Synopses & Reviews
Now in paperback—Donald Sturrock’s
Storyteller is “a major literary biography…packed with intimate details, sharply intelligent commentary, and surprising revelations” (
The Washington Post ) of one of the greatest writers in the twentieth century, whose work still delights millions around the world today.
• Critically acclaimed biography: Donald Sturrock’s Storyteller garnered stellar media attention here and in the UK, where The Daily Telegraph ran a three-part serial. David Michaelis called it “diabolically readable” and New York magazine named it one of its twenty “most anticipated” books of the fall. The Boston Globe raved that “Sturrock captures the spirit of the man, his need to charm and entertain as well as his ‘almost adolescent desire to annoy.’” The Sunday Times (London) concurred: “This intimately informed…vivid, dynamic book gives you the illusion that you knew him.”
• Exclusive access: Donald Sturrock was closely acquainted with Dahl himself for years before his death and was chosen by the Roald Dahl Estate to pen Dahl’s official biography, which granted him unprecedented access to the extraordinary archives stored in the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Storyteller is an intimate portrait of an intensely private man, both hindered by physical pain and haunted by family tragedy, and provides a comprehensive re-examination of Dahl’s long and complex career.
Review
“A major literary biography….
Storyteller is so packed with intimate details, sharply intelligent commentary and surprising revelations…that it should be read immediately by anyone interested in Dahl, the ins and outs of modern publishing or the art of biography. I can't sing its praises enough.” —Michael Dirda,
The Washington Post "Donald Sturrock’s
Storyteller … [gives] us a sprawling entertainment packed with anecdote and incident…. an engaging tale with satisfying episodes of glamour, intrigue, failure and renewal." —William Georgiades,
The Wall Street Journal "Sturrock captures the spirit of the man, his need to charm and entertain as well as his 'almost adolescent desire to annoy'. —Barbara Fisher,
The Boston Globe "At the end of Mr Sturrock’s satisfying and sparky tale, the reader has an overwhelming desire to rush off and read the first of Dahl’s books he can lay his hands on."
—The Economist “An exhaustive, yet exuberant portrait . . . Sturrock unravels the Dahl myth.” —Susannah Cahalan,
New York Post "A no-stone-unturned examination of the man who gave us
Matilda and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." —
TimeOut New York "A balanced and juicy treatment . . . running through Dahl's years spying for the Brits and bedding a slew of Americans as well as the tensions, setbacks, and depressive jags that gave his work its texture." —New York magazine, "The Twenty; Our most anticipated fiction and nonfiction of fall" “Sturrock’s superb biography . . . is a hugely readable portrait that examines vividly and sympathetically the life and work of a difficult, complex author who was adored by millions of children, loathed by many adults, and was possibly a genius.” —Graham Lord, Daily Telegraph (UK) “Diabolically readable! Donald Sturrock—a goodhearted Charlie with the keys to the factory well in hand—makes lucky ticketholders of us all, revealing from deep within this exotic, guarded, often painful life the conjuring triumphs and dark tragedies of the 20th century's most wonderfully wicked storyteller.” —David Michaelis, author of Schulz and Peanuts “The person I met when I met Roald Dahl comes through vividly on the pages of Storyteller. Dahl told me that he was generally disappointed in what people wrote about him, but I believe he would have appreciated Donald Sturrock’s beautifully written book.” —Charlotte Chandler, author of I Know Where I'm Going
Review
and#8220;A major literary biographyand#8230;packed with intimate details, sharply intelligent commentary and surprising revelations. I can't sing its praises enough.and#8221; and#8212;Michael Dirda, Best Nonfiction of 2010,andlt;iandgt; The Washington Postandlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;Authoritative . . . a careful, loving outline of a difficult man.and#8221; and#8212;Claire Messud, andlt;iandgt;The New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;A sprawling entertainment packed with anecdote and incident . . . an engaging tale with satisfying episodes of glamour, intrigue, failure and renewal.and#8221; and#8212;William Georgiades, andlt;iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;Sturrock captures the spirit of the man, his need to charm and entertain as well as his 'almost adolescent desire to annoy'.and#8221; and#8212;Barbara Fisher, andlt;iandgt;The Boston Globeandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
Donald Sturrock’s Storyteller is the authorized biography of Roald Dahl, one of the greatest storytellers of all time.
Synopsis
Now in paperback Donald Sturrock s Storyteller is a major literary biography packed with intimate details, sharply intelligent commentary, and surprising revelations (The Washington Post) of one of the greatest writers in the twentieth century, whose work still delights millions around the world today.
A single-minded adventurer and an eternal child who gave us the iconic Willy Wonka and Matilda Wormwood, Roald Dahl lived a life filled with incident, drama and adventure: from his harrowing experiences as an RAF fighter pilot and his work in British intelligence, to his many romances and turbulent marriage to the actress Patricia Neal, to the mental anguish caused by the death of his young daughter Olivia. In Storyteller, the first authorized biography of Dahl, Donald Sturrock granted unprecedented access to the Dahl estate s archives draws on personal correspondence, journals and interviews with family members and famous friends to deliver a masterful, witty and incisive look at one of the greatest authors and eccentric characters of the modern age, whose work still delights millions around the world today."
Synopsis
Now in paperbackand#8212;Donald Sturrockand#8217;s andlt;iandgt;Storytellerandlt;/iandgt; is and#8220;a major literary biographyand#8230;packed with intimate details, sharply intelligent commentary, and surprising revelationsand#8221; (andlt;iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/iandgt;) of one of the greatest writers in the twentieth century, whose work still delights millions around the world today.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A single-minded adventurer and an eternal child who gave us the iconic Willy Wonka and Matilda Wormwood, Roald Dahl lived a life filled with incident, drama and adventure: from his harrowing experiences as an RAF fighter pilot and his work in British intelligence, to his many romances and turbulent marriage to the actress Patricia Neal, to the mental anguish caused by the death of his young daughter Olivia. In andlt;iandgt;Storyteller, andlt;/iandgt;the first authorized biography of Dahl, Donald Sturrockand#8212;granted unprecedented access to the Dahl estateand#8217;s archivesand#8212;draws on personal correspondence, journals and interviews with family members and famous friends to deliver a masterful, witty and incisive look at one of the greatest authors and eccentric characters of the modern age, whose work still delights millions around the world today.