When did Roald Dahl become an author?

Roald Dahl's first published work was a short story titled "The Gremlins" in 1943. This is generally considered the year he became an author, even though he had already written several short stories before this.

However, it's important to note that his first book, a collection of short stories called "Over to You," was published in 1954. He also wrote his first children's book, "The Gremlins," in 1943 but it was not published until 1964.

So, while he started writing in the early 1940s, his career as a published author officially began in 1943.