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I just found something interesting today. It turns out that famed children's writer Roald Dahl was a british spy who seduced women in positions of power or women related to people in high places of power. So Roald Dahl was a spy which is cool, he was a womanizer which is okay, but then I flipped through some of the book and found out that he was a british spy spying on america.

Here I thought Roald Dahl was this wholesome person writing children's novels and then this book tells me that he spied on america, it was like the legend of Mr. Rogers being a green beret.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/books/review/Heilbrunn-t.html

The link above is to the book that I found in Barnes and Noble when I was looking for another book, but I want to ask dakkanauts about a time when they have discovered something that ruined their perception of a childhood hero or childhood idol.

How does that ruin it for you?

I think he is even more awesome.

I can't get mad at a guy for being a spy for his own country, particularly if its an ally of ours.

Does he say "Gentlemen?" or Sap Sentries?

He wrote a story about a man who though he turned into a giant penis

Good for him, I guess.

How does that ruin anything? You think America doesn't have spies in allied countries?

Well damn. *glares at America*

*pause*

*glares at France even more*


[edit for typo]

youbedead wrote:He wrote a story about a man who though he turned into a giant penis

Orly?

battle Brother Lucifer wrote:

youbedead wrote:He wrote a story about a man who though he turned into a giant penis

Orly?

BBL, you summoned him.

Darkvoidof40k wrote:

battle Brother Lucifer wrote:

youbedead wrote:He wrote a story about a man who though he turned into a giant penis

Orly?

BBL, you summoned him.

But seriously, I don't believe that such a book exists. If someone would please prove me wrong/right, I would be grateful.

This is something of a tradition for British children's authors. Arthur Ransome was accused of spying for both sides during the Russian Revolution.

Didn't he write Charlie and The Chocolate factory and the BFG? I've read both of those. He's a wonderful author. It's not surprising, to be honest All creative people dabble in other stuff :3

Samus_aran115 wrote:Didn't he write Charlie and The Chocolate factory and the BFG? I've read both of those. He's a wonderful author. It's not surprising, to be honest All creative people dabble in other stuff :3

Andy Chambers wrote BFG...

MeanGreenStompa wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:Didn't he write Charlie and The Chocolate factory and the BFG? I've read both of those. He's a wonderful author. It's not surprising, to be honest All creative people dabble in other stuff :3

Andy Chambers wrote BFG...

Ah, my mistake. I got both books around the same time, so the authors kind of blended together BFG is an awesome book though :3

Samus_aran115 wrote:

MeanGreenStompa wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:Didn't he write Charlie and The Chocolate factory and the BFG? I've read both of those. He's a wonderful author. It's not surprising, to be honest All creative people dabble in other stuff :3

Andy Chambers wrote BFG...

Ah, my mistake. I got both books around the same time, so the authors kind of blended together BFG is an awesome book though :3

You missed the joke there a bit samus

Andy chambers wrote Battle Fleet Gothic, Roald Dahl wrote the big friendly giant.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:Didn't he write Charlie and The Chocolate factory and the BFG? I've read both of those. He's a wonderful author. It's not surprising, to be honest All creative people dabble in other stuff :3

Andy Chambers wrote BFG...

Afraid not, my good man.

EDIT-

Wait a minute... You are brilliant, MGS.

Who said BFG?

To me, the fact that he was a spy just makes him even MORE awesome.

Seriously? Can we get through a single OT discussion without someone taking advantage of an acronym?

(which doom is that? 2? 3? I can't tell)

This story is on of the best things I have heard in a long time.

He was a spy which was cool, but the fact that this seemingly wholesome writer went around sleeping with women. If he wrote more mature literature then I could see it, but kids books, I mean what if Dr. Seuss went around seducing the elderly before becoming an author.

halonachos wrote:He was a spy which was cool, but the fact that this seemingly wholesome writer went around sleeping with women. If he wrote more mature literature then I could see it, but kids books, I mean what if Dr. Seuss went around seducing the elderly before becoming an author.

Don't see the problem here honestly; has it affected his writing in any way?

I would think his work would speak for itself and his personal life wouldn't play a role in your view on him just as an author. I would see how it could possibly destroy your view of him as a person you looked upto, if you're offended by this somehow

I just thought he would've been a clean guy, a stereotypical children's book writer. However he isn't and it kind of blew away my beliefs about him.

Just add somethinng slightly OT, the author of Curious George used his writings/artwork to escape the Germans during WWII if I remember right.

have to see if I can find the articles.

Lord-Loss wrote:

halonachos wrote:He was a spy which was cool, but the fact that this seemingly wholesome writer went around sleeping with women. If he wrote more mature literature then I could see it, but kids books, I mean what if Dr. Seuss went around seducing the elderly before becoming an author.

Don't see the problem here honestly; has it affected his writing in any way?

I would think his work would speak for itself and his personal life wouldn't play a role in your view on him just as an author. I would see how it could possibly destroy your view of him as a person you looked upto, if you're offended by this somehow

Imagine your good ol' uncle Bob; Bob is an everyman and is pretty unremarkable other than the fact that he takes you fishing sometimes and will go with you and your father to sporting events.

One day you find out that uncle Bob was really a spy who slept with high profile women to get information and no doubt had all kinds of awesome spy perks.

Does this change your view of uncle bob?

Samus_aran115 wrote:Seriously? Can we get through a single OT discussion without someone taking advantage of an acronym?

(which doom is that? 2? 3? I can't tell)

If you decide to pull your finger out and join the forces (after the haircut under general anaesthetic) you'll be so bombarded with acronyms you'll think Dakka is a haven of sanity.

Sorry, but you're just dealing with stereotypes, thinking that because he wrote books for children he'd be a nice, chaste figure.

I can't see how his personal life affects your liking his works, though.

And it's Doom 2. I don't recognize the level, but it's got a Mancubus corpse on the left.

battle Brother Lucifer wrote:

Darkvoidof40k wrote:

battle Brother Lucifer wrote:

youbedead wrote:He wrote a story about a man who though he turned into a giant penis

Orly?

BBL, you summoned him.

But seriously, I don't believe that such a book exists. If someone would please prove me wrong/right, I would be grateful.

Yes really http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitch_(short_story)

It is titled bitch and was published in playboy magazine. A man has a hallucination that he turned into a giant penis in the final scene of the book. Dahl was an awesome author

Phfff
there are plenty of blokes that turn into gurt big dicks
ain't no work of fiction