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Join us on Thursday at 3PM to chat about the book!

Poison

by Roald Dahl

This week on the book club we will be reading 'Poison' by Roald Dahl. Originaly published in the June 3, 1950 issue of Collier’s. This is one of Dahl’s most famous stories, and one of the most misunderstood. The entire time you’re reading it, you think that the main conflict is between the men and the krait on Harry’s stomach. It’s only in the last few paragraphs, though, that you realize that the “poison” is actually racism. Harry Pope is perfectly willing to tolerate Dr. Ganderbai as long as his life is in danger, but as soon as Ganderbai dares to question the white man, Harry lets his true colors show. The story is also a masterpiece of tension and suspense.

The story is set in India during the time of British rule. The main character is Harry Pope and the narrator of the story is Timber Woods. Timber goes over to his friend Harry Pope. Harry is in bed, motionless, sweating, and panicked. He explains that a venomous snake, the krait, has crawled onto his stomach, underneath the covers, and asks Timber to fetch a doctor...

This story also apears as version in multiple televsion series. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1958), Suspense (1950) and Tales of the Unexpected (1979). Not to mention countless radio dramas and audiobooks. 

Read the book online: Poison by Roald Dahl

About the Author

Roald Dahl is the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and a treasury of original, evergreen, and beloved children’s books. He remains for many the world’s No. 1 storyteller.

Born in Llandaff, Wales, on 13th September 1916 to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg, Dahl was named after Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian who had been the first man to reach the South Pole just four years earlier. A heroic start in life. But his early years were blighted by the tragic deaths of his older sister, Astri, and his father.

Wanting the best for her only son, his mother sent him to boarding school - first to St Peter's, Weston-super-Mare; then, in 1929, to Repton - where many bizarre and memorable events would later be recounted in Boy. Pupils at Repton were invited to trial chocolate bars, a memory that stayed with Dahl throughout his life, inspiring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Despite his death in 1990 Dahl’s own life story continues to play out through his fiction. In many of his stories the reader experiences Dahl’s metamorphosis into his own characters – with similarities seen between Dahl and several of his heroic creations in his children’s books.

What is the book club?

Join us every week for a book club, each week we will read a new short story of part of a larger book, the books will be made available as an audio book and we will meet as a group via zoom to chat about the story. All are welcome, hope to see you there. 

How to join the club to chat

The zoom link to join will apear above on this page at 3PM on Thursday. To join you will need a phone/tablet or laptop with a built in camera and microphone (most modern devices come with this) you may need to download the zoom app onto your phone if you are using a phone to join.

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