equally with the exception of the Oompa Loompas who hands down go to the 1971 cast, rather than the one guy who had to do the 2005 version. The 1971 visuals are dated but there is still a bit more charm there. The chocolate room in the 1971 version makes my mouth water. The 2005 version scares me a little bit.

I'm curious to see what the rest of you think. Have you seen the films? Which do you think was better? Who makes a better Wonka? I originally went into last night thinking I liked them equally. But this morning I woke up with a clear favorite. Now if only I could get this song out of my head.

Roald Dahl Day

One of the books I picked up when I was at the booksale this weekend was Going Solo, Roald Dahl's account of his time flying with the RAF during World War II. Years ago, I had read his short story "A Piece of Cake" which talks about him being trapped in his burning plane after a crash and I wanted to hear the rest of the story. This is the sequel to his autobiography Boy and was a really interesting read. He starts the book talking about his time in Northern Africa working for the Shell Company. After war is declared he is sent out with a small band of African warriors and no military training to try to round up the hundreds of German citizens fleeing the country. After that he heads to Egypt to train as an RAF pilot. The training and his flying missions are the bulk of the book.

Shortly after his training, Dahl is sent to join his squadron in the desert. After he is given incorrect data, he is forced to crash land in the desert. That is where his short story came up. He is discovered by a scouting group and brought back to a hospital in Alexandria. There he spends the next 8 months recovering his sight, rebuilding his nose, and recovering from severe concussions. He is released from the hospital and sent to Greece to join the dying campaign there. He and his fellow pilots have the only dozen RAF planes in Greece. It is a lost cause but no one seems to be willing to accept that. The pilots are flying for hours a day and getting shot up on every trip. Dahl talks about the almost everyday deaths of pilots. After losing plane after plane until there is only five left, Dahl and the others are evacuated to Palestine and Syria. And after hours in the air he starts to develop headaches which ground him, a side effect from his earlier injuries. He is sent home and the book ends.

Roald Dahl has a special place in my heart. I grew up reading his books and have so far not read one that I didn't love. I vividly remember being read The BFG (Big Friendly Giant, for those of you who had other acronyms in mind) which I still consider one of the best books for young kids ever. Dahl is best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but so many of his books are wonderful. His books have a dark sense of humor and are often considered gross or strange by most parents. But every child I know loves his work. My favorite of his books include The Twits, which is a terrible book about terrible people, getting their just rewards. It is delicious in its silliness and viciousness. I loved James and the Giant Peach, which its story of the young boy and his insects who find a way to cross the ocean in a gigantic peach. And for a more realistic book, there is Danny, the Champion of the World, a sweet story about poaching and fatherly love. It was interesting after reading so many of his books as a child, to read a bit more of his adult work. His stories from the war were enough to make this book interesting but to read it with the knowledge that he would become one of the most successful children's book authors ever, made it fascinating.

All that said, I was reading a bit more about Dahl online today and found out something very interesting. Dahl was born September 13th and I guess that day has been called Roald Dahl Day in some circles. I found it bizarre that I spent most of yesterday (his day) curled up on the couch reading his autobiography. I don't believe in coincidences but this one seems a bit odd. Roald Dahl type odd. So for all of you out there, wondering what strange and interesting tales to read your child, here is a suggestion. Find a nice quiet corner, turn your parent brain off, and get ready to be awed and revolted. And Happy Belated Roald Dahl Day!