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Those interested in Dahl might also be keen to note his career as a World War I flying ace, and then (again as a Military officer), World War II espionage agent
by SocksCanClose 10y ago
Those interested in Dahl might also be keen to note his career as a World War I flying ace, and then (again as a Military officer), World War II espionage agent sent by the British to nudge the Americans into war. As a member of the British Diplomatic Legation in Washington, DC he gained access to the Georgetown cocktail party circuit, and from there, helped build social consensus among many (including Mrs. Roosevelt) about the importance of an American entry into the War. No need to trust my word for it, check out Jennet Conant's fantastic book on the matter, "The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington"
https://www.amazon.com/Irregulars-Roald-British-Wartime-Washington/dp/0743294599 https://www.amazon.com/Irregulars-Roald-British-Wartime-Wash...
- redcap 10y ago(World War 2 flying ace)
- fractallyte 10y agoAnother famous childrens' author, Arthur Ransome (of 'Swallows and Amazons'), and a contemporary of Dahl, was at one time a British agent in revolutionary Russia! He even found himself inadvertently involved in the formation of the Red Army; during his subsequent escape from Russia, he narrowly avoided their clutches by employing his wit and intelligence - the stuff of fiction, but this was for real. He had a genuinely fascinating life.
- Bartweiss 10y agoAlso worth a look are Boy and Going Solo, Dahl's autobiographies of some of those events. Both excellent, aimed at adults, and a surprising little window into the forces that shaped Dahl-the-author.
- chris_wot 10y agoI loved those books, but I'm not sure how much was exaggerated. Dahl was a shockingly compulsive liar all his life, which somewhat unsurprisingly also made him an excellent author.