Ridiculous History – “The Secret World Of Roald Dahl, with Aaron Tracy, Part Two: the Man Behind the Author”

Release Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Ben Bowlin (Noel Brown absent)
Guest: Aaron Tracy (writer, producer, creator of “The Secret World of Roald Dahl” podcast, founder of Parallax)

Episode Overview

This episode continues Ben Bowlin’s deep-dive conversation with Aaron Tracy on the complex, fascinating, and sometimes troubling life of Roald Dahl—the iconic children’s author, RAF pilot, spy, and notorious spinner of tall tales. Tracy shares insights from extensive research, revealing how fact and myth blurred in Dahl’s stories about himself, his complicated legacy (including Dahl’s documented antisemitism), and the influence of mentors on a writer’s path. The episode concludes with Aaron Tracy discussing his own career in writing, his creative inspirations, funny Hollywood war stories, and the importance of mentoring in the arts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Roald Dahl the Storyteller—or Self-Mythologizer?

[01:14–06:57]

• Dahl’s 'Irregulars' Past:
  Dahl’s service in the “Irregulars”—a shadowy intelligence group—is real, but many details in his wartime stories veer into embellishment.

  “We know a ton of it is true... but... into the specific details, you’re right that some of it might have just been Dahl’s storytelling.” – Aaron Tracy [02:47]

• Whimsical Memoirs:
  Dahl’s accounts of his RAF crash, for example, are factually based but altered for drama—he omits a copilot and changes causes.

• Social Circles:
  Dahl really did charm the Roosevelts and spent time at Hyde Park. However, stories of mixing martinis for FDR or being close confidants are likely enhanced for narrative effect.

  “I have no idea if that’s true or not. It feels a little bit like Dahl is just boasting...” – Aaron Tracy [06:57]

• Dahl and the 'Creative Spies’:
  Many in Dahl’s circle were writers and creatives moonlighting as spies—Noel Coward, Ian Fleming, David Ogilvy—encouraging mutual myth-making and narrative exaggeration.

2. The Contradiction at Dahl’s Core—War Hero and Antisemite

[08:06–13:08]

• Dahl’s Later Bigotry:
  Despite fighting the Nazis, Dahl became “unapologetically anti-Semitic” in later life, especially criticizing Israel during the Lebanon war and hurling broad anti-Jewish slurs.

  “He said in this interview, ‘There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity. And even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason.’” – Aaron Tracy [09:50]
  “He could not separate his hatred for what the Israeli government was doing to the Lebanese with his feelings for Jews everywhere.” – Aaron Tracy [10:53]

• Host Reflection:
  Ben stresses the importance of distinguishing regimes from peoples:

  “The government of a place is more often than not, not the representative, not the full picture of the people of the place.” – Ben Bowlin [11:22]

3. Aaron Tracy on the Writing Life & Hollywood Strangeness

[13:44–20:17]

• Becoming a Writer:
  Tracy describes moving to LA, abandoning acting for writing, and the absence of a “clear path” into the industry.

  “There’s no one way to do it, unfortunately... you just find your own way.” – Aaron Tracy [14:53]

• ‘War Stories’ From Scriptland:

  • Adapting the board game Risk into a TV show, despite its lack of characters.

    “When you think about it for a few seconds, you then remember that there’s a pretty big obstacle, which is that there are no characters in Risk.” – Aaron Tracy [15:54]

  • Writing a TV pilot for USA with Oscar-winner Tom McCarthy acting, resulting in serious imposter syndrome.

    “Here I am trying to write dialogue for the reigning Oscar winner for Best Screenplay. I was so humiliated.” – Aaron Tracy [17:11]

4. Favorite Writers and Creative Inspiration

[19:08–22:04]

• Post-Dahl Detox:
  After finishing his podcast, Tracy is eager to shelve his Dahl books for a while.
• Literary Tastes:
  Enjoys Patricia Highsmith, Aaron Sorkin, William Goldman, Nora Ephron, Noah Baumbach, and Richard Linklater.
• Host’s Pick:
  Ben recently rediscovered Etgar Keret, whom he calls “the new Kurt Vonnegut.” [20:17]

5. Rob Reiner: Mentorship, Legacy, and Creative Lineage

[22:04–25:04]

• Reiner’s Impact:
  Tracy praises Rob Reiner as a mentor—caring, generous, and prodigiously talented.

  “He was such a great mentor figure for me... He would take me and my co writer Andrew out to lunch all the time, and just regale us with stories...” – Aaron Tracy [22:34]

• Castle Rock Anecdote:
  Reiner’s office had shelves of every script draft—Tracy secretly photocopied the first draft of When Harry Met Sally, originally titled Words With Love.
• Reiner’s Directorial Hot Streak:
  Tracy posits that Reiner’s run from the late 1980s–early 1990s (including When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men) rivals Hitchcock.

6. Lessons from ‘The Secret World of Roald Dahl’

[25:04–29:52]

• Sympathy and Tragedy:
  Tracy hopes listeners see Dahl as a complicated figure—a product of both triumphs and tragedies, and ultimately someone searching for identity.
• The Power of Mentorship:
  Tracy draws a parallel between Reiner and Dahl—both had crucial mentors (Norman Lear for Reiner; Charles Marsh and William Stevenson for Dahl).
  • Dahl’s postwar career might have faltered if not for Marsh, who funded him and introduced him to top editors.
• Mentorship in the AI Era:
  Tracy, who teaches at Yale, stresses the urgent need for mentorship, particularly as AI blurs the boundaries of creative entry.

  “When you break down the barriers to what it means to become a writer, mentorship becomes so much more important. It becomes essential...” – Aaron Tracy [28:36]

7. Aaron Tracy’s Upcoming Projects

[30:16–31:27]

• The Honeymoon Period:
  Tracy’s new audio-only novel for Macmillan, featuring a full cast, available soon via audiobook platforms.
• Find His Work:
  Portfolio available at listentoparallax.com.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dahl’s Self-Mythologizing:
  “He’ll never pass up the opportunity for a really good story when he can.” – Aaron Tracy [03:41]

• On Creative Espionage:
  “These are all creative writers who are somehow caught up in the spy game.” – Aaron Tracy [07:38]

• On Dahl’s Contradictions:
  “How did he go from fighting Nazis to agreeing with their horrific ideology?” – Ben Bowlin [09:20]

• On Mentorship and AI:
  “We need mentors more than we ever have, I would argue. And so I think Dahl and Reiner are really good reminders about how important mentors are.” – Aaron Tracy [29:26]

Key Timestamps

• 01:14 — Start of deep dive: separating truth from myth in Dahl’s stories
• 04:29 — Dahl and the Roosevelts: what’s verifiable, what’s inflated
• 08:06 — Discussion of Dahl’s wartime exploits and his anti-Semitism
• 13:44 — Aaron Tracy on becoming a writer in Hollywood
• 15:36 — Hollywood ‘war stories’: Risk adaptation; Tom McCarthy pilot
• 19:08 — Favorite books and writers; 'breaking up' with Roald Dahl
• 22:04 — Rob Reiner’s mentorship and body of work
• 25:04 — ‘Secret World of Roald Dahl’ takeaway: complexity, tragedy, and mentorship
• 30:16 — Aaron’s upcoming audio novel and where to find his work

Final Thoughts

This episode paints Roald Dahl as a complicated, larger-than-life figure—both a mythmaker and a man flawed by bigotry. Through vivid anecdotes, thoughtful reflection on the relationship between fact and fiction, and personal tales from the world of screenwriting, Aaron Tracy and Ben Bowlin explore the messy intersection between creative invention, historical memory, and personal legacy. The need for mentorship—especially in an era of AI—emerges as a vital throughline, connecting not just the world of Dahl and Reiner, but all creative journeys.

Listen to Aaron Tracy’s work and learn more at listentoparallax.com
Check out “The Secret World of Roald Dahl” podcast for more in-depth stories.