Roald Dahl Books Edited To Remove ‘Offensive’ Language, Rushdie Calls It ‘Absurd Censorship’

While critics are calling out publisher Puffin, Roald Dahl Story Company has said reviewing the language is “not unusual”, and that the changes made are “small and carefully considered”.

Several of author Roald Dahl’s books for children are being rewritten by British publisher Puffin to remove language it deems “offensive”. With extensive edits made to the books, descriptions of the physical appearances of many characters now stand changed in the new editions. Accordingly, words like ‘fat’ and ‘ugly’ have been removed, The Daily Telegraph reported. Puffin has said the changes were made so the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today”.

Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Books, is reported to have hired “sensitivity readers” to rewrite the text, according to a report in The Guardian. In Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Augustus Gloop is now described as “enormous”, while Mrs Twit in The Twits is now just “beastly” and not  “ugly and beastly”. Not only has the original text been changed, but the new editions also add some passages that were not written by Dahl.

While critics are calling this censorship on part of Puffin, The Guardian reported that the Roald Dahl Story Company has said reviewing the language is “not unusual” during a new print run, and that the changes were “small and carefully considered”.

Changes Made To Roald Dahl Characters 

Classic children's books that have undergone changes to remove gendered language and stereotypes include ‘The Witches’, ‘James and the Giant Peach’, ‘Matilda’, and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. The new editions reflect a move towards greater inclusivity and sensitivity towards marginalised groups.

In the new edition of ‘The Witches’, a paragraph that previously explained that witches are bald beneath their wigs now ends with the line: "There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that." 

Similarly, in previous editions of ‘James and the Giant Peach’, the Centipede sang lines such as "Aunt Sponge was terrifically fat / And tremendously flabby at that", which have been replaced with rhymes like "Aunt Sponge was a nasty old brute / And deserved to be squashed by the fruit”. 

References to "female" characters have also been removed. Miss Trunchbull in ‘Matilda’, who was once a "most formidable female", is now a "most formidable woman”.

Additionally, gender-neutral terms have been added to certain places in the books. For example, where the Oompa Loompas were once referred to as "small men" in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", they are now "small people”. The Cloud-Men in ‘James and the Giant Peach’ have similarly become Cloud-People.

In ‘The Fabulous Mr. Fox’, the word “black” has been dropped from the description of the terrible tractors, which are now simply “murderous, brutal-looking monsters”.

According to the Guardian report, Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company worked with Inclusive Minds, “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature”, to make the changes in the books.

The latest editions of Dahl’s books have a note from the publisher at the bottom of the copyright page that reads: “This book was written many years ago, and so we regularly review the language to ensure that it can continue to be enjoyed by all today.”

Quoting a spokesperson for the Roald Dahl Story Company, the Guardian report said: “When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details including a book’s cover and page layout.”

It added: “Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text. Any changes made have been small and carefully considered.”

‘Absurd Censorship’, ‘Dangerous New Weapon’

The changes to Dahl’s books have sparked a debate over cultural sensitivity in literature and other media. While some campaigners argue that these changes are necessary to protect young people from cultural, ethnic, and gender stereotypes, critics worry that such revisions may undermine the genius of great artists and prevent readers from confronting the world as it is.

Reacting to the edits, Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie tweeted: “Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.’’

Suzan Nossel, the CEO of PEN America, which is a community of writers that advocates freedom of expression, said “selective editing to make works of literature conform to particular sensibilities could represent a dangerous new weapon”. 

Writing in London’s Sunday Times newspaper, its deputy literary editor Laura Hackett said: “The editors at Puffin should be ashamed of the botched surgery they’ve carried out on some of the finest children’s literature in Britain.” 

Hackett, who called herself a childhood Dahl fan, wrote: “As for me, I’ll be carefully stowing away my old, original copies of Dahl’s stories, so that one day my children can enjoy them in their full, nasty, colorful glory.”

Who Was Roald Dahl?

Born in 1916, British writer Roald Dahl is a popular author of children’s books, which have reportedly sold more than 300 million copies. His books have been translated into 68 languages to be read by children around the world.

He, however, made antisemitic comments throughout his life, which made him a controversial figure. In fact, the Dahl family tendered an apology in 2020, saying they recognised the “lasting and understandable hurt caused by Roald Dahl’s antisemitic statements”, according to an AP report.

Dahl died in 1990, when he was 74.

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