Roald Dahl died 30 years ago, but as his official website boasts, he has continued his “extraordinary mission to amaze, thrill and inspire generations of children and their parents”.
The enduring popularity of his books decades after he died, aged 74 in 1990, has also proved lucrative for generations of his descendants. His estate posted revenues of £23m in its latest accounts.
However, one unfortunate detail continues to cast a shadow over his legacy and brand: Dahl’s self-confessed antisemitism, which manifested itself in a notorious interview with the New Statesman in 1983.
In it, he 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