Talk:Roald Dahl

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[edit] Add to 'to-do' list & Clarification of Nationality

1. Why is there no mention of Dahl having lost a leg when shot down while flying a plane during the war? I would imagine that is rather significant given the arbitrary facts that are listed within the biographical sections of the article. Also, it may be worth listing that he did all his writing in a damp, crampy and uncomfortable garden shed. 2. Firstly, since Roald Dahl was not Norwegian-born but only had Norwegian parents, mention of Norway in this article is also rather superfluous. Several prominent British figures , such as Raj Persaud, Uta Frith and Edward De Bono to name three scientists concerned with aspects of the mind, have foreign parents, but this is not mentioned on their articles. I think the same should follow here, since Dahl's connections to Norway were relatively non-existent throughout his life. Secondly, because Welsh law can prove tricky where issues of nationality are concerned (read Vinnie Jones), Dahl may be referred to having subsisted in a state of undeclared dual-nationality. However, in place with the more common and international conventions on defining nationality, it is safe to say Dahl was English. For the purposes of this article, I propose we continue using British as a definition of his nationality.

Roald Dahl spoke Norwegian, his parents spoke Norwegian at home, he visited Norway regularly, he has himself said that his summer memories from Norway had great influence.
"since Dahl's connections to Norway were relatively non-existent" -dont think so.
An extraordinary statement to make of someone with two Norwegian parents. Drutt 02:13, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

He wanted to rent a house from me in Norway not long before he died. The plan was to bring his family to see the place. I think I met Norwegian cousins when I visited him in England. So there was some continuing interest.Stamboul 17:31, 3 January 2007 (UTC)


He lost a leg? I read Going Solo, and I don't remember anything about that. Also, I read somewhere that his writing shed was cluttered, but not uncomfortable. It was his own place where he could think and imagine. I'm sure he was quite comfortable in it, since he would have been able to fix it if he wanted to- with all the money from the books. I certainly don't think he was forced to write in an uncomfortable place. 208.68.253.184 02:10, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] To-do list

Some things to mention:

  • how he fell into writing by accident: his plane crashed, he was asked for rough notes so it could be turned into a (magazine?) article by a staff writer, and the editor told him he would use the story exactly as written
  • his short stories for adults were the basis for the TV series tales of the unexpected.
And a great TV series it was, too! I used to be scared stiff (I was, like, 10 years old when it aired in Norway). I would love to see it come for a rerun now after all these years, or be released on DVD. :-) --Wernher 21:23, 7 Aug 2004 (UTC)
  • His father's age is shown as 507 in 1920 at the time of his sister's death, this needs to be revised. (DJE 11:53, 7 November 2006 (UTC))

[edit] Anti-semitism

Going with the evidence that Dahl was an anti-Semite, it's ironic that the man who "made" his most famous movie (made in the sense that he made it work, not produced and directed it) was Gene Wilder, a Jew, whom Dahl actually met and talked with on the set of "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," as evidenced by "special feature" footage on the DVD release of the movie.66.214.230.155 19:55, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

Is there any truth to the rumor I've heard (from reliable sources) that Dahl was rabidly anti-Semitic? I've wondered about him ever since I heard that, but I haven't found any mention of it online. Jwrosenzweig 20:08, 6 Aug 2004 (UTC)

There's an interesting article that mentions Dahl and this topic in the New Internationalist (http://www.newint.org/issue372/portrait-antisemite.htm)

That article also credits him with writing a, suposedly anti-semetic, work that was in fact written by Ian Fleming. I wouldn't trust it.

I'm a little nervous about that article just because it didn't cite its damn source. I'm pretty sure that "Boy" has some instances of anti-semitic thinking that went over my head when I was younger, but I can't find my copy of the book right now - someone who does and is a fast reader might want to take a look. Tinderblast 10:39, 14 July 2005 (UTC)
There's a profile of Dahl in the New Yorker Magazine (http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/050711crat_atlarge) which cites James Treglown's unauthroised biography in 1994 as one source of these accusations. Elsewhere, Dahl is reported to have made anti-semitic comments to a journalist in 1983. Bulentyusuf 11:15, 21 July 2005 (UTC)
This is the quote from the New Yorker article mentioned above: "More than once, Dahl offered up anti-Semitic remarks; in 1983, he told a journalist that “there’s a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity . . . I mean there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason." (From The Candy Man by Margaret Talbot). --betakate 13:02, 22 July 2005 (UTC)
I can add a little evidence to counter Dahl's anti-semitism: there is a section of "Going Solo" wherein he describes being sent in his Hurricane while in Greece to investigate a potential emergency landing site. He meets many children, and one adult, whose german accent makes him wary at first. He learns this person is a jewish refugee and has an odd conversation foreshadowing the creation of a jewish state. I'm still trying to figure out why this was put in the book, but at any rate, it was in no way condeming of jews. In my own opinion, and based on all else I know of Dahl, it is quite in-character for him to forego conventional wisdom and make up his own mind.
regarding the rambling of the article, most of it seems to be a summarized version of his two most autobiographical works, "Boy" and "Going Solo". The choice of which stories to include and exclude is odd (why the rat in the candy jar story?) it's still a reasonable article to me. I beleive facts should best be verified outside of taking his word on it however, as I too have heard he could be quite liberal in his retellings of events.
Also interesting and absent from this page is the suspicion that he worked as a propaganda artist in America for the British, who desired America's entry into the war. Gremlins was supposedly a part of this. (http://delarue.net/gremlins.htm) evilmousse 1-24-06

None of those things are contradictory. According to his biography, Dahl had many Jewish friends, but that does not refute the well-documented evidence that he held some anti-Semitic views. Anyone who thinks it does has an understanding of bigotry so shallow they don't deserve to be talking about it. (And sadly, a lot of people are this shallow. Comments like the one above are all too common.) Being an anti-Semite does not automatically mean uniformly hating all Jews that one encounters. Many anti-Semites are conflicted about their anti-Semitism and have had Jewish friends or had positive things to say about Jews at certain times. Dahl struck me as an Archie Bunker-style bigot, who spouted prejudiced ideas but didn't take it to extremes in his personal life. There is nothing astonishing or unusual about that sort of behavior, and anyone who thinks there is is badly in need of an education on the nature of racism. marbeh raglaim 16:12, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

Note that the page refers to "Dahl's biographer Jeremy Treglown," but fails to mention what the source clearly notes is an "unauthorized" biography. Shouldn't that be mentioned?

If you have proof that it's unauthorized (I don't know), then this would be appropriate to mention in the article. I also don't think the article has to say straight out that he's an anti-Semite. It can say that many have accused him of anti-Semitism, and then let the quotes speak for themselves. I think the current version is quite balanced while also informative. marbeh raglaim 03:45, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree that it is appropriate to mention in the article that he has been accused of antisemitism, though not to state that he is an anti-Semite. Currently, the article does not mention antisemitism at all. Even if we can not confirm whether he was actually anti-semitic or not, we should at least mention alleged antisemitism as this has influenced the way he and his work have been seen by people. Since Jeremy Treglown's biography is fairly well-known, and clearly states Dahl as being an anti-Semite, the article should at least bring up the fact that many have accused Dahl and his books of such. I would also suggest that a general section on the response to Dahl's books be written up. The fact that any response at all to his books is missing from this article is something that needs to be fixed, seeing as two of his books (The Witches and James and the Giant Peach) are on the ALA list of 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000 (see here [1]). Perhaps antisemitism can be mentioned as part of this? Crito2161 03:03, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

I am unaware of anyone suggesting that any of his books have anti-Semitic content. So the anti-Semitism issue really is unrelated to the criticism of his books. I do remember that "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was accused of racism because the Oompah-Loompahs were originally drawn as pygmies (the book was later changed due to the criticism). Of course Dahl was not the illustrator, but he did apparently condone this version.

I seem to vaguely remember reading an interview with him shortly before his death, where he admitted to being an anti-Semite. However, by no means should you take my word for it. My memory could be playing tricks on me. I'm just saying that I intend to search for this interview, and I will be sure to mention it if it turns up. marbeh raglaim 10:16, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Re Oompah-Loompahs - I have heard that Dahl originally wanted Charlie and his family drawn as black. Does anyone have a citation for this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.146.18.21 (talk) 00:03, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Bingo! After much searching, I found the reference where Dahl admitted, shortly before his death, to being an anti-Semite (which he had previously denied), not just anti-Israel. Here is the exact quote: "I am certainly anti-Israel, and I have become anti-Semitic." He told this to the British newspaper The Independent, and I found it reported in The New York Times in a letter by Abraham Foxman titled "Roald Dahl also left a legacy of bigotry" (Dec. 7, 1990, pg. A34), which I was able to read through my university library. I think I am going to put this information in the article, but first I want to see if I can corroborate it with the original source (The Independent). marbeh raglaim 08:38, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

I didn't realize until now that someone had removed the anti-Semitism section, on the grounds that it was a "few spurious slurs." That's absurd! To suggest that his well-documented controversial statements (like the one above about "a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity") are mere "spurious slurs"--you'd have to be anti-Semitic yourself to make such a ridiculous defense. And the fact that he admitted to being an anti-Semite makes the case completely solid. marbeh raglaim 09:04, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

When we met (see above) he knew that my wife is German-Jewish. He had no problem with that; and recommended a specialist surgeon for her who was fantastic, quick and free. I suspect he was anti-Zionist (even some Jews are anti-Zionist), which became anti-Semitic. He never mentioned his views on Israel to us, so it can't have been a big deal; not rabid anyway.Stamboul 17:37, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

It's grossly unfair to claim that Dahl is anti-Semitic on the evidence of a children's book review. Let's reserve this term for people who really deserve it, lest it turn into a term without any meaning. 71.139.33.169 23:22, 17 January 2007 (UTC)
(1) What you just stated is a pure non sequitur, and not even accurate (it was a review to an adult photojournalism book). (2) Dahl himself eventually admitted to being an anti-Semite. (3) The article never states that Dahl is an anti-Semite; it simply quotes some controversial remarks which many people consider anti-Semitic. If you don't think "There's a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity" is anti-Semitic, that's your prerogative, but that does not constitute a good reason for removing this quote from the article. marbeh raglaim 19:28, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
Five paragraphs about Dahl's alleged anti-semitism, about three more than his work? If you want to subject Dahl to this charge, you owe as much to Phillip Larkin and T.S. Eliot. There are plenty of anti-Semites in the world. If you throw this tag around indiscriminately, the term will become meaningless. 71.139.33.169 20:55, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
I have got news for you. Most famous writers in the late twentieth century did not make derogatory statements about "the Jewish character," much less did they personally identify as anti-Semitic. Like I said, you are entitled to your opinion that neither of those things constitute evidence that Dahl actually was anti-Semitic, but the simple fact remains that most people disagree with you. The fact that Dahl (and not, say, Ernest Hemingway or Kurt Vonnegut or John Grisham or J.K. Rowling or tons of other modern writers) was widely perceived to be anti-Semitic is what makes this information relevant to the article. Whether you agree with most people's conclusion on this matter is irrelevant to the fact that it IS most people's conclusion. marbeh raglaim 17:25, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
Also, a few factual corrections: the anti-Semitism section is only four paragraphs long, the first consisting of a single short sentence. The whole section is significantly shorter than the section talking about his writing (nine paragraphs), not to mention the lengthy list of his works. marbeh raglaim 17:39, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
Margehragliam, you're trading messages with someone who has little faith in Wikipedia has a source for information, so this is the last time I will go round with you about this. I don't really care that much. In the work of T.S. Eliot, Earnest Hemingway, Henry Miller, and in the private letters of Philip Larkin, you will find far more daming evidence of anti-Semitism that you will find in the writings of Roald Dahl. Why make alleged anti-Semitism should a prominent part of Dahl's article? You will find nothing in his work to back in up except for a book review and some comments that may have been made intemperately in the aftermath of Israel's destructive actions in Lebanon. Calling someone an anti-Semite is a serious charge. I strongly recommend reserving it for people who deserve to be called that; otherwise, the word will become meaningless, as indeed it is becoming meaningless. P.S. A single short sentence can consitute a paragaraph. There are five paragraphs here about anti-Semitism. 71.139.33.169 20:24, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
I actually share some of your frustration with Wikipedia. For one thing, I found that after I made contributions, I felt compelled to keep checking periodically to make sure some anonymous user hadn't impulsively deleted or modified my work. I soon got burnt out and stopped bothering for a while. A few days ago was the first time I had logged on in months.
But I simply cannot agree with your narrow definition of anti-Semitism. You can certainly argue that Dahl's occasionally lashing out at Jews wasn't representative of his overall character--but it's still anti-Semitism by any standard definition of the term, and there's no excuse for such behavior, no matter what the political situation. To recognize that fact is not to render the concept meaningless. The majority of famous writers contemporary to Dahl did not ever lash out at Jews (though there were several who did). The fact that Dahl never apologized for these episodes, and that he eventually admitted to being an anti-Semite, makes the term all the more appropriate for him.
P.S. Count the paragraphs again--and more importantly, compare the LENGTH of the anti-Semitism section to that of the sections on his writings and works. The latter is definitely much longer--as it should be. marbeh raglaim 03:28, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

I propose a change to the heading to "Allegations of Anti-Semitism" or some such.-- LightWiki 02:25, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Second that motion. The only definitive proof of Dahl's admitted anti-semitism is a tertiary source, Foxman, who also happens to be president of the ADL. Until the Independent article demonstrating Dahl's alleged anti-semitism can be found, I believe the "allegations" qualifer is appropriate.
Third that motion, and will be adding a tag that requests that the source for the editor-changing-Jews-to-Israeli claim. --Mistsrider (talk) 20:01, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
I have removed the citation tag. The "claim" comes directly from Treglown's book, cited in the very next sentence. Treglown himself has a citation for the claim, and I may add it if you like. This discussion is months/years old, and I have since gotten better sources for some of the statements. For example, the ADL reference, which was only hearsay, has long since been replaced by a direct citation of the Dahl interview itself. A more up-to-date discussion of this section can be found more toward the bottom of the page. Please comment there for suggestions about improving the section. marbeh raglaim (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 20:21, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

One of the changes claim that the Oompa-Loompas are somehow a racist caricature of Africans. Is there any evidence for this? Does it say anywhere that Loompaland is in Africa? Any corroborative sources? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ketil (talk • contribs) 10:37, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

I changed "Anti-Semitic Remarks" to "Anti-Israeli" since that's what he called himself and not everyone equates Anti-Zionism with Anti-Semitism. Johhny-turbo (talk) 15:48, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Birthday

Does anyone else think it's not that interesting that he shares a birthday with Milton Hershey? I didn't want to just change it myself. Xyzzyva 17:17, Aug 23, 2004 (UTC)

Unless there's reason to believe it influenced him to write Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (and who knows, maybe it did?), I think it can be cut. Can anyone provide evidence that it made any impact on Dahl? Jwrosenzweig 17:56, 25 Aug 2004 (UTC)

WHO'S MILTON HERSHEY?!Atomic45 09:16, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interesting Trivia

I think it would unbalance the article to put this in now, but I know it's up for WP:CoTW, so perhaps it can be worked in once the article develops:

"Had it not been for letters - and their safe storage - we may never have found out that there really was a Willy Wonka who lived in Blue Hill, Nebraska. Nor that he wrote to Roald Dahl who, luckily, kept the letters. 'I really thought I had invented it [the name],' Dahl wrote, explaining that he had a boy-hood boomerang which he called a Skilly Wonka, which had inspired him. 'By changing two letters only, I arrived at Willy Wonka. This is the absolute truth, although I have so far told it to no one but you.' And now, us." [2] (para 8) --[[User:Bodnotbod|bodnotbod » .....TALKQuietly)]] 02:20, Sep 2, 2004 (UTC)


I believe there is a story in Boy which mention that Dahl used to receive free samples from Cadbury when he was in Repton. He said that this was his source of inspiration to write Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. ::--202.58.66.149 12:11, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)Alamount::

[edit] Over-revisions

If you look back at past versions of this page, it seems that half the page was edited out, including most of his biography. Can someone explain why? Can we put it back in? It seems to be all rather well written.--Theloniouszen 04:56, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Welsh or English?

Looking at the categories he is in, we can't make up our minds whether he was Welsh or English. I would consider him Welsh (Norwegian descent) by upbringing --MacRusgail 00:53, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

As he was born in Wales, I'd say he was Welsh/British. --Jenblower 20:24, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
Is there wikipedia policy on this? I tend to go towards either formative years (early schooling) or identification, and sometimes I put someone in both. I'd say Diane Duane would need to be categorised as both Irish and American, for example, for both her current and former nationality have a massive effect on her work and self-identification. But if policy is "nationality you had at birth" or "nationality you had at death", we should go with that. (I have similar questions about people who were born Soviet but died Russian/Ukranian /what-have-you. Does it depend on how influenced by the Soviets their work seems to critics? Heck, without a standard the categorization scheme almost counts as orginal research.) Deborah-jl Talk 15:56, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
Leave both; both are defensible. That's what cats are for. Both are supported by the article text, which explains what is going on here. Septentrionalis 21:14, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
I'm not terribly bothered whether he's classed as Welsh, English or British. However, this sentence does bother me: "His mother, however, rather than move back to Norway to live with her relatives, decided to stay in England - it had been her husband's wish to have their children educated in English school". This is referring to a period when I presume the family were still living in Llandaff/Cardiff. If they were in Cardiff, they were not in England. They were in Wales. This is easy to fix. But I don't know what to do with the end of the sentence. Was it her husband's wish that they were educated in English-language schools, schools in England, British schools, or local schools (which in fact would have been Welsh)? Someone who has a biography or other source needs to clarify this, because I would just be guessing. Telsa (talk) 18:17, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
I seem to remember from Boy that his father had thought "English schools were the best in the world - even better than Welsh schools", or something of the sort. I'm not sure about where his mother wanted to live though. garik 16:02, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
I changed "British" to "Welsh". I guess if anyone has a problem with this, change it back. OKTerrific 15:44, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety, illustrated by Quentin Blake

In which category would the above book appear in, if worth mentioning? --Jamdav86 11:49, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

It is already listed under non-fiction. --mervyn 16:11, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Doubts over some biographical details

Recently I saw a documentary on Dahl's life that cast doubt on certain details of his past, including (by his own admission) the air-crash story. The suggestion was that Dahl habitually reinvented his past, even in his own autobiography. I can't find any references to back this up, though, so I won't make any edits. --The-stickman 11:32, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Narrative

The article as a whole seems a bit unecessarily narrative - anyone agree/care to revise?

I do agree. How could anyone know if the following description is correct? "owned by a loathsome, mean old woman called Mrs Pratchett"
I think someone's been basing his early life bit entirely on "Boy" and "Going Solo"; Mrs. Pratchett was described nearly exactly in those terms in "Boy." Article could definitely use a lot of revision.--Yubishines 01:12, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Children's story

Should Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat (1959) be classed as a children's story in the list of works by Dahl?


[edit] another hitchcock episode

i'm certain that Lamb to the Slaughter (another short story of dahl's) was also adapted to screen for Alfred Hitcock theatre or whatever that show is called. maybe someone would add it in. Amirman 20:00, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Dislike for public schools

The impression that I got, from the autobiographical works as well as some of his short stories (and possibly his children's stories) was that Dahl was strongly critical of 'public schools' (i.e. private/independent schools) and the culture surrounding them. This appeared to be strongly influenced by his experience. However the article currently only mentions a few bad experiences and doesn't really mention this aspect at all. If my impressions are right and supported by other sources on Dahl, then these need to be mentioned Nil Einne 10:47, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Dahl & knighthood

I believe Dahl was offered something, MBE perhaps which is backed-up by some some paper which listed people who had rejected British honours/awards. He rejected it and it's widely believe to be because he felt he deserved a knighthood. We should mention this (at least the bit about what he was offered since I believe it's backed-up by a reliable source Nil Einne 10:51, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Conjecture: Children's Fiction

I hate editing out people contributions so have added my comment to this talk page. I disagree with the tone of the subsection "Children's Fiction". I have scanned and re-scanned this portion and find most of it to be rather flimsy in substance. I am no literary buff but I have read much of Dahl's Children's Fiction and find that there is little gender difference with regard to the Agonist or Villain/Villainness. Also I find the remark that the agonist is :- "perhaps a reference to the abuse that Dahl himself experienced in the boarding schools he attended" speculation in its purest form.

[edit] Israeli/Jewish

The anti-semitism section got it backwards: the published text said Jew/Jeiwsh and Dahl would later claim he had written Israel/Israeli. So I changed that. Also the text was written "allowing him to claim" which strongly suggests Dahl was just backpedalling. It's not the place of the article to make that insinuation. I believe my replacement is neutral.

I think you're a little confused. You've now made the article say that "the editor...changed Dahl's references from 'Israel' and 'Israeli' to 'Jews' and 'Jewish.'" This is backwards: first it said Jews/Jewish, then the editor changed it to Israel/Israeli. I'm changing it back to the way it was (except for the "allowing him to claim" part, which is a reasonable complaint). marbeh raglaim 23:52, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
I'm afraid [i]you're[/i] confused. Your version doesn't even make sense: why would Dahl claim this when he was trying to [i]combat[/i] perception of him as anti-semitic? As it's illogical and incorrect, I'm taking it out.
What the hell is this, Alice in Wonderland? Just to set the record straight, here is a direct quote from the Dahl biography which I have right in front of me: "The then editor of the Literary Review, Gillian Greenwood, changed 'Jews' to 'Israel,' 'Jewish' to 'Israeli,' allowing Dahl to claim later, 'I am not anti-Semitic. I am anti-Israel.'" I can't figure out what you mean by your question--"Why would Dahl claim this when he was trying to combat perception of him as anti-Semitic?" The editor made his text sound less anti-Semitic by changing his negative references to "Jews" into negative references to "Israel." This allowed Dahl to claim he wasn't anti-Semitic, because the article he supposedly had "written" did not attack Jews directly. What's so hard to understand about this? The current version of the article--"Gillian Greenwood, changed Dahl's references from 'Israel' and 'Israeli' to 'Jews' and 'Jewish'; thus Dahl would later claim, 'I am not anti-Semitic. I am anti-Israel.'"--is a pure non sequitur. So I'm changing it back not only to the way it was originally, but to the way it is in the book which reported it! marbeh raglaim 06:21, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
It's not a non-sequitur at all: Dahl's text is altered to NOT show his anti-semtism, thus allowing him to claim he's not anti-semitic. But in any case, if that's the direct quote, that's what it is. The problem is the sequence in the article. Let me quote it to you:
Dahl's review stated that the Israeli attack on Lebanon in June 1982 was when: "we all started hating Jews," and that the book would make readers "violently anti-Jewish." According to Dahl's biographer, Jeremy Treglown, the editor of the Literary Review, Gillian Greenwood, changed Dahl's references from "Jews" and "Jewish" to "Israel" and "Israeli"; thus Dahl would later claim, "I am not anti-Semitic. I am anti-Israel." [2] Dahl believed that his review kept him from being knighted, something that he craved.
If Dahl's REVIEW that's "when we all started hating Jews", then any change would have been *TO* Jews--since what his review stated is what APPEARED, not what he may have wrote when he sent it in. As you said: "This allowed Dahl to claim he wasn't anti-Semitic, because the article he supposedly had "written" did not attack Jews directly." But in fact, the Wiki entry leads us to think that the article that appeared DID mention Jews directly. I appreciate you finding the quote, but I'm changing the first part of this section so that the later *ostensive* alteration makes sense.
You might argue that the fact that this biographer claimed it makes it a fact more than the printed record of the article. But that's only one version; Dahl's is at least as valid and it would be more neutral to rely on the published version of the story than any person's after-the-fact investigation of it. And again, the article refers not to what Dahl says but to what Dahl's review said.
I think the change you have made in its current form is fair. The problem I had was the statement that the editor Gillian Greenwood changed the references from "Israel" to "Jews," which is in fact the reverse of what happened. However, I see you've now kept that part the way it was originally, which is how it should be. marbeh raglaim 12:09, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
Can anyone find a credible source from the Internet regarding the article on Summer 1983 about Roald Dahl writing a review in Literary review of the book God Cried? I think the first paragraph should be removed. 17:23, 14 September 2007 (UK Time)

[edit] pedophile?

A professor of mine recently informed our class that Roald Dahl was a "known pedophile." It is not mentioned on the wiki, and I was wondering if anyone knew whether or not this actually true, or simply a vicious rumor.

I've never heard of this. The Dahl biography I own says nothing on it. Perhaps the professor friend of yours was confusing Dahl with Lewis Carroll (who was a suspected, not known, pedophile). marbeh raglaim 11:21, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
Insofar as "pedophile" is synonymous with "children's author", "anti-semite" and "married to Patricia Neal", then yes, Roald Dahl was a pedophile. But he was not (known to be) a pedophile in the generally accepted sense. He was already loathsome enough without having that to contend with. - Maggie --70.50.76.43 00:27, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] IPA pronounciation

the IPA does not come up correctly on my screen. I am not sure it if is because of my PC settings, or because some one made in incorrectly. I does not look good and should be deleted (IMO).Digital20 22:44, 12 October 2006 (UTC) —Digital20 talk

[edit] Why?

I found something wrong in the page. Its said Roald Dahl was died in the year of <1990>, but the page saids that some book writen by Roald Dahl <were finished in 1991>. --Mikelau97 08:52, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it is correct -- the books had been written but not published by the time of his death -- they were released posthumously by his publisher. --mervyn 10:47, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Comments

Comments

Roald Dahl, an inspiring author WikiMan53 T/C 17:39, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Lack of Citation

There is not a single citation in the Biography section, and only one citation at the very end in the World War II section. Nearly all of the Family section is uncited (for one example out of many: the direct quotation from Sophie Dahl at the end of this section goes entirely uncited -- what article/interview/book is this quotation from?). There is also no citation in the entire Writing section.

To sum up, for an article of this length, there are only eight citations throughout the entire article. Only three of these citations are found outside of the anti-semitism section. Rikome 06:13, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

True. Much of the biographical fact as a whole can be checked against the main Source given -- the ODNB article -- but certainly it would benefit from citations at specific points. --mervyn 09:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Perfect Bedtime Stories For Sleepless Nights

I can't find this book listed anywhere in the article? It's an omnibus though and I'm not sure of wikipedias policy on this, should it be added? 131.111.228.251 19:55, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Anti-Semitism section

Alright, I'm REALLY tired of users just popping in and destroying this well-documented section just because they're offended by it. They call it "one-sided," but I have yet to hear a single coherent explanation of the "other side" (whatever that may be). And please, no more lame arguments about "just because he was anti-Israel doesn't mean he was anti-Semitic." Hello??? He specifically attacked Jews, not just Israel, and in an interview with The Independent shortly before his death he admitted to being an anti-Semite. This isn't Jimmy Carter we're talking about, but one of the most obvious and unambiguous cases of celebrity anti-Semitism in modern times, and I simply can't believe that some people have trouble recognizing that fact. Why should you? You think I'm smearing him? I happen to be a big fan of Dahl's fiction, but his anti-Semitic statements later in life are important and relevant. Just because he was a fallible human being, subject to nasty prejudices, doesn't mean he wasn't a talented writer. I just want the truth to remain on this page. Stop tampering with it. marbeh raglaim 14:18, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't necessarily disagree with your arguments, but the fact remains that the "Anti-Semitism" section, as it stands, is badly sourced and disingenuously worded. Despite the phrase "according to at least two biographers" (er, how many biographers exactly? And who are they?), all claims of anti-Semitism in the article ultimately lead back to a single biography, namely Jeremy Treglown's.
If we can trace and cite the original "Independent" interview (which issue? which page?) instead of Treglown's biography, then this whole section would carry more weight. 217.155.20.163 23:17, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Mildenhall Treasure

I have always believed 'The Mildenhall Treasure' (the short story - not the collection) was non-fiction, yet it is listed in the article under Dahl's fiction works. Wolfgang Cash 11:58, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, thanks, have corrected this. --mervyn 08:15, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Playboy

Roald Dahl also took photos for Playboy, did he not, including the "007's Oriental Eyefuls" pictorial based on the Japanese women featured in You Only Live Twice? 76.1.71.170 00:48, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Anti-Semitism: current version

I finally found, through a Lexis-Nexis search, the original Independent interview where he seemed to admit to being anti-Semitic. I have updated the article, and I avoided changing the section more than necessary. Instead of calling it "Allegations of Anti-Semitism," or simply "Anti-Semitism," I have titled it "Perceived Anti-Semitism." People who are unsatisfied with my changes should discuss it here. Here is the current version as I have changed it (with the references in brackets).

[edit] Perceived Anti-Semitism

In the summer of 1983, he wrote a book review for the Literary Review of God Cried by Newsweek writer Tony Clifton, a picture book about the invasion of Lebanon by Israel. Dahl's review stated that the Israeli attack on Lebanon in June 1982 was when "we all started hating Israel," and that the book would make readers "violently anti-Israeli". According to biographer Jeremy Treglown, Dahl had originally written "when we all started hating Jews" - but editor Gillian Greenwood of the Literary Review changed Dahl's terms from "Jews" and "Jewish" to "Israel" and "Israeli".

On the basis of the published version, Dahl would later claim, "I am not anti-Semitic. I am anti-Israel."[ref: Roald Dahl An Autobiography, Jeremy Treglown (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1994), pp. 255-256.]

He told a reporter in 1983 that: "There is a streak in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity". [ref: Philip Howard, ‘Dahl, Roald (1916–1990)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 16 Sept 2007] He further exclaimed, that even a miserable man such as Hitler did not pick on them for no reason. [ref: Philip Howard, ‘Dahl, Roald (1916–1990)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 16 Sept 2007]

Nonetheless, according to Treglown, Dahl maintained friendships with a handful of individual Jews. [ref: Treglown, p. 255]

In later years, Dahl occasionally tried to downplay some of the accusations of anti-Semitism. He included a sympathetic episode about German-Jewish refugees in his book Going Solo, and on another occasion he claimed that he was opposed to injustice, not Jews. [ref: Treglown, p. 258] He never retreated from his strong stance against Israel, however, and shortly before his death in 1990 he told the British newspaper The Independent, "I'm certainly anti- Israeli and I've become anti-Semitic in as much as that you get a Jewish person in another country like England strongly supporting Zionism," and he added that Jews "control the media." [ref: Brian Appleyard. "Interview: Roald and the promiscuous girl." The Independent (London), March. 21, 1990, p. 15.]

User marbeh raglaim, I assume this was written by you? Sorry about the cite tag, I somehow missed that the biographer and the speaker were the same person. Is the consensus then that the section should be named, Anti-Semetic Remarks as opposed to the "current" version above that states it as Perceived Anti-Semitism? --Mistsrider (talk) 08:41, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm not sure. Calling Dahl's remarks mere "alleged" or "perceived" anti-Semitism makes it sound like there's some doubt. There isn't. I called the section "anti-Semitic remarks" to emphasize that the article is not necessarily casting judgment on Dahl the person. It's simply a fact that he made some anti-Semitic remarks later in his life, and he eventually admitted to harboring some anti-Semitic feelings. While occasional users have tried to downplay or delete the information in this section, not one of them has provided a good reason so far or even been willing to discuss the matter here. The only argument I've heard is "He was merely criticizing Israel"--which is flatly untrue. marbeh raglaim (talk) 00:00, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Pronunciation

My grandmother told me that Roald is properly pronounced IPA: /ruˈɑːld/, though IPA: /roʊld/ or IPA: /ˈrəʊəld/ is certainly more common. Can anybody confirm/provide a source? -- Smjg 13:30, 2 November 2007 (UTC)