To think Roald Dahl books should be banned in schools and libraries....

[Oakenbeach]

.... because he’s known to have had expressed some highly anti-Semitic opinions.

You can buy it on Amazon - no reason it shouldn't be in a small-town library!

Cost, likelihood of being borrowed, relevance to the local population - all good reasons not to spend a small-town library's tiny budget when anyone interested can either buy it themselves or try for access to a university library, or even use inter-library loans. This is what I mean by curation, you've got to understand your borrowers. It's not about restricting access in this context, it's about meeting needs.

YABVU - I am Jewish and the sad fact is the world would be bereft of some great stuff if we just banned everyone who ever expressed antisemitic experiences. Sometimes I think art has to be separated from the views of its creator, as long as the view isn't coming through in the art.

*antisemitic opinions, not experiences!

Banning 'Mein Kampf' - yes! Banning 'James and the Giant Peach' - er... no!

I second what everyone has said.

And keep your hands off Tales of the Unexpected, as well.

Ah well silentcrow - if your only reasoning on this was cost it would have been helpful if you'd made that clear as it followed swiftly after what you had decided was "appropriate" for certain people to be exposed to rather than "we can't stock everything so I'm making the call that small-towners aren't going to read Mein Kamph:...

Banning 'Mein Kampf' - er... no!

Book burners don't just stop with the stuff "everyone" "knows" is "bad". They don't stop.

Quite.

I agree, if you erase it from history through censorship, it feels like an excuse for it to all be repeated.

Also, anybody here who feels like they're unshockable should try reading some De Sade... if they haven't banned that, most other literature should be safe.

Oh please, so it's gone from accusing a great writer of harbouring potentially controversial opinions to a comparison with a racist and dangerous former dictator who wrote a book which is not known for its eloquence?

You are surely not comparing Roald Dahl with Hitler? Awful awful awful work. Absolutely despicable juxtaposition.

he should not be celebrated

In your opinion. For many, many children he has written stories that have taught them to love books, love reading and opened their eyes to a world of joy. You're being hideously U to claim his literary genius should be anything other than celebrated. I teach young children and cannot put into words how enthralled children are by his stories, even now in a world of iPads and xboxes.

I rememnber reading The Witches as a child while on my own in the house. It creeped me out totally. I had to go out and sit in the garden to wait for the rest of my family to come home, as I just couldn't bear to be alone in the house.

Anyway, I thought this would be about removing them for being toog dark and scary.

But no, I think historical works by deceased artists should be taken on their own merits. Maybe if he was still alive and out there in the public eye saying dodgy things then that would be a different story.

I don't see why he should be celebrated. Children can enjoy his books but there is no need to put an anti-semite on a pedestal.

Ignorant sexists and racists should not be celebrated. Their works can be appreciated without them being celebrated. Their so-called genius should not trump the massive negative impact they have on large swathes of society.

Recently there was a young lady at Oxford University whose grievous wounding of her boyfriend was excused because she was a genius.

Dahl was a prolific children's author. Good book but that does not cover his disgusting and unacceptable views. It would appear that because of his so-called genius he shoukd be given a free pass? Is there no consequence for his legacy? Is that the message to other so-called geniuses? That they can get away with abhorrent views and behaviours because hey-ho they are geniuses.

I don't think the books should be banned but he should not be celebrated. There should be consequences for his legacy. There is no reason he should be let off the hook. No matter his so-called genius.

YABU yes

English literature from Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Evelyn Waugh is riddled with anti-semitism - best thing is to be aware and discuss- not to ban.
Genuine question helmet, which Evelyn Waugh book is antisemitic?

Paedophilia and child abuse is not a transgression!! and trying to compare it with this discussion is just insulting to victims of child abuse.

Evelyn Waugh had rude things to say about all manner of people and so I'd be surprised if Jews were excepted.

I wouldn't be surprised to discover that Black Mischief had been removed from libraries.

Anti-semitism and racism are crimes. I was not comparing these crimes to paedophilia or child abuse as equals. The context here is about crimes being overlooked because it was committed decades ago. Regardless of the severity of the crime, a person should answer for their crimes. In some cases that requires jail because of the severity. In other cases, it might simply involve vilification or not being celebrated.

A crime is a crime in its own right. I was not equating the crimes. The context was excusing crimes or abhorrent behaviour because they happened in the past and that during those time there was an air of acceptability.

There is a lot in your post that is fallacious, but I'll just pick this bit.

Ignorant sexists and racists should not be celebrated. Their works can be appreciated without them being celebrated. Their so-called genius should not trump the massive negative impact they have on large swathes of society.

Dahl's impact on society is through his books, and that influence is undeniably good.

It's in the nature of a free society that we should appreciate great art without concerning ourselves with the artists' personal views.

Evelyn Waugh’s published letters, diaries and articles- while beautifully written! - show him as an open antisemite. These attitudes seep into his early work (apparently) I’ve only read a couple by him- scoop - is regarded as racist and anti Semitic, so is Decline and fall.

Anti-Semitism and racism are crimes.

Well no, actually they aren't. 'Thought crime' isn't a crime. We're not living in 1984. Discrimination may be a crime. Racist abuse or anti-Semitic actions may be crimes. But just being racist or anti-Semitic isn't.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" And in this case, I wouldn't be reading any of his repulsive views. But his books aren't a reflection of his racism.

It’s well known that he’s anti-Semitic but annoyingly his books are amazing. Hr also hated children - which is more obvious in his books I’d say then anti-Jewish sentiment.
A lot of authors, composers and artists had dodgy views but we are appreciating their works, not their views.
I think it would be different nowadays if a current author came out as racist in any form. They’d be vilified, but RD is long dead and hopefully the relatives that profit from the estate don’t hold such abhorrent views.

Tompinch, you mean in the past so-called free society used to ignore racism and sexism? I think you will find now that a free society for all means that all should be able to experience their society without being freely abused and then being told "don't concern yourself with the thoughts and views of our geniuses".

I see absolutely no reason why in a free society people, especially those in the public eye shouldn't be expected, in a free society, to behave properly and shunned when they don't.

Yes Terry, racism including Anti-semitism are hate crimes. He did not just hold those thoughts in his head, did he?

By all means, hold your abhorrent views to yourself by your genius does not give you a free pass in a free society to abuse others or make them feel unwelcomed or threatened.