Moises Kaufman on Roald Dahl's Antisemitism in Play 'Giant'
Playwright Moises Kaufman discusses Mark Rosenblatt's play 'Giant', which dramatizes Roald Dahl's 1983 antisemitic outburst. Set in Dahl's English country home, the play depicts the author's refusal to apologize for a review criticizing Israel's siege of Beirut, laced with antisemitic stereotypes. Kaufman argues the play is powerful because it shows antisemitism as an integrated ideology, not a glitch, sustained by vanity and social accommodation. The play premiered in 2026 and has been praised for not offering easy moral clarity.
Key facts
- Play 'Giant' by Mark Rosenblatt premiered in 2026.
- Set in 1983 at Roald Dahl's English country home.
- Dahl wrote a review criticizing Israel's siege of Beirut with antisemitic stereotypes.
- Dahl's fiancée and Jewish publisher tried to coax an apology.
- A junior female representative from Farrar, Straus and Giroux confronted Dahl.
- Dahl ultimately doubled down on his antisemitic views.
- Kaufman says the play treats antisemitism as an ideology integrated into worldview.
- The play implicates those who rationalize or deflect prejudice.
Entities
Artists
- Moises Kaufman
- Mark Rosenblatt
- Roald Dahl
- Aya Cash
- John Lithgow
Institutions
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Locations
- England
- Beirut
- New York