Roald Dahl and the Giant Miscalculation

[Stephen Whiteside]

I read today that scientists have proved Roald Dahl made a grave miscalculation in his book "James and the Giant Peach".

Dahl claimed 500 seagulls carried the peach across the ocean, but it would in fact have taken more like 2.5 million.

It got me thinking.

How many albatros for a giant apricot?
How many cormorants for a giant cherry?
How many nightjars for a giant nectarine?

Perhaps the gulls would have been better sticking to grapes, and they should have got pelicans for the peach.

Alliteration rules!

[Neville Briggs]

Roald Dahl's work is a work of imagination, what scientists calculate is irrelevant. How does one calculate imagination ?

I have a copy of the small volume called " Boy " which is Dahl's autobiography of his boyhood. It's a fascinating read, I thought.

One of the most interesting aspects is how much of his boyhood experiences were later translated into elements of his stories.

I think that should be of interest to writers like bush poets.

Dahl didn't just relate his boyhood experiences as they had happened. He translated or wove them into part of his invented world of literary imagination.
For example, his school was near the Cadbury's chocolate factory. Roald Dahl and his fellow students were given free samples of the chocolates and paid a small sum to
fill out a survey on their preferences ( a marketing survey to target childrens tastes )
Obviously this experience led to the creation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I think Stephen, that you do indeed follow that way of making personal experiences as sort of prompts for creative work. That's what you have done on this thread. I think ?

Just my opinion, for what it's worth ( not much ) I think we poets should be very aware of those possibilities.

Sorry to steal the thread. You sowed a big thought in my head.

[Stephen Whiteside]

I'm glad, Neville.

[Maureen K Clifford]

and everyone knows seagulls wouldn't have carried a peach anyway Neville it would have been fish and chips

[Neville Briggs]

That's it Maureen they are vicious things too, those gulls.