September 13, 2010

Fantastic Mr Dahl

Twenty years after the death of Roald Dahl, his work is translated into almost 50 languages and more popular than ever. Celebrate Roald Dahl day with images of the man, his life and his work

Roald Dahl Day: 1983 Roald Dahl — Born in Glamorgan in 1916, Roald Dahl worked for Shell and served in the Royal Air Force before embarking on a career as a children's author. This portrait from 1983 shows him in front of the garden shed where he wrote almost all of his most famous works
Photograph: Stephen Hyde / Rex Features/Stephen Hyde / Rex Features Photograph: Stephen Hyde / Rex Features/Action images

Roald Dahl Day: Mr Fox Manuscript in The Roald Dahl Centre — The manuscript of Fantastic Mr Fox, first published in 1970 Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahl at home — Dahl wrote on a large tray in a shed at the bottom of his garden, perched in a green, wing-backed armchair, an Anglepoise beside him, a pot of sharpened pencils close to hand Photograph: Leonard McCombe/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahl in his now famous chair — Armed with a flask of coffee, Dahl would head for the hut at around 10.30am and write until lunchtime and a gin and tonic at midday. After a break for reading he would clock in again around 4pm for a couple more hours, though never for too long, as he maintained that a writer couldn't work 'particularly long hours because he can't - he becomes inefficient' Photograph: Harpercollins

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahl — The shed stands at the bottom of the garden at his house in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire Photograph: Ian Cook/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahl's writing room in Great Missenden — Dahl's writing shed remains there to this day, not far from The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, established in the writer's memory
Photograph: Eamonn McCabe Photograph: Eamonn McCabe

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahl's writing room the inside was organised as a place for writing — The interior has been left untouched since Dahl's death from leukaemia in 1990
Photograph: Eamonn McCabe Photograph: Eamonn McCabe

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahls now famous trade mark glasses — A close-up of Dahl's glasses on his writing tray Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahl's house in Great Missenden — Dahl's house is in Great Missenden, in the valley of the River Misbourne in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire
Photograph: Eamonn McCabe Photograph: Eamonn McCabe

Roald Dahl Day: Roald Dahl at desk — Dahl reached a wider audience with his series Tales Of The Unexpected, 25-minute adaptations of sinister short stories with a twist introduced by the author from the comfort of another wing-backed armchair Photograph: ITV / Rex Features

Roald Dahl Day: Patricia Neal with Roald Dahl and their children outside their house. — Dahl married the American actor Patricia Neal in 1953. Their marriage lasted for 30 years Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Felicity Dahl — Dahl married Felicity Crosland in 1983. Eighteen years after his death she told Elizabeth Day that life without him was 'hell' Photograph: Antonio Olmos/ Antonio Olmos

Roald Dahl Day: Quentin at the opening of Wonderful World of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake — Quentin Blake, who illustrated many of Roald Dahl's books, is seen here at the Museum of Childhood, London Photograph: Rex Features

Roald Dahl Day: 'The South Bank Show' — 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 Photograph: ITV / Rex Features

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