A museum dedicated to British best-selling author Roald Dahl has condemned his anti-Semitic views, saying his racism was “unmistakable and indelible”.
In a statement published on its website this week, the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Center near London said it “condemns any racism against any group or individual” and fully supported a 2020 statement by the author’s family and estate apologizing for his anti-Semitism.
Dahl, who wrote numerous beloved children’s books, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” was a self-proclaimed anti-Semitic, who made disparaging remarks about Jewish people on multiple occasions. He died in 1990 at the age of 74.
The museum, in his former home in Great Missenden, England, is an independent charity that Dahl’s widow, Felicity Dahl, founded in 2001.
The organization said it was working to become more welcoming by conducting accessible and inclusive recruitment campaigns for staff and board positions. “We are working hard to do better and know we have more to do,” the museum said.
The museum said it had been working with multiple Jewish organizations since 2021 and staff and trustees had received training from the Antisemitism Policy Trust.
“We want to continue to listen and talk to explore how our organization can further contribute to combating hate and prejudice, and support the work of experts already working in this field, including those from the Jewish community,” the museum said.
Dahl’s legacy as a children’s author has become increasingly complicated.
His works have been called anti-social, brutal and anti-feminist. In February it was announced that new editions of his works had been rewritten in an effort to make them less offensive and more inclusive. It was reported that hundreds of words, including descriptions of character appearances, races and genders, had been removed from some of his books. Some called the changes absurd, while others said they were alarmed.
A spokesman for Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, citing a work by Dahl, told the BBC at the time: “When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the Prime Minister agrees with the BFG that we shouldn’t fumble around with words.”
Despite the criticism, Dahl’s works remain staples for young readers and are frequently reimagined for the silver screen. A third adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant, will be released this year.