They remove the words 'fat' and 'ugly' from Roald Dahl's books: what are the most important changes in Matilda

The world of literature is experiencing turbulent times since it became known that

in the new editions of Roald Dahl's books.

Many of his most famous stories, such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will be subject to inclusive modifications and not everyone is happy.

From anonymous network users to world-renowned writers complained about the decision of

, the children's imprint of the British publisher Penguin Books, to launch

.

With the intention of whitewashing the image of the British writer, who throughout his life was branded as a misogynist and accused of perpetuating racial stereotypes and anti-Semitism, the Roald Dahl

began a process of analyzing Dahl's work even before he Netflix acquired the rights to it.

Roald Dahl was born in Great Britain in 1916 and died in the same place in 1990.

The firm's goal is that "all children today continue to enjoy Dahl's wonderful stories and characters."

For this reason, in conjunction with Puffin Books, the company teamed up with

, a collective that defines itself as "passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children's literature" to rewrite much of the work of the author and renew his language and messages.

The cry in the sky

Just like that controversy with the streaming transmission of Gone with the Wind,

, many of them from readers and writers,

.

The organization that defends freedom of expression

opined through its executive director,

, that they are "alarmed" by the decision and that the solution to the problem would be to "provide an introductory context" instead of modifying the work without the consent of the author, who died in 1990.

Writer

, who recently released his new novel "Victoria City", claimed on Twitter that "Dahl was no angel" but that it was still "absurd censorship".

The changes

In many cases, the modifications in Dahl's works are quite significant.

For example, she completely modified a song that sings

to substitute, among other words, "fat" and "flabby."

In

the adjective "ugly" was dropped and a character who was described as "fat" became "huge."

Oompa Loompas are no longer recognized as “little men” but as “little people”.

On Twitter they reflect the changes and accuse the label of censorship.

Photo: Twitter Andrew Doyle

In

references to writers accused of being imperialists and supremacists, such as Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, were replaced by John Steinbeck and Jane Austen.

To avoid the sexualization of women, Tronchatoro is no longer a "formidable female", but "a formidable woman".

There are also changes in

.

For example, a passage in the book in which the protagonist states that he is going to pull women's hair to find out if they are wearing wigs, and his grandmother responds, “You can't go pulling hair on every girl you meet” was replaced with “there are There are many other reasons why women might wear wigs, and there's really nothing wrong with that."

Roald Dahl's books in the Barney's store on East 60th Street in New York, Monday, November 21, 2011. Photo: AP

The Roald Dahl Story Company says that "when publishing new editions of books written years ago

."

The Inclusive Minds co-founder says they wanted to "ensure authentic representation, working closely with the world of books and with those who have experienced any facet of diversity."

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