Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916 in Wales, the son of Norwegian immigrants. His colourful experiences as a student in English boarding schools were the inspiration for his books Boy and Danny, Champion of the World. Dahl became a writer during World War II, when he wrote a short story about his adventures as a fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force. The story was bought by The Saturday Evening Post and so a long and illustrious career was born. After establishing himself as a writer for adults, Dahl began writing children's stories in 1960 while living in England with his family. His first two novels, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, are now considered classics and both have been made into blockbuster films. He was the winner of England's two most distinguished literary awards, the Whitbread Prize and the Children's Book Award, and seventeen of his works are perennial bestsellers. Throughout his life, Dahl took great joy in hearing from his readers. He loved nothing more than to know that he was entertaining them, as well as instilling in them a love of reading and books. Dahl once said, "I know what children like." His stories are proof that he was right. Roald Dahl passed away on November1990.