The Roald Dahl Museum in England, founded by the beloved children’s author’s widow, said his racism was “undeniable and indelible,” CNN and News.ro reported.

Roald Dahl, who died in 1990, is the creator of such famous characters as Matilda, the Big Friendly Giant, Fantastic Mr Fox, Willy Wonka and the Tweets.

His books have sold over 300 million copies and have been translated into 63 languages, with numerous adaptations of his works for both the big and small screen.

However, the author has long been considered controversial due to his openly anti-Semitic views. Now the museum, based in the Buckinghamshire village of Great Missenden, where Dahl lived, has released a statement on its website saying it “fully supports” the apology made by the Dahl family and the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2020 in connection with the author. anti-Semitic views.

“We condemn any racism directed against any group or individual,” the museum added.

What Roald Dahl’s family said about his anti-Semitic statements

In 2020, the Dahl Group said it “profoundly apologizes for the ongoing and understandable pain” caused by the writer’s statements. “These prejudicial remarks are incomprehensible to us,” the statement said.

Roald Dahl made a number of publicly anti-Semitic comments throughout his career, including in a 1983 New Statesman interview in which he said:

“There is a trait in the Jewish character that creates hostility, perhaps a kind of lack of magnanimity toward non-Jews. I mean, there’s always a reason why anti-somethings pop up anywhere; even such a scoundrel as Hitler did not take them without a reason.”

The museum reveals that starting in 2021 it is in dialogue with several organizations of the Jewish community. The museum says it will not publicly repeat Roald Dahl’s anti-Semitic remarks, but keeps a record of them in the museum’s collection “so they are not forgotten.”

“Roald Dahl’s racism is undeniable and indelible, but what we hope will endure is the potential of Dahl’s creative legacy to bring about something good,” the museum said.

The Jewish community welcomes the museum’s decision

The Roald Dahl Museum confirmed to CNN on Thursday that the online statement released this week is also on display in its gallery. In a response sent to CNN, a spokesman for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said:

“Mr. Dahl’s stories have entertained and captivated millions of children and should continue to do so. At the same time, it is important that the museum and the website dedicated to the author present the whole story of his life and work, including his dark side.”

Separately, in a statement sent to CNN, Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, welcomed the museum’s recognition of the author’s anti-Semitism.

“The new statements—in the gallery at the entrance and on the website—are an important starting point for providing the full story of a man whose work is valued by millions. I look forward to working more closely with the museum to explore other ways of raising public awareness of this issue and educating them about anti-Jewish hatred,” she said.

Roald Dahl’s books were recently at the center of a bitter controversy after their British publisher said new editions would be rewritten to remove words deemed offensive, but the dispute was not over allegations of anti-Semitism.

The Gallimard publishing house, which publishes his works in France, refused to censor the books.