The BFG

For the 1989 animated film based on the book, see The BFG (1989 film). For the 2016 film based on the book, see The BFG (2016 film). For other uses, see BFG (disambiguation).

The BFG
First edition cover
AuthorRoald Dahl
Original titleTHE BFG
IllustratorQuentin Blake
LanguageEnglish
SubjectFiction
GenreChildren's, Fantasy
Published14 January 1982 Jonathan Cape (original)
Penguin Books (current)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePaperback
Pages208
ISBN0-224-02040-4

The BFG (short for The Big Friendly Giant) is a 1982 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 novel Danny, the Champion of the World. The book is dedicated to Dahl's oldest daughter, Olivia, who had died of measles encephalitis at the age of seven in 1962.[1]

An animated adaptation was released in 1989 with David Jason providing the voice of the BFG and Amanda Root as the voice of Sophie. It has also been adapted as a theatre performance.[2] A theatrical Disney live-action adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg was released in 2016.

As of 2009, the novel has sold 37 million copies, with more than one million copies sold around the world yearly.[3] In 2003, The BFG was listed at number 56 in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the British public.[4] In 2012, the novel was ranked number 88 among all-time best children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal, a US monthly.[5] In 2012, the BFG and Sophie appeared on Royal Mail commemorative postage stamps.[6]

  1. ^ Singh, Anita (7 August 2010) "Roald Dahl's secret notebook reveals heartbreak over daughter's death". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company presents The BFG". birmingham-rep.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Whizzpoppingly wonderful fun in Watford!". BBC. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC200 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference SLJChapter2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Flood, Alison (9 January 2012). "Roald Dahl stamps honour classic children's author". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2022.