Critics have accused the British publisher of classic Roald Dahl of censoring classic children’s books after removing colorful language from works such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” to make them more acceptable to modern readers.
A review of new editions of Dahl’s books now available in bookstores shows that some sections related to weight, mental health, gender and race have been edited. The changes made by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, were first reported by the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Augustus Gloop, Charlie’s greedy antagonist in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” originally published in 1964, is no longer “too fat,” just “huge.” In the new edition of “The Witch,” a supernatural woman disguised as an ordinary woman may work as a “top scientist or run a business” instead of being a “cashier at a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman.”
The word “black” was removed from the description of the ugly tractor in the 1970s “The Fabulous Mr. Fox.” The machines are now just “killing, brutal-looking monsters.”
Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie was among those who reacted angrily to the rewriting of Dahl’s words. Rushdie lived in hiding for years after Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 issued a fatwa calling for his death for blasphemy in his novel “The Satanic Verses”. He was attacked and seriously injured last year at an event in New York state.
“Roald Dahl is no angel, but this is absurd censorship,” Rushdie wrote on Twitter. “Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.”
The changes to Dahl’s books mark the latest skirmish in the debate over cultural sensitivity as campaigners seek to protect young people from cultural, ethnic and gender stereotypes in literature and other media. Critics complain that revisions to suit 21st-century sensibilities risk undermining the genius of great artists and prevent readers from confronting the world.
The Roald Dahl Story Company, which controls the rights to the book, said it worked with Puffin to review the text because it wanted to ensure that “Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.”
The language is reviewed in partnership with Inclusive Minds, a collective working to make children’s literature more inclusive and accessible. Any changes are “minor and carefully considered,” the company said.
He said the analysis began in 2020, before Netflix bought the Roald Dahl Story Company and began planning to produce a new generation of films based on the author’s books.
“When publishing a new print book written years ago, it is not uncommon to review the language used along with updating other details, including book covers and page layouts,” the company said. “Our guiding principle throughout is to preserve the storyline, the characters, and the irreverence and vivid spirit of the original text.”
Puffin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74. His books, which have sold more than 300 million copies, have been translated into 68 languages and continue to be read by children around the world.
But he was also a controversial figure because of the antisemitic comments he made during his life.
Dahl’s family apologized in 2020, saying they understand the “lasting and understandable pain caused by Roald Dahl’s antisemitic statements.”
Regardless of his personal failings, fans of Dahl’s books celebrate his sometimes dark use of language that evokes children’s fear, as well as delight.
PEN America, a community of about 7,500 writers that advocates for freedom of expression, said it was “horrified” by reports of changes to Dahl’s books.
“If we start trying to correct perceived shortcomings instead of allowing readers to accept and respond to books as they are written, we risk damaging the work of great authors and damaging the important lens that literature offers to society,” tweeted Suzanne Nossel. , executive director of PEN America.
Laura Hackett, a childhood Dahl fan who is now deputy literary editor of London’s Sunday Times newspaper, had a more personal reaction to the news.
“The editors at Puffin should be ashamed of the botched operation they have carried out on some of the finest children’s literature in Britain,” she wrote. “As for me, I’ll put away my old copy of the original Dahl story, so that one day my children can enjoy it in its full, ugly, colorful glory.”
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