Reading Between The Lines: Dahl is much more than a children's book author

Header image for Interrobang article
Considered one of the quintessential children's authors, Roald Dahl needs no introduction to many, with familiar works such as Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and James and the Giant Peach having reached millions.

Dahl's stories were whimsical and unusual, but most importantly they understood that kids were merely inexperienced with life, not stupid. As such, rather than talk down to young readers, his books featured black comedy that pushed what age-appropriate really was, where much of the appreciation for his work is born.

Dahl easily ranks alongside Dr. Seuss and many other such authors for penning books with a universal age appeal.

With that said, his children's books easily overshadow his equally excellent adult material. While only having released a handful of adult novels, Dahl's forte lay in short stories, with several compilations published. Of course, with the numerous stories being difficult to digest comes The Best of Roald Dahl, a compilation that draws his best stories from other compilations (isn't this getting to be a recurring theme) into one paperback.

Dahl's writing for adults only gains more wit and gallows humour that his children's novels had to lose, the stories within this book being mostly about very adult subjects (ranging from affairs and moral quandaries to the author's own experiences serving in the military) but retaining all the sly charm. Despite a majority of the stories being set within a somewhat warped, but nevertheless earthly reality, the whimsy that often shapes the world of his stories is still ever-present.

A word of warning: not every story within this book is comedic in nature. Dahl isn't especially well-known for his ability to write horror, but believe me when I say that the stories in this book will put more than enough faith in you.

Some of the tales that stand out in this book include:

“Madame Rosette”: A story of some young soldiers in the African theatre of World War II looking for a fun night out. An interesting period piece about what soldiers did on their off time, drawing insight from Dahl's experiences during the war.

“The Landlady”: A tired young man walks into an inn with a stale atmosphere and an odd landlady. One of the more unsettling stories in the book.

“The Great Switcheroo”: The less said about this story, the better. The kind of story you'd find in an underground pulp rag, but with a mark of high society.

“Royal Jelly”: First published in the Twilight Zone Magazine, this story easily betrays its intent on sucking you into a yarn that could easily make an episode of the TV show.

“Pig”: A small-town boy who is near-brainwashed about the virtues of vegetarianism is set loose in the big city. Written in an absurdly fairy tale-like manner, this is easily one of the more blackly hilarious stories written.

“Genesis and Catastrophe”: Just read it. The less you know about this one, even better.

The Best of Roald Dahl, being a compilation drawing from compilations, only offers a taste of the dark wit he has to offer. Consider it an introductory guide to the rest of his excellent short story compilations.

Reading Between The Lines explores books that you may have missed out on that are worth your while. If you have a book to suggest, email Eshaan at e_gupta@fanshaweonline.ca.