 First US edition | |
| Author | Roald Dahl |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Charles Shields (US) |
| Genre | Suspense, thriller |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph (UK) Alfred A. Knopf (US) |
Publication date | 1974 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 140 |
| ISBN | 0-14-004179-6 |
| OCLC | 4800308 |
Switch Bitch (1974) is a book of adult short stories by British writer Roald Dahl. Four stories, originally published in Playboy between 1965 and 1974,[1] are collected. They are linked by themes of rape by deception: in each one, some major act of cunning, cruelty, or hedonism underpins the sexuality.
The book is notable for its introduction of the Uncle Oswald character, a wealthy hobbyist and gadabout who stars in both the first and last stories. (Although the first story seemingly presages his imminent decline and death.) He later appeared in Dahl's comic novel for adults, My Uncle Oswald. Oswald is a male fantasy figure described as "the greatest fornicator of all time", his adventures recounted by a nephew who inherits his diaries and decides to edit them for publication. Despite the stories in Switch Bitch being dark and cynical in tone, the Oswald tales are also humorous and satirical, resembling crude comic anecdotes.
- ^ Roald Dahl (1976). Switch Bitch.
These stories were originally published by Playboy magazine. Published in Great Britain in book form by Michael Joseph 1974. Published in Penguin Books 1976.