Roald and the cigarette-stained writing hut
A lengthy feature in The New Yorker dedicated to Roald Dahl discusses the difference in taste — and sense of humour — between young readers and older critics. Visiting his house (now opened for one day each year by his widow), writer Margaret Talbot peeks into the “writing hut” of the popular author and observes the way adults recoil at the cigarette-stained walls, while children eagerly vie for a peek at the pieces of Dahl’s own spine he kept in a jar. Discussing the writer’s style, and his genius at representing the hardships of childhood, Talbot writes: “In a Dahl book, you are never out of earshot of a sly authorial voice that is sharing a secret joke about a character — or is announcing that it’s about to yank you out of a scene that’s becoming a bit too gross or distressing.”
Related links:
Click here for the full story from The New Yorker
