The Writing Life

After all the adventures, all the struggles, all the discarded masks, Dahl finally discovers exactly who he's meant to be. Locked away in a small hut in an apple orchard, Dahl creates a ritual so precise and sacred that it borders on obsession. And decades after his death, his presence still looms over us. Featuring a conversation with an expert in children’s literature who knew Dahl personally.    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Robert Zemeckis, Quentin Tarantino. No other author’s work has attracted as many legendary filmmakers as Roald Dahl. Some adaptations become instant classics. Others crash and burn. And then there's the beloved film watched by millions every year that Dahl loathed. Featuring a conversation with NPR's David Bianculli, longtime critic for Fresh Air.    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dahl’s work faces a reckoning. Plus, decades after his death, a shocking decision is made about Dahl's books that ignites a worldwide controversy. Featuring conversations with cultural critics, including bestselling author Claire Dederer.     Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the height of his fame, Dahl picks up the phone for an interview and makes bigoted remarks that will haunt his legacy forever. A difficult question emerges that affects how we think about all artists, but especially those who shape our children’s imaginations. Featuring conversations with Roxane Gay, and The Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg.    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Desperate to salvage his fledgling career, Dahl makes a radical pivot and submits a children's story to his publisher. It's a massive gamble, and it fails spectacularly. His personal life implodes soon after. But from the wreckage of everything he's lost, Dahl discovers greater success than he’s ever known before.    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When tragedy strikes his family, Dahl is forced into a waking nightmare that transforms him from a struggling writer into an unlikely medical pioneer. In the process, he ends up saving the lives of thousands of children around the world. But just as one crisis ends, another begins, followed by several more in brutal succession. Yet somehow, out of this unimaginable darkness, something hopeful emerges.    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a brief introduction at a mutual friend’s dinner party, Dahl falls madly in love with Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal. He’s determined to win her over, but soon discovers a giant, immovable obstacle in his path. Namely, she’s still in love with the biggest movie star in the world. Eventually, Neal and Dahl build a life together. But can their relationship survive as her career soars into the stratosphere, while his comes crashing down to Earth?    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the war winds down, Dahl packs up and takes his talents to Hollywood. Seduced by stardom and early success, Dahl plunges into an exciting new adventure. But will his massive ego permit him to survive inside a collaborative medium? A crucial test comes when he’s offered the assignment of a lifetime, shaped by his past as a real-life 007.    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his early 20s, Dahl flies harrowing combat missions for the Royal Air Force until it all comes to a sudden, violent end. Reassigned to the U.S., Dahl is quickly drawn into a world of power, wealth, and influence under the guidance of two mysterious mentors.    Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before Roald Dahl becomes the world's most popular children's author, he's a 26-year-old British spy in wartime Washington, seducing congresswomen, mixing martinis for FDR, and gathering secrets for Churchill.   Follow "The Secret World of Roald Dahl": Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretworldpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretWorldPod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretworldpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecretWorldPod X: https://x.com/SecretWorld_Pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.