4 C OVER STORY SUNDAY September 06 - 12 2009 Photo by Dumant/Getty Images Attention Roald Dahl’s life was almost as fantastic as his books. Here are a few things you might not have known about the gobblefunking author Snozzcumbers! Did you know that when he was at joined the Royal Air Force. But being nearly What’s it like writing a book? a bit further, maybe up on to the top of a hill, school, Roald Dahl had bad hand- two metres tall (that is very tall!) he found When you’re writing it’s rather like going on a and you see something else, then you write writing? He received terrible reports himself squashed into his fighter plane, knees very long walk, across valleys and mountains that and you go on like that, day after day, get- for his writing style — with one teacher actu- around his ears and head jutting forward. Dahl and things, and you get the first view of what ting different views of the same landscape. ally writing in his report, “I have never met a wrote about these experiences in his books you see and you write it down. Then you walk The highest mountain on the walk is obviously boy who so persistently writes the exact oppo- Boy and Going Solo. Getty Images site of what he means. He seems incapable of Roald Dahl worked hard for all his ideas. marshalling his thoughts on paper!” He would write all of them in his red exercise After finishing school, Roald Dahl travelled book that he always carried around. But if his to East Africa to work for a company called exercise book wasn’t handy he would scribble Shell. He was looking for some adventure. In a note on anything — even if he had to write Africa he did plenty of crazy and fun things. with a crayon or lipstick! Dahl used language He learnt to speak Swahili, drove from dia- in an unusual mixed-up way that he called mond mines to gold mines, and survived a gobblefunking. In The BFG, he made close to bout of malaria where his temperature 238 different words including bellypopper, reached 105.5 degrees. babblement, snozzcumber, which according During the Second World War Roald Dahl to him is a vegetable the BFG had to eat be- cause he refused to eat children. An old wooden shed in the back garden, with a wingbacked armchair, a sleeping bag to keep out the cold, an old suitcase to prop his feet on and always, always six yellow pencils at his hand, was where Roald created the worlds of The BFG, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and many, many more. Here is an ex- cerpt of an interview with Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl with his wife Patricia Neal, and their three children. Dahl Day It’s time to get gobblefunking and celebrate Roald Dahl Day on September 13 Charlie and the The BFG Chocolate Factory Puffin, Rs 225. Dahl wrote this book for Puffin, Rs 225. his granddaughter This one is an obvious Sophie Dahl. One night, choice, but really, who the BFG or the Big wouldn’t want to read Friendly Giant kidnaps about a chocolate room, Sophie. Luckily, he is a which is edible and has kind giant, unlike the taffy trees, jellybean unpleasant ones that go stalks and a chocolate around gobbling chil- waterfall? Parents will dren. Soon the BFG and rejoice at the not-so Sophie team up to stop subtle message about the other nasty giants. being good and not greedy. .