By Mahera Dutta
Mrs. Twit is no longer 'ugly' and Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is not 'fat' anymore. Roald Dahl's iconic children's books have been edited to launch new editions that publishers consider not to be offensive anymore.
Editors at Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, and the Roald Dahl Story Company have taken a red pencil to the works of Roald Dahl and crossed out words related to weight, mental health, violence, gender, and race. The changes are being made in collaboration with Inclusive Minds, an organizationworking towards ‘inclusion in children’s literature, a report in The Guardian confirmed.
What's Roald Dahl Famous For?
Dahl, who died in 1990, is better known for his works ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘James and the Giant Peach’, ‘Matilda’, ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘The Witches, 'The Twits’, and many more. Known as the "one of greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century", his books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
The Timesplaced Roald Dahl 16th on its list of "The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945" in its 2008 edition. In 2021,Forbes ranked Dahl the top-earning dead celebrity.
Was Dahl A Misogynist And Racist?
Replete with elements considered ‘misogynistic’, ‘anti-Semitic’, and at times ‘racist’, Roald Dahl’s works were not devoid of criticism. And that is the wrong that the publishers wanted to correct, by editing Dahl's literary works.
In a 1983 interview with Britain’s New Statment magazine, the author was quoted saying: "There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it's a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews. Even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason.”
In 2020, in a statement on the official website of organizations that manage Dahl’s legacy, copyrights, and trademarks and a museum dedicated to him, the Dahl family apologized for the “lasting and understandable hurt his remarks had caused.”
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In 2018, The Guardian reported that the British Royal Mint had rejected the proposal to mark the 100th anniversary of Dahl’s birth with a commemorative coin as he was “associated with anti-Semitism and not regarded as an author of the highest reputation.”
Following Dahl’s death, Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League wrote in a 1990 letter to The New York Times, “Talent is no guarantee of wisdom. Praise for Mr. Dahl as a writer must not obscure the fact that he was also a bigot.”
What Works Of Roald Dahl Are Being Edited?
“Language related to weight, mental health, violence, gender, and race have been cut and rewritten,” an extensive report by the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph has said.
A comparison of the 2001 editions of Dahl’s children’s books to the 2022 edition shows the word ‘fat’ being edited out in his works “The Enormous Crocodile” (1978), “James and the Giant Peach” (1961), “The Twits” (1980) and “The Witches” (1983).
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Puffin’s latest edition of Roald Dahl's books reads has a note of caution. It reads, “Words Matter… the wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvelous characters. 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.”
There are lots more edits as this Twitter user pointed out with the comparisons of Dahl's previous edition to the 2022 editions.
"In James and the Giant Peach, the Cloud-Men have become Cloud-People, Miss Sponge is no longer “the fat one”, Miss Spider’s head is no longer “black” and the Earthworm no longer has “lovely pink” skin but “lovely smooth skin”," another tweet read.
After modifications of his works, Augustus Gloop in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' will be described as “enormous”. In the same story, Oompa-Loompas will no longer be “tiny”, “titchy” or “no higher than my knee” but will be referred to as “small”. In ‘The Twits’, Mrs. Twit is no longer “ugly and beastly” but just “beastly”.
Words such as “crazy” and “mad” which were used by the author casually have been scrapped. To make the characters in his book gender neutral, "boys and girls” will now be called “children".
A Dangerous New Weapon?
Several authors criticized the move by the publishers of rewriting Dahl’s works. Certain words are being scrapped from the newer editions of the author’s stories.
In condemnation, Suzanne Nossel, Pen America’s chief executive tweeted: “At Pen America, we are alarmed at the news of ‘hundreds of changes’ to venerated works by Roald Dahl in a purported effort to scrub the books of that which might offend someone.”
Booker-prize-winning author Salman Rushdie too took to Twitter to condemn the move. “Roald Dahl was no angel, but this is absurd censorship,” he tweeted.
Laura Hackett, the deputy editor of the Sunday Times, said she will be keeping hold of her Dahl copies so that her children ‘can enjoy them in their full, nasty, colorful glory.”
“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,” she added.
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