The family of the beloved children's author is sorry for 'the lasting and understandable hurt' caused by the comments made towards Jewish people by the late writer in an old interview.
- Dec 7, 2020
AceShowbiz - The family of Roald Dahl has apologised for anti-Semitic comments the beloved children's author made in a 1983 interview.
Remarks "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" writer made about the generosity of Jewish people in a New Statesman interview recently came to light, prompting backlash from activists for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism.
"There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it's a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews," the writer said. "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."
The Dahl family has now released a statement, which reads, "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."
A Campaign Against Anti-Semitism spokesman has responded to the statement, by criticising the family for not coming forward sooner.
"The admission that the famous author's anti-Semitic views are 'incomprehensible' is right," he writes. "For his family and estate to have waited 30 years to make an apology, apparently until lucrative deals were signed with Hollywood, is disappointing and sadly rather more comprehensible."
"It is a shame that the estate has seen fit merely to apologise for Dahl's anti-Semitism rather than to use its substantial means to do anything about it. The apology should have come much sooner and been published less obscurely, but the fact that it has come at all - after so long - is an encouraging sign that Dahl's racism has been acknowledged even by those who profit from his creative works, which so many have enjoyed."
