Roald Dahl’s family apologises for the author’s antisemitic comments
Roald Dahl’s family has apologised for antisemitic comments made by the author.
The creator of books such as Matilda, The BFG, The Witches and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory died at the age of 74 in 1990. But he has since regularly topped lists of the nation’s favourite authors. His stories continued to be read by children around the world.
However, antisemitic comments he made have cast a shadow over his personal legacy.
Victim-blaming
In an interview with the New Statesman in 1983, Dahl made victim-blaming comments about Jews, saying:
There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it’s a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews.
Read on...
Support us and go ad-freeI mean, there’s always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere.
He added: “Even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason”.
Apology
A statement from the Dahl family has now been posted on the website of The Roald Dahl Story Company under the title: “Apology for anti-Semitic comments made by Roald Dahl”.
First reported by the Sunday Times, it says:
The Dahl family and the Roald Dahl Story Company deeply apologise for the lasting and understandable hurt caused by some of Roald Dahl’s statements.
Those prejudiced remarks are incomprehensible to us and stand in marked contrast to the man we knew and to the values at the heart of Roald Dahl’s stories, which have positively impacted young people for generations.
We hope that, just as he did at his best, at his absolute worst, Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words.
Dahl’s works continue to be popular for film and stage adaptations.
Support us and go ad-freeWe know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
People make similar comments about black people and Muslims all the time and no one seems to bat an eyelid.
I agree. Look at how the MSM are reporting on the horrible abuse that Margeret Hodge is recieving on social media, yet their silence on (and oft encouragement of – aka Fiona Bruce) the equally vile abuse suffered by Diane Abbott is deafening.
Dahl said that after the 1984 (?) bombing and invasion of Lebanon by Israel , with thousands of Lebanese dead, he considered himself to be anti-semitic.
It was 1981!