“Art and artists are never easily aligned”: Roald Dahl antisemitic comments resurface amid books rewritten controversy 

The late British author Roald Dahl has continued to make news ever since hundreds of words from his decades-old classic children’s books were removed and edited on grounds of being insensitive and offensive in contemporary terms.

UK publisher Puffin Books and The Roald Dahl Story Company collaborated with Inclusive Minds to revise certain words related to race, appearance, and gender from Dahl's books that may appear inappropriate in modern society.

For example, the word “fat” used to describe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character Augustus Gloop was altered to “enormous.” Meanwhile, the Oompa Loompas, once known as “small men,” are now known as “small people.”

Headmistress Miss Trunchbull from Matilda is no longer dubbed the “most formidable female” but the “most formidable woman” and the “Cloud-Men” from James and the Giant Peach are now known as “Cloud-People.”

The British Telegraph pointed out hundreds of such changes made to Dahl’s books since 2020 and also noted how publishers added certain paragraphs that were never written by Dahl during the original publications.

In the wake of the ongoing controversy surrounding the rewriting, some of the author’s anti-Semitic comments from the past have also surfaced online.

Twitter user @/Adam_Creme dubbed Dahl a “repulsive anti-Semite” and said he would help people focus on the author’s real-life words amid the “big fuss” about the words in his books:

This sparked another debate on social media as some users pointed out the concept of separating the art from the artist:

Back in 2020, Roald Dahl’s family posted an apology on his official website over certain anti-Semitic statements made by the author in the past.

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Netizens react to Roald Dahl’s anti-Semitic past amid rewritten books debate

Roald Dahl's anti-semitic comments left netizens further divided amid books rewritten debate (Image via Getty Images)

Roald Dahl was reportedly openly anti-Semitic throughout his life and often made anti-Semitic comments while giving interviews to the press. In a 1983 interview with a British Magazine called The New Statesman, he said:

“There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke 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.”

The author continued to share similar sentiments months prior to his death in 1990 during another interview with The Independent. He said that he was “certainly anti-Israel” and mentioned:

“I've become antisemitic in as much as that you get a Jewish person in another country like England strongly supporting Zionism.”

During the interview, Dahl also promoted the conspiracy theory that Jewish people control the media.

Dahl’s anti-semitic comments recently resurfaced on social media after netizens started showing disappointment with Puffin Books and The Roald Dahl Story Company removing words from his classic children’s book that can be deemed insensitive in modern society.

The latest move sparked major disappointment among readers, with novelist Salman Rushdie dubbing the process as “absurd censorship.”

The Roald Dahl Story Company acknowledged the situation and said that the move was planned as the authorities wanted to “ensure that Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.”

A spokesperson told NBC News:

“When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details including a book’s cover and page layout.”

They continued:

“Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text. Any changes made have been small and carefully considered.”

The copyright page of Puffin’s latest editions of Dahl’s books also contains a disclaimer at the bottom saying, “words matter.”

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Twitter reacts to anti-semitic comments by Dahl

Several social media users also took to Twitter to react to Roald Dahl’s past anti-semitic comments as they made the rounds online:

However, some claimed that his iconic works as an author should be seen in a different light than his controversial opinions and beliefs as a person:

Dahl’s family previously addressed his anti-Semitic remarks and issued an apology on his official website. The statement read:

“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.”

It continued:

“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.”

According to The Guardian, minutes recorded from a 2014 Royal Mint sub-committee meeting showed that plans to issue a special commemorative coin celebrating Dahl on his birth centenary in 2018 were allegedly scrapped as the author was “associated with anti-Semitism” and not regarded in “highest reputation.”

The coins were reportedly issued for William Shakespeare and Beatrix Potter instead.