Roald Dahl’s Antisemitism Explained: What To Know About the Children’s Book Author’s Controversial Legacy

Carly Tagen-DyeWed, March 11, 2026 at 6:57 PM UTC

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Roald Dahl in 1971Credit: Ronald Dumont/Daily Express/Getty -

Roald Dahl was known for a long list of beloved children's books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG and Matilda

But the author, who died in 1990, also had a history of antisemitism

Here is what to know about Dahl's antisemitic remarks, ahead of the Broadway premiere of Giant, a new play about the literary figure's controversial past

Roald Dahl remains one of the most well-known children’s book authors, whose work includes beloved novels like The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, the latter two of which also became much-loved films.But a new play, Giant, which begins previews on Broadway on March 11, explores the darker side of Dahl’s legacy — notably, his antisemitism.“Lots of people know Roald Dahl’s writing," John Lithgow, who stars as Dahl in the play, said in a March 9 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. "You know he has his dark side as a writer; well, he had his dark side as a human being. [He was] a man of great charm, great wit and intelligence, but with a streak of witting and unwitting cruelty.”Giant, written by Mark Rosenblatt, focuses on an infamous 1983 publication in which Dahl expressed his antisemitic beliefs, along with the “true scandal that shook his legacy," per the play’s synopsis. Here is what to know about Dahl’s history of antisemitism.

Who was Roald Dahl?

Roald Dahl in 1960Credit: Ben Martin/Getty

Roald Dahl was born on Sept. 13, 1916, to Norwegian parents Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Dahl in Cardiff, Wales. His older sister, Astri, died from appendicitis in 1920 at age 7, and his father died of pneumonia weeks later at age 57. Dahl attended British boarding school Repton beginning at age 13, and graduated in 1934.In 1939, Dahl enlisted in the Royal Air Force following the outbreak of World War II. In 1942, he was sent to Washington, D.C., where he became an assistant air attaché at the British Embassy. There, he was encouraged by novelist C.S. Forester to write about his wartime experiences. Dahl’s first short story was published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1942.Dahl published his debut children’s book, The Gremlins, in 1943. He would write many well-known children’s books over the years, including James and the Giant Peach (1961), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970), The BFG (1982), The Witches (1983) and Matilda (1988). Many of these books were adapted for the stage and screen.Dahl also published his autobiography in two volumes: Boy: Tales of Childhood in 1984 and Going Solo in 1986.

What is Roald Dahl’s history of antisemitism?

Roald Dahl in 1976Credit: Tony Evans/Getty

Dahl made several antisemetic remarks throughout his career. In a 1983 review published in Britain’s Literary Review, on a photo book detailing Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Dahl wrote, “The authentic tales of horror and bestiality throughout this book make one wonder in the end what sort of people these Israelis are. It is like the good old Hitler and Himmler times all over again.”Referencing Jewish people, the author wrote, “Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers.”In an interview with British magazine New Statesman, also published in 1983, Dahl infamously 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.”In a 1990 interview with The Independent, before his death that year at age 74, Dahl blatantly stated that he was antisemitic.“I'm certainly anti-Israel and I've become antisemitic inasmuch as that you get a Jewish person in another country like England strongly supporting Zionism,” the author said. "I think they should see both sides. It’s the same old thing: we all know about Jews and the rest of it. There aren’t any non-Jewish publishers anywhere, they control the media — jolly clever thing to do — that’s why the president of the United States has to sell all this stuff to Israel.”

How has Roald Dahl’s antisemitism impacted his legacy?

Roald DahlCredit: Tim Jenkins/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

Dahl’s antisemitic remarks have affected his legacy in recent years. In 2018, The Guardian reported that plans to honor the author’s life and career with a Royal Mint commemorative coin were cancelled, due to his association with anti-Semitism and for not being regarded as “an author of the highest reputation.”In 2020, Dahl’s family, along with the Roald Dahl Story Company, issued a now-deleted statement on Roald Dahl's official website, in which they apologized for "the lasting and understandable hurt caused by some of Roald Dahl’s statements."

"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," the statement 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.”

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That statement is now published on the Anti-Racism Statement page on the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre's website.The Campaign Against Antisemitism released their own statement that year, which called out the discreetness of the apology, along with its overdue nature.

“For his family and estate to have waited 30 years to make an apology, apparently until lucrative deals were signed with Hollywood, is disappointing and sadly rather more comprehensible,” the statement, also now deleted, read. “It is a shame that the estate has seen fit merely to apologize for Dahl’s anti-Semitism rather than to use its substantial means to do anything about it. The apology should have come much sooner and been published less obscurely.”In a December 2020 statement to The Sunday Times, the Dahl family responded: “Apologising for the words of a much-loved grandparent is a challenging thing to do, but made more difficult when the words are so hurtful to an entire community. We loved Roald, but we passionately disagree with his antisemitic comments.”

“This is why we chose to apologise on our website, an apology easily found on Google … These comments do not reflect what we see in his work — a desire for the acceptance of everyone equally — and were entirely unacceptable. We are truly sorry.”

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, located in Buckinghamshire, England, has worked with several organizations, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, to train their staff, per their website. While the museum does not repeat Dahl's statements publicly, the organization does keep records of Dahl’s antisemitic statements in their collection, “so it is not forgotten.”

"Roald Dahl’s racism is undeniable and indelible but what we hope can also endure is the potential of Dahl’s creative legacy to do some good," a statement on the museum's website reads.

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