is “Uncle Oswald”.
-the fabulous Lagonda
-the spider-silk tie, and the spiders
-the sanitation obsession
-singing operas while driving across the desert
-the ice-cold swimming pool
-the beautiful daughter and the even-more-beautiful mother
-the horrible denouement
Just had to share!
The Twits.
Damn, that is one creepy story. I also wanted my own Giant Peach for a minute there.
nefertari
There was one story I read by Dahl, don’t remember the title, but it creeped my shit out. It was about a couple who had a new baby that wouldn’t gain weight or eat well. The husband was a beekeeper, and touted the effects of “royal jelly” and decided to feed that to the baby. Well the baby gained weight, got fat, etc. At the end of the story the husband reveals to the wife that he’s eating it too, and she notices he is turning freaky and beelike.
OK, so it sounds boring the way I tell it. But you know how Dahl can turn a phrase and make anything sound creepy.
I used to think he was all Willy Wonka and Matilda. Little did I know…
That’s “Royal Jelly.”
It’s so hard to pick. I suppose, if forced to, I’d go with “Bitch,” simply because of its wonderful closing line (“My Uncle Oswald” is just an elaboration of that story). But I’d also consider “The Great Switcheroo” and, of course, “Lamb to the Slaughter.”
My favorite is “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” about the man who teaches himself to see without his eyes.
I also like “The Fingersmith,” from the same collection, about the great hitchhiking pickpocket.
Looks like we all have something in common.
My favorite is Danny, the Champion of the World.
But after that, my favorites are My Uncle Oswald and Lamb to the Slaughter.
(The Great Switcheroo has a great ending, but I just didn’t find the premise plausible, so I ultimately didn’t like the ending that much.)
“William and Mary” is his creepiest, IMHO. I can’t say it’s my favorite, because I won’t read it again, because it is SO creepy.
I guess I’ll go for either “Royal Jelly” or “Man From the South.” Not only extremely spooky, but beautifully put together. Aspiring short-story writers should study these carefully.
Agreed. First year of college, a group of us ingested ungodly amounts of hallucinogens and read this book aloud to each other.
mmm…bird pie…
Another vote for “Danny, Champion of the World”
It was just hilarious.
He was a great writer, his autobiography “Going Solo” is just wonderful.
Is this different than “Switch Bitch,” an awesome Dahl volume?
“Switch Bitch” consisted of four stories, of which “The Great Switcheroo” and “Bitch” were the two best.
I think my favorite was The Fantastic Mr. Fox but the version I had was not illustrated by Quentin Blake. I was more than a little in love with Mr. Fox.
My favourite is “Taste” - the story of the wine connoisseur extraordinaire who makes a bet for the hand (in marriage) of his host’s daughter. I love the ending.
erg…i forget the title… :mad:
it’s the one where the scientist makes the machine that can hear plants…
someone help?
The Sound Machine.
My favorites are The Great Switcheroo, Madame Rosette, and Vengence is Mine, Inc.
Another reader who can’t remember the titles of stories. The one I’m thinking of has the protagonist on a train, where he sees a man who appears to have been a certain prefect at the writer’s boarding school. The writer relives incidents of bullying at the hands of the other man when they were both boys.
The story is strongly reminiscent of Boy: Tales of Childhood.
Another vote for “Royal Jelly.”
Anyone for “Pig”? Now, there’s a bit of random evil.
I loved the story when I was little because Quentin Blake illustrated little boy bottoms as they ran off without their pants. Little pervert, I.
Narrad - Galloping Foxley.
Loved them all, and I was lucky enough to be a young child when he was writing them. I still remember getting the new Roald Dahl when they were published, and then spending all that evening and night reading them.
Nowadays, I’m with Masonite, My Uncle Oswald is my fave too.
When i first read it, i thought the tale within a tale within a tale in “Henry Sugar” was awesome.
Another vote for Danny, Champion of the World. Poaching fowl with glue and raisins in a paper cone. I read the story twenty years ago and it still sticks with me.