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Several changes in the famous Roald Dahl children's books spark a controversy over censorship

2023-02-21T02:19:24.622Z


News that changes have been made to the works of best-selling children's author Roald Dahl has sparked outrage from some prominent writers.


Credit: Ronald Dumont/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

London (CNN) --

News that changes have been made to the works of best-selling children's author Roald Dahl has drawn the ire of some prominent writers, including Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, who has called the changes "censorship." absurd".


Dahl, who died in 1990 at age 76, was the creator of characters like Matilda, BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Willy Wonka and the Twits.

His books have sold more than 300 million copies and have been translated into 63 languages.

There have also been numerous film and television adaptations of his work.

However, Dahl has long been considered a controversial author and in 2020 his estate officially apologized for anti-Semitic comments he made while alive.

It has now been revealed that the current editions of his books, published by Puffin, include the following text at the bottom of the copyright page: "Words matter. Roald Dahl's wonderful words can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to to the most wonderful characters. This book was written many years ago, so we regularly review the language to make sure everyone can still enjoy it today."

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These revisions have been worked on by "sensitivity readers" from an organization called Inclusive Minds, which describes itself as "a collective of people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children's literature, and committed to to change the face of children's books".

In an extensive report published on Saturday, the British newspaper

The Daily Telegraph

revealed that it had found hundreds of changes in various children's books by Roald Dahl.

A close analysis of its journalists found that language related to gender, race, weight, mental health and violence had been removed or rewritten.

Among other things, words like "fat" and "ugly" were removed, as well as descriptions using the colors black and white.

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The journalists who conducted the investigation found 59 changes in "The Witches" alone, and hundreds more in other popular Dahl books, such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Matilda."

Rushdie took to Twitter on Saturday to voice his opposition to Puffin's decision, along with the late author's estate.

"Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed," Rushdie tweeted.

Rushdie, 75, is no stranger to the censorship debate.

Following the publication of his novel "The Satanic Verses" in 1988, then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his death.

The Indian-born author lost sight in one eye after being assaulted at a conference in New York last year.

Even UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined the Dahl controversy and has spoken out against updating the books.

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This Monday, in a press conference in which he was asked if it was correct to censor children's books, Sunak's spokesman used Dahl's own terminology: "When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the prime minister agrees. I agree with the BFG [the 'giant good friend'] that you don't have to 'make words'".

The spokesman added that "it is important that literary and fictional works be preserved and not retouched."

He later affirmed: "We have always defended the right to freedom of expression."

In a statement sent to CNN, the author's estate, the Roald Dahl Story Company, explained that the current review with Puffin, and in partnership with Inclusive Minds, began in 2020, the year before Dahl's works were acquired by Netflix. .

The statement noted: "We want to make sure that Roald Dahl's wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today. When new runs of books written years ago are published, it's not uncommon to revise the language used and update other details, such as the cover and the design of the pages. Our guiding principle has been to maintain the plot, the characters, the irreverence and the scathing spirit of the original text. The changes introduced have been small and carefully studied."

Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, a network of writers who protect free speech, responded angrily to the news of the reviews on social media.

In a 13-tweet thread, he said the organization was "alarmed" by the changes, which had been made in "an alleged effort to cleanse the books of anything that might offend anyone."

He wrote: "If we start down the path of trying to correct perceived slights instead of allowing readers to receive and react to books as they are written, we risk distorting the work of great authors and clouding the essential lens that literature offers about society".

Philip Pullman, the acclaimed author of the fantasy series "His Dark Materials," took a slightly different stance on the news.

Although he did not express his support for the changes, he told BBC Radio 4's "Today" program on Monday that Dahl's books had to be allowed to "fade away".

He highlighted the fact that, whatever changes are introduced today, millions of old editions are circulating in schools, libraries, thrift stores and other places.

He said, "All those words are still there. Are you going to collect all the books and cross them out with a big black pen?"

Pullman acknowledged that language changes over time and said children should be encouraged to choose alternative authors.

Of Dahl's books, he said, "Let them fade... let's read better writers."

CensorshipBooks

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-02-21

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