James and the Giant Peach was my first book for children. I wrote it during the winter of 1960-61 in New York, and I started it because I wanted to attempt something different after seventeen years of writing nothing but short stories for adults.
I can remember vividly that I was sitting at my desk and playing around with the lines of "The Centipede's Song' when my wife burst into the room and told me that our son Theo, then three months old, had been hit by a taxi-cab while out in his pram with his nurse. I dropped my pencil and we both rushed to the hospital. His head injuries were severe and almost fatal, and the next few months were desperate times, with brain operations and endless journeys through the snow to hospital, and all the awful tensions that grip a mother and father when they are fighting to save their baby's life.
When you are writing fantasy, which is a very different thing from writing fiction, you must be able, the moment you pick up the pencil, to shut out all normal surroundings and go flying away to a magic world where everything is enchanting.
Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Born in Wales to Norwegian immigrant parents, Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He became a flying ace and intelligence officer, rising to the rank of acting wing commander. He rose to prominence as a writer in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and he became one of the world's best-selling authors. He has been referred to as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century". His awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the British Book Awards' Children's Author of the Year in 1990. In 2008, The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".