The polite polishing of literary heritage, very little for him.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been moved by the controversial release of a new edition of books by Roald Dahl, the children's book author best known for
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
.
"We must not play with words
,
"
the prime minister's spokesman said Monday, reacting to the deletion of words deemed offensive, such as references to weight, mental health, violence, or racial or gender issues.
Before continuing: “
It is important that literary works, works of fiction, be preserved and not retouched.”
Other personalities were also indignant at the bias decided by the English publisher Puffin, with the consent of the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages all the rights of the author who died more than thirty years ago.
"Roald Dahl was no angel, but this is absurd censorship"
, reacted on Twitter the British writer Salman Rushdie, icon of freedom of expression victim of a violent attack six months ago. .
The boss of PEN America Suzanne Nossel, an organization bringing together 7,000 writers for freedom of expression, judged that "
selective editing to make the words of literature conform to particular sensibilities could represent a dangerous new weapon
".
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Among the changes made by the publisher, the term
"gross"
is no longer used to describe Augustis Gloop from
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
.
The
"cloud men"
of
James and the Giant Peach
meanwhile become the
"cloud people"
.
All changes are
"reduced and carefully considered"
, assured a spokesperson for the Roald Dahl Story Company.
The review launched in 2020 ahead of Netflix's 2021 takeover of the children's author's catalog.
"
If Dahl offends us, let's not reprint it
"
Philip Pullman, writer
The deputy editor of the conservative
Sunday Times
newspaper , Laura Hackett, said she would keep her original Roald Dahl editions, so her children could "
enjoy them in all their wicked, colorful glory
".
"If Dahl offends us, let's not reprint it
," writer Philip Pullman told the BBC on Monday, noting that millions of his original books would remain in circulation for many years regardless of changes made to the BBC. new editions.
"Update" the language
"
When reprinting books written years ago, it's not unusual to go over the language used and update other things like the cover and the layout," the holder said
. -word of the Roald Dahl Company, emphasizing the desire to retain story, characters, and "
the irreverence and sharp wit of the original text
".
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The Roald Dahl company has also indicated that it has worked with Inclusive Minds, a collective for the inclusion and accessibility of children's literature.
The author, essential in the libraries of many children, died in 1990 at the age of 74.
At the end of 2020, his family had apologized for the anti-Semitic remarks made by the author 40 years ago.
The creator of
Matilda
ou
Le Bon Gros Géant
had notably made openly anti-Semitic statements in an interview with the British magazine
New Statesman
in 1983, legitimizing anti-Semitism and seeming to find justifications for Hitler's crimes.
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