In 2020, the Dahl family and RDSC preempted public criticism of their literary patriarch, quietly issuing a statement apologizing for the hurt caused by his views. “He may have been a great children’s writer but he was also a racist and this should be remembered,” she said. Read More: What to Know About Children’s Author Roald Dahl’s Controversial LegacyĪmanda Bowman, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a community organization, backed the Mint’s decision. The idea was rejected on the grounds that he was “associated with anti-Semitism and not regarded as an author of the highest reputation.” In 2018, The Guardian reported that the British Royal Mint rejected a proposal to mark the 100th anniversary of Dahl’s birth with a commemorative coin. In James and the Giant Peach, the Grasshopper declares at one point: “I’d rather be fried alive and eaten by a Mexican.”ĭahl has also been called a misogynist for his unfavorable depictions of women in books such as The Witches. For example, he originally wrote characters like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Oompa Loompas as an African Pygmy tribe. Dahl’s anti-Semiticism and controversial legacyĭahl, who died at age 74, had a history of making anti-Semitic comments and including racist tropes and language in his works.
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