Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
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THIS September marks 100 years since the birth of one of the most beloved children’s authors, Roald Dahl.
The adaptation for film of Dahl’s The BFG is currently in cinemas.
Other events are also planned to mark Dahl’s centennial. These include a re-release of the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, new editions of James and the Giant Peach, The Witches and other classics as well as publication of a guide to Dahl’s work – the Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary.
Lucy Dahl is one of Roald Dahl’s five children and she shared her thoughts about her late father’s life and legacy in an interview.
What would your father have made of all the events this year?
He would have loved it. He worked so incredibly hard his whole life and he’s become more and more well-known and loved by children and discovered by children as the years go on. That’s what he wanted. He wanted to make children happy through his work. He wanted children to know that he understood them.
He used to say, ‘Children have a lot to go through. Try walking around on your knees, being half the size of everyone else. And everything you want you have to ask for and 99 percent of the time you’re being told “no”. See how you feel at the end of the day.’
What do you think of Steven Spielberg’s film of ?
The BFG Steven got it right. Steven, too, understands the idea of good triumphing over evil and identifying with being young at heart.
I went to the set for one day and spent a lot of time there. It was one of the most magical days in my whole life. All of the sets were in one massive warehouse. It was really incredible and Steven treated me like I was a queen. The BFG was a bedtime story when I was growing up, and I had this visual image of it, as one does, and walking into that giant warehouse and walking on to those sets… was like everything I ever imagined.
I felt like I was Charlie Bucket walking into the chocolate factory.
Are there any other adaptations of your father’s work that stand out for you?
I especially love Matilda the Musical. It’s really, really fantastic. I also like Fantastic Mr Fox (movie).
It’s very difficult for many people