Paragraph of the Day: Roald Dahl’s Last Words

From an excellent New York Magazine profile of one of my favorite authors from my youth:

The endings of Dahl’s stories are almost always surprising, even when we know the twist is coming. This talent, it turns out, applied equally to the author’s own life. In a hospital, surrounded by family, Dahl reassured everyone, sweetly, that he wasn’t afraid of death. “It’s just that I will miss you all so much,” he said—the perfect final words. Then, as everyone sat quietly around him, a nurse pricked him with a needle, and he said his actual last words: “Ow, fuck!”

1 thought on “Paragraph of the Day: Roald Dahl’s Last Words

  1. Amy

    Hah! Love Roald Dahl's work. Funny you mention: We are right now watching Patricia Neal in an interview on the TCM. Ahhh, TCM: Ted Turner's best TV legacy…..

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