Published in 1997, it is known as The Umbrella Man and Other Stories in the US. The Great Automatic Grammatizator is a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl. They also show the strength of Dahl’s writing in unusual ideas and character development. Each story has a strange twist, and interesting characters. Some of the stories I’d read in “Kiss, Kiss,” which is another short story collection. Dahl makes her so alive, and at the same time paints how harsh war is. This story is one that has stuck in my head. The soldiers try to teach her English, give her shelter and food. When asked why she was sitting where they found her, she told them her family was under the rubble. Luckily there was a Greek interpreter with the troops to help find out about her. She had a wound and they took her to the Doc for treatment.Ĭommunication was difficult, as she didn’t speak English. A couple of the soldiers found a little girl sitting on a pile of rubble staring. The RAF are fighting to push back the Germans. It is April 1941, during the Greek campaign.
It is a machine that can be given the mere basics and then write a full-blown novel!Īnother story, “Katina,” is about a little Greek girl.
The title story revolves around a machine that could possibly do away with writers. The unusual names and strange situations. These are for an older audience, but they do have elements that can be found in his kids’ books. These are not the type of stories usually associated with Roald Dahl. Originally selected for teenagers, adults can enjoy the read. As the title says, this is a selection of thirteen short stories.