UK cover of Storyteller
At the Book Case, we’ve posted before about our love of Roald Dahl‘s work—most recently in June, when we mentioned The Missing Golden Ticket, a September release from Penguin Young Readers that contains a chapter cut from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and contains plenty of fun facts about his work.
But September (Dahl’s birth month) brings a book for adult fans as well: the authorized biography Storyteller, by Donald Sturrock. Sturrock worked with the Dahl estate and his family—including both of Dahl’s wives*—to complete the book, which is more than 600 pages and chronicles every inch of the author’s amazing life, from his childhood, to his years as a James Bond-like RAF officer (also covered in the outstanding The Irregulars) through his years as a writer.
The book has drawn glowing praise from the likes of Dahl friend and collaborator Quentin Blake, but then again, authorized biographies usually do. Does it tell all? You can judge for yourself when Simon & Schuster publishes the book in the US in September. Until then, The Telegraph is running five excerpts, starting with Dahl’s school days.
Do you enjoy reading about the lives of your favorite authors?
*Dahl’s first wife, Oscar winner Patricia Neal, died of cancer on Sunday.
