Why did Roald Dahl write different kind of books?

Answer 1

Dahl married American actress Patricia Neal on 2 July 1953 at Trinity Church in New York City. Their marriage lasted for 30 years and they had five children: Olivia, Tessa, Theo, Ophelia, and Lucy.[39]

On 5 December 1960, four-month-old Theo Dahl was severely injured when his baby carriage was struck by a taxicab in New York City. For a time, he suffered from hydrocephalus, and as a result, his father became involved in the development of what became known as the "Wade-Dahl-Till" (or WDT) valve, a device to alleviate the condition.[40][41]

In November 1962, Olivia Dahl died of measles encephalitis at age seven. Dahl subsequently became a proponent of immunisation[42] and dedicated his 1982 book The BFG to his daughter.[43]

In 1965, wife Patricia Neal suffered three burst cerebral aneurysms while pregnant with their fifth child, Lucy; Dahl took control of her rehabilitation and she eventually relearned to talk and walk, and even returned to her acting career.[44]

Dahl married Felicity "Liccy" Crosland at Brixton Town Hall, South London, following a divorce from Neal in 1983. Dahl and Crosland had previously been in a relationship.[45] According to biographer Donald Sturrock, Liccy gave up her job and moved into 'Gipsy House', Great Missenden, which had been Dahl's home since 1954.[46]

In 1983, Dahl reviewed Tony Clifton's God Cried, a photo book on the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon that depicted civilians who had died during Israeli bombardment of Beirut. Dahl's review stated that the book would make readers "violently anti-Israeli."[47] Then Dahl told a reporter during an interview touching on the controversial review, "There's a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity ... I mean there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason."[47] Dahl stated that he was anti-Israel rather than anti-Semitic, and he maintained friendships with a number of Jews, including philosopher Isaiah Berlin, who said, "I thought he might say anything. Could have been pro-Arab or pro-Jew. There was no consistent line."[47] Several of his short stories featured derogatory caricatures of Jews, including the tale of "a little pawnbroker in Housditch called Meatbein who, when the wailing started, would rush downstairs to the large safe in which he kept his money, open it and wriggle inside on to the lowest shelf where he lay like a hibernating hedgehog until the all-clear had gone."

Dahl is the father of author Tessa Dahl, and grandfather of author, cookbook writer, and former model Sophie Dahl (after whom Sophie in The BFG is named[48]).

Answer 2

Roald Dahl wrote different kinds of books because he wanted to explore a variety of themes and genres to appeal to a diverse audience of readers. He enjoyed experimenting with different storytelling techniques and formats to keep his work fresh and engaging. Dahl's versatility as a writer allowed him to create beloved children's stories as well as adult fiction with dark and humorous themes.

Answer 3

The simple but true answer is: because he could and because he liked writing children's stories as well as stories for adults.