Quentin Blake

Quentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl. Blake was born in 1932 in Sidcup, Kent and was evacuated to the West Country during the war. He went to Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, where his English teacher, J H Walsh, influenced his ambition to become involved in literature. His first published drawing was for the satirical magazine Punch, at the age of 16. He read English Literature at Downing College, Cambridge (1953-6), received his postgraduate teaching diploma from the University of London, and later studied at the Chelsea School of Art. He gained another teaching diploma at the Institute of Education before working at the Royal College of Art. His full name is Quentin Saxby Blake. He is not married and has no children. Blake gained a reputation as a reliable and humorous illustrator of more than 300 children's books. As well as illustrating the books of others, including Joan Aiken, Roald Dahl, Elizabeth Bowen and Dr. Seuss, Blake has written numerous books of his own.

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