Don’t fret. You HAVE to separate the art from the artist. EVERYONE has character flaws. Some more than others.

In fact I caution people about meeting their ‘heroes’, lest they find out they are human. People have burned records after meeting their favorite band and they turned out to be huge assholes. If you learn too much about an artist you like, it may taint and affect your enjoyment of their art.

Many writers, artists, etc. have huge drug or alcohol problems. They might be deviants, anti-whatever, and beat their kids or name them things like “apple” and “blanket”. Some people just simply are not nice. Some might be great to hang out with or very fan friendly, but a mess in other areas, such as their morals or health.

Check this article out: Roald Dahl’s Darkest Hour
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/biographyandmemoirreviews/7930233/Roald-Dahls-darkest-hour.html

Not that I’m backing him up. I’m glad Willy Wonka pissed him off.

Might have something to do with that wildly different perspective on things that you think makes their work great.

It’s too bad you can’t be in control of their genius, but then again you like it sometimes when they aren’t.

I think it says that we promote and support bullies, until they bully us personally.

I still think the world of the man, asshat and all.”

It says that we are an enlightened culture who support art in all of its forms, and who use social sanctions against private expressions of douchebaggery. He was not a “bully” in public or through his works.

I think it says that we promote and support bullies, until they bully us personally.

I still think the world of the man, asshat and all.

While I don’t consider it nothing, I consider anti-Semitism and other racist leanings less of a character flaw in people who lived that long ago; the culture had a lot to do with shaping racial feelings.

Anyone still a racist AFTER the Nazis and Civil Rights era has developed these attitudes IN SPITE of the general culture and pretty much chosen to hate rather than simply being ignorant.

Totally unrelated: his daughter is gorgeous. That’s the main thing I remember from the documentary.

And does it make any difference to the quality of his books? Not really. In fact, whether an author is personally lovely or hateful seems to make little difference in many cases.

And I think I’ve mis-remembered my issues with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The only thing I remember for certain is that i didn’t like it. It was too melodramatic, even for a kids book, well, for a kids book that I would like.

I personally feel the misogyny charges to be without foundation. Girls are the heroines in BFG and especially Matilda. You can point to the Witches, sure, where all the villains are female, however in that book Dahl points out that while witches are always female, ghouls are always male. As are barghests. Also, the most positive character in The Witches is the protagonists grandmother, who is one of Dahls few perfect adults. She’s also very clearly modelled on his own mother, who he adored.

There’s more, but this is coming from a phone. Please search out the biography, it’s fascinating from the povs of history, literature and psychology, as well as Roald Dahl.

The more I look over this article, and the intelligent comments written here and over there, the more I realize this article is a stupid, poorly-written, attention-seeking piece by someone who projects his own fixations wherever he looks.

Actually, now that I think about it, I should probably see if I can convince him to let me record them. He’s not getting any younger and those stories have me rolling on the floor laughing every time I hear them.