Roald Dahl fans around the country are breaking out the frobscottle and preparing for a month-long celebration of their favourite author, from an attempt to get every man, woman and child across the Black Country reading his classic novel Matilda to a special opening of his garden and writing hut in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.
Originally launched on 13 September 2006 to celebrate what would have been the writer's 90th birthday, Roald Dahl Day has this year expanded to a full month of festivities. "We thought it was going to be a one-off celebration but, because the previous years have been so successful, we can't stop," said Felicity Dahl, the author's widow. "Roald was a great believer in birthdays being filled with treats, so he would be so happy that this tradition seems to be becoming an annual event."
Dahl died in 1990 but his books remain as popular as ever, published in almost 50 languages. This September's celebrations include stagings of Fantastic Mr Fox at the Little Angel Theatre in Islington and George's Marvellous Medicine at the Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea, and a roadshow called Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Roald Dahl, which will let children quiz Dahl experts.
The first ever authorised biography of Dahl – Storyteller by Donald Sturrock – has just been published, as has a limited special edition of James and the Giant Peach, designed by sculptor Antony Gormley and priced at £100. At the church where Dahl was christened in Cardiff Bay (now the Norwegian Church Arts Centre), a themed menu including "glumptious globgobblers" was on offer along with storytelling sessions yesterday, and later this month the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden will be giving wannabe Willy Wonkas a chocolate-decorating workshop.
Others will include a Roald Dahl Reading Relay, events at Waterstone's bookshops, and the Roald Dahl Funny Book Prize, set up by former children's laureate Michael Rosen. A new musical version of Matilda from the Royal Shakespeare Company arrives in November, an opera based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in October, and Jeremy Dyson's adaptation of Tales of the Unexpected at the Lyric Hammersmith in January– although that may be one for adults only.A Roald Dahl Reading Relay – challenging children to read three books by the author between September and December – has just been launched, Waterstone's bookshops around the country will be holding events to commemorate Dahl throughout September, and later this week the shortlist for the Roald Dahl Funny Book Prize – set up by former children's laureate Michael Rosen in honour of Dahl – will be announced.
"Roald Dahl was a writer who entertained, surprised, shocked and amazed millions of readers," said Rosen. "On Roald Dahl Day, we remember his contribution to the world of children's books and hear from people who knew him and worked with him. But these occasions aren't sombre or sad – they are full of fun, jokes and discoveries."
