In November 1962, Dahl's daughter Olivia died of measles encephalitis, age seven. Her death left Dahl "limp with despair", and feeling guilty about not having been able to do anything for her. [87] Dahl subsequently became a proponent of immunisation—writing " Measles: A Dangerous Illness" in 1988 in response to measles cases in the UK—and dedicated his 1982 book The BFG to his daughter. [88] [89] After Olivia's death and a meeting with a Church official, Dahl came to view Christianity as a sham. [90] In mourning he had sought spiritual guidance from Geoffrey Fisher, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and was dismayed being told that, although Olivia was in Paradise, her beloved dog Rowley would never join her there. [90] Dahl recalled years later: Think Twice about Roald Dahl". Lilith Magazine. 27 September 1998. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020 . Retrieved 14 October 2020. Hamlin, Dominic (27 November 2015). "Roald Dahl's greatest philosophical quotes ever". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020 . Retrieved 23 September 2020. Zymeri, Jeff (21 February 2023). "Salman Rushdie Blasts 'Absurd' Censorship of Roald Dahl". National Review. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023 . Retrieved 26 February 2023. Throughout his childhood and adolescent years, Dahl spent most of his summer holidays with his mother's family in Norway. He wrote about many happy memories from those visits in Boy: Tales of Childhood, such as when he replaced the tobacco in his half-sister's fiancé's pipe with goat droppings. [48] He noted only one unhappy memory of his holidays in Norway: at around the age of eight, he had to have his adenoids removed by a doctor. [49] His childhood and first job selling kerosene in Midsomer Norton and surrounding villages in Somerset are subjects in Boy: Tales of Childhood. [50] After school

Dahl was rescued and taken to a first-aid post in Mersa Matruh, where he regained consciousness, but not his sight. He was transported by train to the Royal Navy hospital in Alexandria. There he fell in and out of love with a nurse, Mary Welland. An RAF inquiry into the crash revealed that the location to which he had been told to fly was completely wrong, and he had mistakenly been sent instead into the no man's land between the Allied and Italian forces. [61] A Hawker Hurricane Mk 1, the aircraft type in which Dahl engaged in aerial combat over Greece McElmeel, Sharron L. (1999). "Roald Dahl". 100 Most Popular Children's Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies. Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 978-1-56308-646-5. Kossoff, Julian (15 September 2011). "The dark side of Roald Dahl". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021 . Retrieved 9 December 2020. Mullally, Una. "Women, as written by Roald Dahl". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022 . Retrieved 14 October 2020.On 20 April 1941, Dahl took part in the Battle of Athens, alongside the highest-scoring British Commonwealth ace of World War II, Pat Pattle, and Dahl's friend David Coke. Of 12 Hurricanes involved, five were shot down and four of their pilots killed, including Pattle. Greek observers on the ground counted 22 German aircraft downed, but because of the confusion of the aerial engagement, none of the pilots knew which aircraft they had shot down. Dahl described it as "an endless blur of enemy fighters whizzing towards me from every side." [63] Day, Elizabeth (9 November 2008). "My years with Roald. Felicity Dahl talks to Elizabeth Day". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019 . Retrieved 16 May 2019. .

Dahl married American actress Patricia Neal on 2 July 1953 at Trinity Church in New York City. Their marriage lasted for 30 years and they had five children: a b Murphy, Simon (6 November 2018). "Royal Mint rejected Roald Dahl coin over antisemitic views". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023 . Retrieved 7 November 2018. Howard, Philip (1 September 2017). "Dahl, Roald (1916–1990)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/39827. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) Sharp, Michael D. (2005). Popular Contemporary Writers. Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 978-0-7614-7601-6. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023 . Retrieved 5 October 2016. Sheinman, Anna (15 September 2011). "Roald Dahl: Proudly antisemitic". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021 . Retrieved 9 December 2020.

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BILBY Award Winners". Children's Book Council of Australia (Qld Branch) Inc. - BILBY AWARDS - Books I Love Best Yearly. Archived from the original on 9 February 2007 . Retrieved 25 September 2023. {{ cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ( link)

He said the publisher was used to “taking part in cultural discourse and debate”. He added: “Sometimes that can be challenging and uncomfortable, and this has certainly been one of those times.” Bird, Elizabeth (7 July 2012). "Top 100 Chapter Book Poll Results". A Fuse #8 Production. Blog. School Library Journal (blog.schoollibraryjournal.com). Archived from the original on 13 July 2012 . Retrieved 29 October 2015. PDF / EPUB File Name: Collected_Short_Stories_of_Roald_Dahl_Volumes_1_and_2_-_Roald_Dahl.pdf, Collected_Short_Stories_of_Roald_Dahl_Volumes_1_and_2_-_Roald_Dahl.epubHiggins, Charlotte (31 January 2006). "From Beatrix Potter to Ulysses... what the top writers say every child should read". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014 . Retrieved 16 September 2014. AV guide, Volumes 77–82. Scranton Gillette Communications. 1998. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023 . Retrieved 16 September 2014. John Shirley (2001). "Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". LocusOnline. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022 . Retrieved 10 October 2022. Hulbert, Ann (1 May 1994). "Roald the Rotten". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021 . Retrieved 17 February 2020.