Roald Dahl has been dubbed the ‘master of children’s literature’- a title he worked hard for and deserves. Obviously, he has inspired the minds and imagination of many of his young readers, but I want to have a look at the different authors he has inspired and authors that have produced similar works of literature.
Strangely, the works of both Jacqueline Wilson and Roald Dahl are the most borrowed authors from children’s libraries and are two of the most popular authors to discuss in schools. Jacqueline Wilson is said to have drawn a lot of inspiration from the work of Roald Dahl. Like Dahl, her work is accessible for children, allowing them to relate to the text and the characters. Wilson focuses a lot on real life issues such as abuse and illness which can be seen in books such as Lola Rose. However, these issues are discussed in ways which don’t scare children and deals with them in a fun and sensitive way. I think this is quite similar to the way in which Dahl wrote; Dahl’s themes were often quite dark and typically made parental figures the enemies- putting the main protaganist as someone who has generally had a ‘bad lot’ in life but in the end prevails. Like Wilson, Dahl dealt with real life issues by intertwining them with humour and fantastical settings and amusing characters- The Story of Tracey Beaker is an excellent example.
Wilson stated in an interview with ‘The Scotsman Newspaper’ “I used to write solemn little notes in my diary,” she remembers of her own childhood, “saying that if I ever wrote for children, I would write stories that were a realistic portrait of life.” Like Dahl, Wilson wanted to have an impact on her audience- she also believed in escapism and imagination in her books whilst still ‘keeping it real’!
A newspaper article recently posed the question “is David Walliams the new Roald Dahl?” Not many people are aware that the Little Britain star is actually one of the richest and most successful children’s author in the UK. My ten year old sister recently read his book ‘Gangsta Granny’ and it seemed to sit with her as Dahl did with me! Like Dahl, Walliams captures children’s attention by creating fun, up beat books that have a rather grimy and rude undertone. In an article by the Mirror, the author states that ” There’s something that feels Dahlian about his books – a dark humour.”
This is a great article from the Mirror which contains an interview with Walliams who discusses why he loves Roald Dahl so much. Walliams- Dahl article by the Mirror It was also nice to see in this interview how Dahl has had a universal effect; Walliams seems to appreciate many of the qualities in Dahl and his work that I do stating- ” He has this amazing understanding of what makes kids tick, so he can create worlds they believe in.He has this most extraordinary ability to see things just as he did when he was a child” He also later states very modestly “I am a children’s writer myself but I will never be as good as Dahl.”
The "Splendiferous" Roald Dahl 