Was Dahl a Nazi?

[pidge_nyc]

Someone told me that Roald Dahl was a nazi sympathizer. I can’t find anything on a search. Has anyone else heard this?

[Lamia]

*Originally posted by pidge_nyc *
**Someone told me that Roald Dahl was a nazi sympathizer. I can’t find anything on a search. Has anyone else heard this? **

No, and I doubt it is true since Dahl fought the Nazis during WWII. But I don’t really know…someone who does is bound to come along, though. This is the SDMB, after all.

[Green_Bean]

Lamia is correct. His war stories are fascinating. Could you ask the person who told you where he/she heard this?

[Johanna]

The first Dahl story I read as a kid was one of his WWII tales, “Beware of the Dog.” About an Allied fighter pilot shot down, captured, and hospitalized by fiendishly clever Nazis. But the hero is cleverer than them! It was inspired by his real life adventure as an Allied fighter pilot: shot down, captured, and hospitalized by the enemy.

No one capable of writing such an anti-authoritarian, think-for-yourself novel like Matilda could possibly be remotely sympathetic to Nazism. Get real.

[don_t_ask]

*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo *
**It was inspired by his real life adventure as an Allied fighter pilot: shot down, captured, and hospitalized by the enemy.

**

I don’t believe that Dahl was actually captured by the Germans. IIRC - he was shot down in Libya and Syria, and then posted to Washington for the rest of the war.

[dylan_73]

I think the confusion may be that he was accused of being anti-Semitic.

From http://www.roalddahlfans.com/biographies/biotregrev2.php

And he could be truly repellent, not merely a bully but a bigot, as a public literary controversy in 1983 made plain. Dahl’s anti–Semitic review of a book about the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which appeared in The Literary Review, was roundly attacked; this row was a matter of principle, his critics rightly saw, and the principle for Dahl was rank prejudice against Jews. “Even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason,” he offered in his own defense.

This, of course, isn’t the same as being a Nazi sympathizer. Perhaps that’s what you heard?

[mobo85]

Oompa-loompa-doopity-doo,
If you are wise, you will kill a Jew!

[Quasimodem]

*Originally posted by mobo85 *
**Oompa-loompa-doopity-doo,
If you are wise, you will kill a Jew! **

Since you did not enclose your comment in quotes, I have to assume that this is your attempt at humor.

I am neither a moderator nor Jewish, but I find what you have written offensive.

Quasimodem

[manhattan]

*Originally posted by mobo85 *
**Oompa-loompa-doopity-doo,
If you are wise, you will kill a Jew! **

Care to explain this one, mobo?

[Cap_n_Crude]

Well, since Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, otherwise known as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I’d say it was a ham-handed attempt at humor.

Speaking as a jew, I find it funny, but in the broader sense I realize it’s tasteless and poorly done. If, as I seriously doubt, mobo85 wasn’t trying to put words in Dahl’s mouth for humorous intent, then I’ll be offended.

[mobo85]

I must apologize for this nonsense. I was not, as you put it, “putting words in Dahl’s mouth.” I was just making a stupid joke about a filmed version of one of Dahl’s books and one of the more well known aspects of Nazism.

[manhattan]

That’s cool. We’ve all made a joke that fell flat. I’m just checking, is all.

[Quasimodem]

…goes for me as well, Mobo. I hope there are no hard feelings.

Quasi

[jjimm]

Perhaps you misheard the word “nazi” - if they had met him, they would probably have said “Roald Dahl was a bastard.”

[pidge_nyc]

i work for the publishing company that puts out his books. A jewish friend of mine said Dahl was a Nazi, but maybe he meant “anti-semetic.” I was just intrigued when he mentioned this, because I know that Dahl fought in WWII.

Thanks for your input. He probably was just a bastard, which I have also heard.