The Roald Dahl Museum in England updated its website in July to state the beloved children’s author’s racism was “undeniable and indelible.”
The museum, which was founded by the author’s widow, posted a statement to its website, acknowledging the late author’s anti-Semitic statements and apologized for the “lasting and understandable hurt” they have caused. Dahl, himself, admitted to being an anti-Semite shortly before his death in 1990. He has also been accused of misogyny and racism, according to Time.
A picture shows author Roald Dahl’s desk in a reconstruction of his writing hut at the newly renovated Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, north-west of London, England on October 16, 2018. – From a dingy and macabre hut tucked away in the English countryside, author Roald Dahl dreamed up worlds that have enchanted youngsters across the globe. Stuffed with hundreds of weird and wonderful mementos, the garden hut was where the cherished children’s novelist sat in a battered armchair and wrote his fantastical tales. A museum including a replica of the hut in the same village of Great Missenden where Dahl lived reopens to the public on Saturday following an extensive renovation triggered by a flash flood.(Photo: ROBIN MILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
In 1982, following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, Dahl stated the incident was “hushed up in the newspapers because they are primarily Jewish-owned,” Time reported. Dahl went on to explain that he was “certainly anti-Israel” and had become “anti-Semitic.”
In August 1983, again in reference to the war in Lebanon, Dahl said of the Jewish people, “Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers.”
Later that year, Dahl went further, claiming that Jewish people possessed a “trait” in their character which provoked animosity.
“Maybe it’s a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews, I mean, there’s always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason,” Dahl said, according to Time.
“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,” the museum stated. (RELATED: Roald Dahl Book Publisher Does Damage Control After Decision To Rewrite Author’s Words Sparks Backlash)
The museum revealed that since 2021 they have been working with multiple organizations within the Jewish community and making contributions towards combating hate and prejudice.
“Roald Dahl’s racism is undeniable and indelible but what we hope can also endure is the potential of Dahl’s creative legacy to do some good,” the museum stated.