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AUTHOR-LEGEND: Roald Dahl, photographed here in 1985. Photo: NTB
30 years after Roald Dahl’s death, survivors have posted a written apology on their website.
The background is that Dahl’s legacy has been marked by anti-Semitic statements that the famous author made in 1983 and just before he died in 1990.
British newspapers have now come across a discreet and undated statement on Dahl’s official website.
– incomprehensible
In a separate small post, linked to the part of the page dealing with Dahl’s life, the family and the Roald Dahl Story Company are said to be “deeply sorry for the long-lasting and understandable pain” caused by some of the statements by Dahl. Author.
«These outbursts of prejudice are incomprehensible to us and are in stark contrast to the man we met and to the values that form the heart of Roald Dahl’s stories, which have had such a positive impact on young people for generations.», Write the family.
Complete with:
«We hope that Roald Dahl’s words, as they did at their best, also at their worst, will show the lasting effect words can have.. »
– Disappointing
An anonymous spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism told the BBC that it was “disappointing” that the family waited 30 years for this, and that it was “shameful” that it was done in such an evasive way.
«But the fact that there has been an apology after all these years is an encouraging sign that Dahl’s racism is also on record by those who benefit from his creative work.»
The Norwegian tribe
Dahl, one of the world’s most popular children’s book authors, was born in Wales to Norwegian parents.
In an interview with the New Statesman in 1983, Dahl stated, among other things, that he believed that “it is the characteristics of the Jewish character that provoke hostility. Perhaps it is because of a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews.”
Seven years later, the author is said to have admitted to The Independent newspaper that he had “become anti-Semitic.” The Independent also mentions the recent apology.
In 2014, it was proposed to honor Dahl with a special commemorative coin in 2016, to mark the centenary of his birth. In 2018, the Royal Mint decided that the coin should not be made, precisely because of the controversy associated with these statements.
But their stories endure.
In 2018, Netflix obtained the rights to make animated films based on various Dahl books, including “Matilda,” “SVK,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Dustene,” and “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.”
Delayed medals
In 2018, 73 years in arrears and 28 years after his passing, Dahl received war medals. Dahl was a fighter pilot in Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) during the war. They were received by the widow Felicity Dahl (81).
