Roald Dahl, Lucky Break, free audiobook short true story, read by Nick Martin
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- A short autobiography of the younger Dahl growing up and surviving at boarding school. His life in the RAF during the second world war as a pilot and being shot down. His chance encounter with C S Forester and how he discovered his writing abilities.
At age 42 and as a Chinese, I discovered Roald Dahl. I am so glad. Talent and hard work, I give my purest admiration and respect.
Nick, you have an incredible reading voice. Rich, clear and engaging. Thank you so much for making the narrative come alive! ♥️👍
The horrors of corporal punishment in schools in the old days !! Humiliating and terrifying , and of course, very painful. They were not only physical abuse but also emotional. They used fear to control the pupils. On the other hand, what a wonderful gift to be a writer and be able to tell those stories and convey all those experiences for the young generations to know and meditate about it.
This is a trip! Mr Dahl brings a vividness to his boarding school experiences that bring back some insane memories. I think my brother and i were at the tail end of the wonders of corporal punishment, circa 92-94'. 33 now, and i still remember those incredibly archaic times at my old catholic private school in N.Yorkshire. The "not" flinching when getting smashed with a wooden spoon, cane or a thick cork soul on the back of the legs or your hands. Not making a sound when it happened was a massive "win" for us but he's absolutely correct, the tears were hard to hold back as a young kid. The impeccable description of being shaped and moulded into these little ninjas at an early age is on point too! Fear was definitely the main motivator. Manoeuvring in silence and knowing every creaky door, every uneven floorboard and possible exit options! That's why it's no coincidence, the majority of my fellow boarders served for queen and country. That type of life at a young age becomes very normal, especially if you're there for a while. The biggest thing i remember was, it didn't matter if you were a book worm, musician or an athlete. We were all in it together! We never sneaked or "ratted" on anyone, loyalty was like an the unwritten law as a boarder! I feel that quality stuck with me to this day. The other description that resonated with me was those moments of freedom/ ecstasy. Ha, it really felt like that anyway! I remember one beautiful day in the summertime, my friends and i would crawl under and through a one foot gap of these portable wicket perspex green houses that were on wheels. These would be used to harden the ground in the centre of a well maintained cricket pitch. It was so warm, cosy! Staring through the curved perspex listening the wind whipping the grass outside. We'd lie there cocooned next to each other talking about WWF (WWE) wrestling and how to ride a bike super fast! The duration was only 30 minutes, the length of our afternoon break. All those little moments became something necessary, sacred if you will. It brought our little pocket of friends/ tribe together, made us stronger somehow. I listened to this short story and it brought me back to those times. I genuinely can't believe it was me and those are my memories. I rarely talk about those times. It was the tail end of that era, so telling peers about my old school days just wasn't something that happened to our generation. It's funny reading some of the comments, everyone's memories and specific experiences. I found them all very cathartic and brilliant that you're up for sharing those moments! Good and bad, they made us who we are! Much respect to everyone that survived it and carried on with life with peace and kindness! Cheers!
Thanks for all of that, I thought I saw the tail end of all that back in the early 1970s! Yes, you are right, it is those of us that 'were there' that will have a complete appreciation of this part of the story even if the details were different. Its the concept that unites! Cheers Nick
This is the one legend I wish I met in my life to say how much he has inspired us, how much we enjoyed & still enjoying his books his legacy.
No apologies necessary. Fantastically read. Like as if Roald himself was recounting it. ❤
I love RD's life. From 8 years old I was placed in an orphanage school ran by nuns. The children also received corporal punishment at that time but not as severe as RD 's experience. There was one event in my childhood though that traumatized me. My math teacher banged my head on the board... Another event that I just learned before my younger brother died, he said that in Hospicio, he was there at the age of 6, he loathed the bed time when the older boys beat the young ones for fun. I cried.
thats awful sorry to hear that
Absolutely brilliant, loved every minute, and every story Roald Dahl has written. So well narrated❤
Love the narrator as well as the stories
The Black Mamba is not the only snake in the world who will chase you. My husband and I were chased by a rattlesnake in the San Gabriel Mtns. after he struck it with a rock, causing it to drop a large fish it had just snared (the fish flopped back in the water). The rattlesnake rose up, stuck its tongue out at us, then dove into the shallow stream making a beeline for us.
Interesting autobiography, thank you for reading it.
The reader is Roald Dahl himself!
Thank you. Have read many of RD’s short stories a good while ago. Thoroughly enjoyed them. This is new to me. Very much looking forward to experiencing it, especially so since it is not invented from the fertile loam of his creation mind.
Great Story told of a genius man, whom lived an incredible life.
To have been a Pilot, what a fantastic opportunity.
Thank You Sir Roald Dahl for your magical creations and gift of telling stories.
Wow only 15 minutes in and this is WAY to terrifying to try to sleep to! Really well-read and horrifying not sure if gonna finish at any point but wow! Exquisitely written and read!
Thank you Tricky ...a reminder of my boarding school days
Ronald Dahl has always been my favourite storyteller. This piece came to me by chance, sitting at home during this lockdown. What a marvelous experience listening to this beautiful essay. Thank you.
Thank you Lloyd, there are a couple more of his that I read that you might like too.
@@Trickynickymarts yes, there are! I'm going through your list and have found P G Wodehouse!!! Wow, another awesome encounter! Thanks a ton!
@@lloydrobert6182 Great! they are good stories and it doesn't really matter what order you go at!
Heh, this lockdown has had some positives it would seem Lloyd ..I'm in the same boat ... i would strongly recommend RDahl's "The wonderful story of Henry Sugar".. read by Martin Jarvis... captivating.
Thanks Bonnie, I have the collection and have read the stories several times over. But this essay was new to me. I will, of course, hear Nick's rendition too. He's pretty good, and I told him so! 👍♥️
Oh RD, I love you, just discovering you at 55, crikey am I that age already.. so what😀, so fantastically narrated, thank you, no need to apologise for a slip in mispronouniation, Forest Gump would've cared and either one the Tanzanians, your delivery was too brilliant I thought you were RD. Listened to Mr Sugar last night, I loved it but wished he set up an orphanage in India ....where the seeing without eyes man came from. I am taking out my candle tomorrow but for tonight I am going to go on to his fiction now. I listened to Midlehall Treasure just before this one. Oh what pleasures await me🤗😘. Thank you RD and thank you for the upload. RUclips thank you tooxx
Thank you
So interesting, I just wrote how I discovered RD at 42 and then I read your comment.
The word biography , seen on library or bookshop shelves ,has up to now, seemed to have acted, on my mind like the similar poles of bar magnets.
But having finished one of your Wodehouse stories, I decided to listen to the start of this while doing a little ironing.
The result is that I have walked around my house clutching an iPad, while doing various chores that must not be noisy; I did not want to miss a word of the narrative.
My goodness, what a writer Dahl was. Up until today, I have never read nor seen a Dahl inspired film.
That will now be remedied.
Thank you, again, for your clear diction ( I wear hearing aids) which enables me to hear every word on my 4-speaker iPad.
As a teenager, in the 1950s, I devoured all the C S Forester books.
And what a bit of luck, Dahl crossing quite different paths with Forester to then start his writing. Maybe a couple more then on here that you may like. Thanks N
Dear Nick, please read more stories by Roald Dahl, your voice is enchanting and the stories so entertaining and inspiring. Thank you.
Thank you and very pleased that you enjoy listening. If you have a short story in mind please let me know.
so much of this reminds me of my time at junior school,, the cane was thankfully replaced by the slipper, but almost everything except the Saturday morning pub trip by the teachers had hardly changed. A great listen.
Tough times! cheers nick
A real "Boys' Own" story grippingly narrated....
Wonderfully Narrated and utterly enthralling.. THANK YOU 🥂🍾
Thanks Catherine
You are a talented reader
Wow, great bit o history 😳
ENTRANCED
The first time that Roald Dahl wrote a "story," it was a factual description of a personal experience that he wrote at age 26; he wrote for five hours during which he entered a trance that lasted two hours and seemed like only a few moments had elapsed. C F Forrester had asked him to provide as many details as possible about whatever experience he chose to provide notes about.
[55:40 -- 1:01:11] C F Forrester took Roald Dahl to a restaurant ... two weeks later ... C F Forrester: "Did you know you were a writer?"
Brilliant storytelling had me captivated thankyou.
Thanks you. You might like a couple of others by Dahl - Hitchiker and Mildenhall Treasure. Cheers N
Loved this and no need for the apology at the end! Great narration as always.
Thanks - well, these things jump out big for some people! Cheers.
Oh & btw Mr Martin, you are to be warmly congratulated ..... You are a gifted narrator.
Best wishes, Shakkers 🇬🇧
Thank you - much appreciated.
This would make such a great biopic. So much material for a really good movie.
Yes it would make a great film. Know any film makers?
@@Trickynickymarts sadly only ones with little budget and no influence :D
I love how her loves Mrs. O'Connor. So sweet.
I wonder that when they grew up, the didn’t treat these sadists to some of their own medicine. Thank you so much for this 🌸💐🌷
Well, I suppose different times have different ideas of what's ok and what's not. Thanks
Listening to the cruelty of the British school system kept me from fallung asleep. What a terrible way to have to grow up. How can anyone fall asleep listening to sadistic flogging of little children?
My gran was telling me the girls got slippers...😢
Some teachers even people in public services are sadistics, that's why some joins police force, school, care home & hospitals.
more like a concentration camp.. if i was one of those kids parents u could bet ur ass i'd be choking that stupid teachers brains out. Then ill give him a good flogging, see how he takes it.
It's sad that the parents paid fortune for their children to be starved, abused & mistreated, OMG I do pray the savages suffered as much pain as those poor children like Roald Dahl
Speaking as one of 'those children', yes I agree !
Sad that we still prostitute ourself to this hideousness
system.
Even more remarkable, when you realise that, in very many cases, the boys were following in the footsteps of fathers or older brothers, who knew the regime their boys would encounter, but sent them anyway.
@@gordonfrickers5592
So sorry for what you had to endure 😢
The drink he was given by the native is called "pombe" till now literally meaning Alcohol
Ah, interesting. Thank you
Thanks so much for this Nick, superbly read, .. I did pick up on the Tanzania pronunciation, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment one iota ... merely thought that's how Mr Dahl pronounced it. I can remember seeing Roald Dahl on ITV's "This is your life" many years ago and remembering what an incredible life he'd had.
Yes, and what a chance event sparked the writing. Cheers
All of Roald Dahl's horrible memories of time spent in residence at an English school
We have to remember though that this happened 90 years ago! Not like that now I am pleased to say.
So many audiobooks, so little time. Thanks for this.
Cheers from the arse end of Oz! =o)
Thanks. More car journeys? Cheers nick
🇬🇧🇦🇺
@@Trickynickymarts Naw, shut in with piss poor eyesight and an addiction to books. Me Mum was so addicted to books that by the time she was the age I am now she had set the kitchen on fire 3 times. She would put something on to cook and then pick up a book. This is not an issue with audiobooks.
Besides, they are good company. You can talk back to them without people thinking you are nuts. Well, not totally nuts, anyway.
Hope you are staying safe, my friend. We are covid free here at the arse end of Oz, and hope to stay that way. Cheers!
So interesting, but painful. Especially being a mom w young boys. I do try not to judge men so much for the barbaric or weird things they did or experienced as boys. It's seems like they used these traumas as a right of passage. Some "gentleman" have been heard to say they appreciated it on later life. I just know that pain is pain.
Terrific🙏🏻🙏🏻
Dear Nick Martin, I loved your reading. It gave me so much joy. Then I saw that you wrote "I occasionally read and record a few stories and put them on here, just for a bit of fun and if some of you enjoy listening that's fine with me." I am very curious now. Do you mean you are not some sort professional for performance, reading, or literature? But your reading sounds so professional. Did you read the whole one plus hour of material in one sitting? Because listening to you is such a joy, I actually tried to read some books and record them too, but I have to be very careful not to make mistakes. I am really curious as for how you do it. .... I have to add this, because, after writing the above, I started to listen to this book again. I cannot help but realizing how close my question is to the book. Dahl gives advice on how to become professional writers, and here I am, listening to your delightful reading, wondering how to become a good reader as you are.
Thank you Min and I am pleased you enjoyed it so much. No I have not done any of those things - not brave or clever enough!
However, reading is different and easier. For one thing, you don't have to learn the lines. But also, you have the ability to be able to edit. To be able to cut and splice, to make a mistake and cut it out. So, to get a good final result you will need some audio recording software on a pc and a usb plug in microphone. I think even a professional actor now would use this facility too because you will get a more polished final result. Have a go!
@@Trickynickymarts Thank you so much for the reply and pointers. You are definitely brave, clever, and talented! I listened to this several times, always so much fun, even though I already know what is coming up. Yesterday I had a very stressful day, but listening to this made me laugh and relaxed me very quickly. Thank you!
@@mincao8003 I am thinking the same, how splendid he reads. I only wish I new how to begin to read with such passion and clarity. I blubber over every word, especially in front of an audience .
i am crazy about this author,called R.Dahl!
BRILLIANT
Brutal. We in the colonies experienced the same thing. Girls and boys schools, boarding or not. Except for the girls it was mostly nuns. Brutal. Then it passed on in the 'independent' countries. Up to the 1990s they were beating students in schools.I remember in the late 70s we had a nun teaching grade 3, she had a wooden ruler, with a metal strip along one edge. She would turn us around and used the edge of the ruler to chop up on our calves.
Sounds very grim for you. Where was that? I should say, that sort of thing was fading fast here by that time.
Your narration is wonderful
Thank you - there's more if you want
Yes am following them. It’s a treat hear them .
Just in time for bed. Thank you, friend!
You were quick of the mark! Did you get to the end? Its a bit long but it covers a lot of life! Must have been hard at a boarding school at that time and brutal and cruel as it was, I wonder if that toughened him for what he had to endure during the war? cheers Nick
@@Trickynickymarts You think flogging makes a tough person and a good writer? I guess one out of hundred turned out good, the rest became as cruel monsters as their role models at school. Nice outcome.
@@BrigitteGoodman Good God no, it was a disgusting way to treat children and I speak as someone who just skimmed the edge of that era in that type of school - maybe five years earlier would have seen the cane and the insane fagging. It was merely a passing thought to connect his endurance of the pain and utter despair after his plane crash to that of the endless caning.
I think his account of the caning brings to life just how repulsive it was and should be read by anyone thinking about its return. Appreciate your comment, but I had to clear that up! Cheers
@@Trickynickymartsinteresting
Thank goodness the beatings and corporal punishment has stopped in schools. Sad to say the students now beat up the teachers.
You mean the desks have turned?
📙💯
I love Dahl, but the memories of caning reminded me of´´spats´´, administered by P.E. classmates, compelled by the Phs. Ed. instructor,and numbering 45 or so. My ass would be bloody blues for months. I¨m still pissed off. If I saw that M.F. today I would assault him. I suggest reading D.h Lawrence, The Prussian Officer.
I just missed that era. We were treated to the slipper on the backside which was unpleasant but compared to the cane, a mere feather duster!
I went to Private School in the early 80s I was caned twice, to be fair to my housemaster he did not seem to enjoy it, However of more concern was the deputy housemaster who we were encouraged to call “Uncle “ Rob a single chap in his 30s very fond of a hand on the knee and a pat on the bottom 🙄🤔 who had and encouraged a little group of favourites...I remember he was very opposed to the first female 6th form pupils.
@@alanwayte432 - that must have been one of the last schools still using it i would think. Was it UK? As for the the other stuff, yes we had a bit of that but only understood what it was about years later.
This is typical for psychopaths (trauma based mind control ).
So in essence English boarding school in those times was like living in a distopian, utterly fascist society from which there was no escape.
Maybe not all as bad as that!
@@Trickynickymarts Well, the corporal punishment was a long standing tradition.
However, there were exceptions.
I have watched the excellent tv-series
"To Serve Them All My Days (1980-1981)"
Title says true story, narrator says not ten seconds in, fiction. Whatever i need something to listen to while i fly long range FPV fixed wings
This is a true story. About the early life of a man who went on to become a fiction writer.
Happy flying - sounds interesting!
@@Trickynickymarts it is a good story. I'm enjoying it. Just flew my first battery pack for the day, it is beautiful up there. I'm just a hobbyist but it's how I'm able to achieve my dream of being a pilot. The hobby needs protection from corporations like Amazon who want to rule the air in the near future. The media tries to criminalize us but we're just people with a healthy pastime. Watch an FPV long range video where they fly around mountains, you'll see why