Today would have been Roald Dahl’s 99th birthday
You can suck on an Everlasting Gobstopper. Walk across a carpet seething with snakes. Pay tribute to the heroic flying aces of the Royal Air Force.
Or you can simply read some Roald Dahl.
September 13 would have been the 99th birthday of the famed British author, who died in 1990, and fans worldwide are celebrating with Roald Dahl Day (or, if you're on Twitter, #RoaldDahlDay).
Dahl is best known for his children's books, such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "James and the Giant Peach" and "Matilda," but the versatile author was also a master of the macabre short story, wrote an autobiography of his childhood and flying days, and even helped invent a medical device for children with brain injuries.
On social media, Dahl was a common topic of conversation Sunday.
The works mentioned varied widely.
James O'Brien quoted "Matilda," noting that it's "a timely reminder of how adults get away with doing unspeakable things to children."
Lily Bailey and several others featured the Dahl quotation about ugly thoughts and ugly people: "A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly," Dahl wrote. ("This is very true," added Bailey.)
And Twitter user Unsah simply praised Dahl's canon: "Happy #RoaldDahlDay. Read his books over & over again as a child! Probably still could," she tweeted, accompanied by a Dahl quote about being an enthusiast in life.
All well and good, Unsah. But have you read "The Wish" or "The Landlady" lately?
