The Great Automatic Grammatizator (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

Nov 17, 2025 12:17 AM

Author:Roald Dahl,Will Self

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Great Automatic Grammatizator by Roald Dahl, read by Will Self.

In The Great Automatic Grammatizator, Roald Dahl tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a powerful computer designed to help people starts to supplant them . . .

The Great Automatic Grammatizator is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; the man waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach; and others.

Reviews

The absolute master of the twist in the tale

—— Observer

Haunting...profound...exquisitely wrought

—— Independent on Sunday

The tangle of this unhappy family is beautifully and ruthlessly analysed... The relationship between mother and daughter is described with uncompromising lucidity... Némirovsky evokes the places of her childhood with a sensuous clarity

—— Guardian

The Wine of Solitude is an end-of-innocence story... It is Némirovsky's powers of social observation...the implacable eye for the nuances of human conduct, that make The Wine of Solitude so memorable

—— Financial Times

Beautifully written... Her ability to evoke the feeling of time and especially place is remarkable

—— Scotsman

One of the best of her early novels... it is written with luminous intensity

—— Jane Shilling , Evening Standard, Books of the Year

This is Nemrovsky's most autobiographical novel...recalled in hauntingly atmospheric detail

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times, Books of the Year

It's an unerring portrait of a neglected, baleful and punitive daughter

—— Julian Barnes , Guardian, Books of the Year

Nemirovksy captures the rootless existence of emigres beautifully

—— Shirley Whiteside , Herald

Sandra Smith's translation is mellifluous and certain passages - the opening lines describing dusk in Kiev, for example - are breathtaking

—— Angel Gurria-Quintana , Financial Times

Némirovsky excels at describing this dysfunctional household

—— Marianne Brace , Independent

Sandra Smith’s translation of the novel faithfully reflects Nemirovsky’s talents as an astute portraitist and storyteller

—— Emma Hagestadt , Guardian

Nemirovsky evokes a time and a place when domestic upheaval could prove every bit as tragic and bloody as those played out on a wider stage

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

Previous Article：Yesterday was Beautiful (A Roald Dahl Short Story) Next Article：The Last Act (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.