Ten Short Stories EDUCATIONAL EDITION WITH INTRODUCTION, EXTENSIVE EXERCISES AND GLOSSARIES Roald DahlTa - ~ a : rencuw a00Ks : CONTENTS Publhad by the Penguin Group Penguin Books Lid, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 STZ, England , Penguin Baste USA Inc. 375 Hudson Sect, New York, New York 1016, USA Penguin Boole Ausali id Ringed Vicor, Ausra engn Sha Cane, Arn Avene, Tern, Ota Canada MAY 382 Teun ch a nn Hv, Ai New Zari) Penguin Boks Ud, Registered Othe: Harmondsworth, Mise, Eaglnd es Reg bog Roald Dahl: Life and Times 1 Yablined by Penn Hooks 1956 98 TES The Umbrella Man 5 “The Umbrella Man’, ‘Mr Botibor and “The Butler’ were first published in Dip in the Pool n BeBe no by Michal Joep ia More Tals of The Butler 2 intr copy © Koad Doh 1971950 The Hitchhiker 3 “Teter shat tors in hs book ave ae fom The Clit! Short | Mr Botibol 36 nr fn tig Peco cymm O Fty Ea on en | My Lady Love, My Dove 54 igi owe ‘The Way up to Heaven o “The moral right of the suthor has ban ater | Parson's Pleasure 9 . | ‘The Sound Machine 100 Sin 10/1 Spt Mono latino The Wish * Notes ns cep inthe United Sie of Ameri, thi bok Sold st to thesndi that sal es by ay of ade or eer, Be ‘Real red uv or heise else thou te pabihe’s Foor consent an any form of besing or ever er than that -wblch i'r pls ond wiht 9 sine conaiton iets ts ondtom beng mapossd on he susoquent pursusersang no ROALD DAHL: LIFE AND TIMES Roald Dah! was born in 1916 in Llandaff, a small town just ‘outside Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Roald’s parents were Norwegian, the family having originally moved from Norway to Wales in the 1880s. His name is a Norwegian name and his first name Roald is pronounced ‘Roo-ahl’ with a silent final ‘a’ Roald’s father, Harald, worked in the shipping industry and the family were prosperous, living a in a large house in the Glamorgan countryside. Roald’s mother, Sophie, w=s FHarald’s second wife and Roald was her only son. Roald was only four years old at the time of his father's deatiy and when Roald’ father died, Roald felt as if he became an only child, ‘even though he had sisters and step-brothers and sisters. Many of his stories have children as the heroes or heroines or a main point of view for the story and they are nearly always alone, without brothers and sisters to whom they can talk and in whom they can confide. Roald Dahil led a rather lonely life as a child. He writes in some detail about growing up and about his childhood in South Wales in his autobiography Boy which was published in 1984, His schooldays unbil his eighteenth year were spent at a boy's public school, Repton, in Derbyshire. According ic ‘many accounts Dahi's schooldays were not always happy and hhe was subjected to much teasing and bullying by other boys on account of his strange name, and his height. Roald Dab ‘was six foot six inches tall. Many of his stories, especially stories for children, explore the theme of bullies and bullying, ‘After leaving school Dahl travelled extensively and in 1934 joined the snulti-nationa) oil company Shell. He worked hott in London and in East Africa, On the outbreak of war he joined the Royal Air Force and was based in Nairobi, Kenya, eventually joining a fighter squadron in Libya in Noth Africa It was while flying with this squadron, during which time he