註釋
It takes no dummy to realize that Roald Dahl is a writer of some significant talent, whether he's writing horror for adults or playful fantasy for the smallest of children. Those familiar with his works also know that all his writing reflects the experiences, characters, and Britain (and colonies) of his childhood -- thus even the most odd of stories, say, The Enormous Crocodile or The Fantastic Mr. Fox could rightly be called "autobiographical" in a larger sense of mood and atmosphere.
Yes, Boy, one of two supposed straightforward no-fictionizing-or-melodrama books in the Dahl collection, contains some exquisite stories within its pages -- most notably those which deal with the most vivid childhood events and places, such as schools (both Prep and Local) and early motorcar experiences. But the text that connects these stories seems forced. The book starts slow, with a style far from the "event narrative" of later chapters, making those chapters jarring when they first arrive; most notably, the ending of the narrative trails off at the end of the book as if there were no real story other than filler to get one from Boy to his second autobiography Going Solo. Worse, the best bits have already been recycled; it is clear that we have read some of these stories before, in a far better form, in Dahl's fiction. I'd borrow these from the library if you're a true Dalh-o-phile...but stick with The Witches (look! It's Dahl's grandmother!) or Danny The Champion of the World (look! It's the father Dahl always wanted!) or Henry Sugar if you want to read Dahl at his young adult, "autobiographical" best.
