Roald Dahl's 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory' Turns 50

NEW DELHI: Children's classic 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' by British storyteller Roald Dahl, which has sold over 13 million copies worldwide, marks 50 years of publication this month and has a number of celebratory events lined up.

From sky-diving Oompa Loompas (characters from the book) to chocolate trails at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in the village of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire where Dahl lived and wrote for 36 years - various events have been planned on September 13, to be celebrated as Roald Dahl Day.

A new hardcover edition of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' with illustrations by Joseph Schindelman is also being brought out. Earlier this month, newspapers carried 'The Vanilla Fudge Room', a chapter from an early, previously unpublished draft of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' very different to the edition people know.

On September 26, school children all over the UK are set to don their finest Roald Dahl character costumes to raise money for Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity. Penguin Books imprint Puffin India along with Amazon India plan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' with a magical contest that has five questions related to the book.

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