The other day my family and I visited The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden; the town where the author lived for almost 36 years. The centre is a well-curated space with many visual and hands-on exhibits for children (and adults) to explore. The team, as well as guest educators, also run interactive sessions throughout the day which explore the themes of Dahl's stories for children. My kids particularly enjoyed a 'mouths-on' drama session called, yucky foods!
However, as I walked around the museum, I noticed that some of the more sinister aspects of Dahl's life were noticeably absent. Professor Jeremy Treglown, A Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of English Studies and author of the first full biography on Dahl, has detailed both the better and lesser known aspects of his character,
Both Dahl's first wife, Patricia Neal, and his second daughter, Tessa Dahl have reaffirmed some of these accusations with the latter saying, “'daddy gave joy to millions of children. But I was dying inside' accusing him of selfishness and egocentric behaviour".
Though the above may have only been apparent to those who knew Roald Dahl in a private capacity, the author was publicly upfront with his anti-Semitic views. In 1983 he told the New Statesman that,
The above, as well as numerous other accounts of Dahl's nastiness, leaves me with a bit of a dilemma. Not a new dilemma - one that is also applicable to Richard Wagner or Henry Ford; can one love the work of an author who held such repugnant views and treated woman so poorly? I am not sure it is possible to separate out the two - the author and his work - as it was likely Dahl's own nastiness that allowed him to create such nasty characters that, in-turn, make his stories so appealing.
My children, and I believe all children, grow though stories that contain an element of cruelty. Indeed, cruelty is a reality of life; it is readily relatable to young people and they are constantly looking for ways to process this reality. Dahl's stories are a powerful illustration of this and his personal life represents another aspect of cruelty that each of us must deal with; What to do when a person is cruel in one context but kind in another.
With this in mind my children will grow-up reading Dahl's stories and when they are old enough, I will encourage them to learn more about the man behind the stories. As the journalist Eleanor Margolis said, "I hope [my children] wonder what sort of a person the author was. Just so they can know the truth."
However, as I walked around the museum, I noticed that some of the more sinister aspects of Dahl's life were noticeably absent. Professor Jeremy Treglown, A Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of English Studies and author of the first full biography on Dahl, has detailed both the better and lesser known aspects of his character,
"Misogynist, anti-Semite, misanthrope--Roald Dahl was reputed to be these as well as war hero, devoted father, and philanthropist. To millions however, he was the Evelyn Waugh of children's books, author of such beloved classics as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach."
Both Dahl's first wife, Patricia Neal, and his second daughter, Tessa Dahl have reaffirmed some of these accusations with the latter saying, “'daddy gave joy to millions of children. But I was dying inside' accusing him of selfishness and egocentric behaviour".
Though the above may have only been apparent to those who knew Roald Dahl in a private capacity, the author was publicly upfront with his anti-Semitic views. In 1983 he told the New Statesman that,
“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 above, as well as numerous other accounts of Dahl's nastiness, leaves me with a bit of a dilemma. Not a new dilemma - one that is also applicable to Richard Wagner or Henry Ford; can one love the work of an author who held such repugnant views and treated woman so poorly? I am not sure it is possible to separate out the two - the author and his work - as it was likely Dahl's own nastiness that allowed him to create such nasty characters that, in-turn, make his stories so appealing.
My children, and I believe all children, grow though stories that contain an element of cruelty. Indeed, cruelty is a reality of life; it is readily relatable to young people and they are constantly looking for ways to process this reality. Dahl's stories are a powerful illustration of this and his personal life represents another aspect of cruelty that each of us must deal with; What to do when a person is cruel in one context but kind in another.
With this in mind my children will grow-up reading Dahl's stories and when they are old enough, I will encourage them to learn more about the man behind the stories. As the journalist Eleanor Margolis said, "I hope [my children] wonder what sort of a person the author was. Just so they can know the truth."
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