100 years of Roald Dahl – inspired by Norway

This year it’s 100 years since the birth of Roald Dahl. While most of us have read, or at least seen, Mathilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, few may know that much of his writing was inspired by Norwegian folk tales and places. Born to Norwegian parents and spending most of his summers in the Oslo region, he himself has often said this directly inspired several of his books, including The Witches and The Twits.

The much loved author was born to Norwegian parents, and spent his childhood summers in the Oslo region, including idyllic summer towns Tjøme and Drøbak. The triangle is located within an hour’s drive on both sides of the capital, and is easily reached by public transport. You can easily see why parts of Mathilda are said to be set here, particularly the cabin where the kindhearted teacher lived, surrounded by mountains and firtrees that are typical of Norway.

Dahl is named after the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, whom many Brits will know battled Scott to reach the South Pole first. With that in mind, a visit to the Fram Museum in Oslo is a must, housing the famous polar ship that took him to the Antarctic.

Trolls and Norwegian folk tales
It was not only the places that inspired Dahl’s writings but also Norwegian folklore and tales, often involving witches, princes and mythical characters. His mother Sofie Dahl read traditional myths and legends from Norway, and he subsequently based the grandmother character in The Witches directly on her as a tribute. The umpa lumpas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are said to be based on small trolls, while both BFG and James and the Giant Peach can be traced back to tales of giant trolls, widely known as the arch enemy of the people in Norwegian tales.

While in Norway, do try Norwegian fish pudding with cauliflower and prawns, and almond cake ‘Kransekake’, which Dahl noted to be as Norwegian as beans as sausages to the British.

Notes to editors:

Places of interest:

Oslo, Tjøme and Drøbak, all located around the Oslo fjord - www.visitoslo.com/en/osloregion
Strand Hotel Fevik in southern Norway, where Dahl was a regular guest for more than 30 years – www.strandhotelfevik.no
The Fram Museum, located on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo - www.frammuseum.no

Norwegian flies direct to Oslo from London Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh. From £44.90 one way. www.norwegian.com

It is the 100 year anniversary since the birth of Roald Dahl, the novelist, screenwriter and poet behind classics like Mathilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Witches. While most known as an author of children’s books, he was also a writer of adult works, included stories for Playboy. He is one of the world’s bestselling authors even today, and has sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. Less known is perhaps his service in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, and espionage work alongside Ian Fleming. For more information www.roalddahl.com

Steven Speilberg directed the upcoming screen version of BFG, out in the Summer 2016.

In December 2015 Roald Dahl was named the most popular author in children’s vote in Amazon’s Kids Love Books list, beating even J K Rowling.