Roald Dahl's complicated character

Known for his fantastical children’s books, Roald Dahl had a somewhat fantastical life himself. He left a complicated legacy. Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Cardiff, Wales, to Norwegian immigrants. He attended the prestigious boarding school Repton. After graduating in 1934, he joined a trip to Newfoundland rather than go to college. When World War II broke out in 1939, Dahl enlisted in the Royal Air Force. As a fighter pilot, he was seriously injured after crash-landing in the Libyan desert. After serving in Greece and Syria, he eventually became an assistant air attaché in Washington, D.C. He was also a spy for MI6. It was Dahl’s plane crash that inspired him to become a writer. Author C.S. Forester, who was collecting stories to promote the Allied cause, encouraged Dahl to write about the most exciting thing that had happened to him during the war. Dahl’s story was published in The Saturday Evening Post—though for security reasons it was published anonymously. Dahl wrote his first book, The Gremlins, in 1943 for Disney. It also drew on Dahl’s time spent flying during the war. The Gremlins was not successful, but, in the 1950s and beyond, Dahl produced several popular collections of short stories for adults. However, it was his darkly funny children’s books that would make him famous. Dahl’s first was 1961’s James and the Giant Peach, inspired by a story he made up for his own kids. Between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The BFG, The Witches, and Matilda, Dahl’s work has become a staple in children’s libraries. Most have been adapted into films and theatrical productions. Dahl wrote these books from the shed behind his home in Great Missenden, England, from the 1960s to the 1980s. He lived there with his wife Patricia Neal and their five children. Neal nicknamed him “Roald the Rotten” to describe his demeanor at home, and the couple divorced in 1983. In recent years some have criticized his use of racist and sexist stereotypes in books. Others have pointed out his history of anti-Semitic speech. In a 1990 interview conducted shortly before his death, he claimed outright to be an anti-Semite. The Roald Dahl Story Company quietly published an apology for Dahl’s anti-Semitic comments on their website in 2020. In 2023 Puffin Books announced that they would re-release several of Dahl’s books with edits for content. The announcement elicited support from some and outrage from others. Those opposed were mainly concerned with censorship. Many of Dahl’s children’s books remain popular. His impact, both good and bad, is certainly lasting.