Longreads

Is stupidity rising? Are we witnessing an alarming proliferation of irrationality and an exuberance of ignorance?Stupidity seems a concern to a growing group of scholars. Last month…

Everyone knows Roald Dahl's last novel Matilda, his seemingly pro-female examination of a talented young girl oppressed by the provincialism of her parents. What they usually do not know is that the original draft of the book painted the protagonist as a devilish little hussy who only later becomes "clever", perhaps because she found herself without very much to do after torturing her parents. Dahl's editor Stephen Roxburgh completely revised Dahl's last novel and, in doing so, turned it into his most popular book.

Show more Clear notifications