Roald Dahl

Fans and critics alike are accusing British publisher Penguin Random House of censorship after they have removed certain lines and phrases from famous books ...

[https://t.co/P9dL7LFUgM] [February 19, 2023] been trying to talk about the roald dahl censorship without sounding like a boomer. [https://t.co/sRrGcMUUDE] [pic.twitter.com/rMig3Albr3] [February 19, 2023]

"Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship," Rushdie said.

- The popular author had a controversial past, with a history of making antisemitic comments. The word "ugly" was also removed. - "The Dahl family and the Roald Dahl Story Company deeply apologise for the lasting and understandable hurt caused by some of Roald Dahl's statements," the comment read, per the - "Those who might cheer specific edits to Dahl's work should consider how the power to rewrite books might be used in the hands of those who do not share their values and sensibilities," she added. - In some cases, language was also added, such as in "The Witches," in a paragraph about the witches being bald under their wigs. [Roald Dahl Story Company](https://www.axios.com/2021/09/22/netflix-roald-dahl-deal?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=economy-business-roalddahl) made hundreds of changes to the children's books to allow them to "be enjoyed by all children today," the Washington Post [reports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/02/19/roald-dahl-books-revisions-salman-rushdie/).

Augustus Gloop, Charlie's gluttonous antagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is no longer “enormously fat,” just “enormous”.

The word “black” was removed from the description of the terrible tractors in 1970s The Fabulous Mr. Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74. Any changes were “small and carefully considered,” the company said. Critics complain revisions to suit 21st century sensibilities risks undermining the genius of great artists and preventing readers from confronting the world as it is. Augustus Gloop, Charlie’s gluttonous antagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which originally was published in 1964, is no longer “enormously fat,” just “enormous”. A review of new editions of Dahl’s books now available in bookstores shows that some passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered.

Puffin Books, the British children's division of the publisher Penguin Random House, had hired sensitivity readers to make "hundreds of changes to the original ...

Changes in new editions of Roald Dahl's books, including calling Augustus Gloop "enormous" rather than "fat", have been criticised by writers.

Fox, with the machines now described as "murderous, brutal-looking monsters". PEN America — a group of writers who advocate for freedom of expression — said it was "alarmed" by reports of the changes to Dahl's books. - In the new editions, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's Augustus Gloop is called "enormous" rather than "enormously fat"

A review of new editions of Dahl's books now available in bookstores shows that some passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered.

Any changes were “small and carefully considered”, the company said. Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74. Critics complain revisions to suit 21st-century sensibilities risk undermining the genius of great artists and preventing readers from confronting the world as it is. Augustus Gloop, Charlie’s gluttonous antagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which originally was published in 1964, is no longer “enormously fat”, just “enormous”. The machines are now simply “murderous, brutal-looking monsters”. A review of new editions of Dahl’s books now available in bookstores shows that some passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered.

Today on The Huddle, former Labour Press Secretary Kaine Thompson and Kiwiblog writer and Curia Pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the f.

It's not the first time favourites in children's literature have come under attack, but the latest changes to Roald Dahl's work are polarising.

[Kerrie O'Brien](/by/kerrie-o'brien-gjigmb)is a senior writer, culture, at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via “It’s easier to make little changes to things like fantasy or [things] that are not meant to be taken seriously, like in Enid Blyton there’s a magic tree or Roald Dahl, there’s bucketloads of wonderful insanity. The stories are fun, the kids always win and none of that has changed, it’s just a few words here or there,” she says. According to Solomon, making changes to classics such as The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which dates back to 1911, or Huckleberry Finn would be a different issue. He sees the tweaks to the language as logical and indeed justified. In fact, it prevents us from preparing children to engage with this idea that we agree is wrong and that they will eventually face,” she says.

Amid row over editing of language deemed offensive, Pullman says people should read the 'wonderful authors who are writing today'

For example, in The Twits, Mrs Twit is no longer “ugly and beastly” but just “beastly”. [hiring sensitivity readers to go over Dahl’s text ](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/18/roald-dahl-books-rewritten-to-remove-language-deemed-offensive)to make sure the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today”. For a young author now coming in, who hasn’t got the clout and the commercial power of someone like Roald Dahl, it’s quite hard to resist the nudging towards saying this or not saying that, which is a pity, I think.”

Dahl's estate and publisher said works including The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had been updated to be more suitable for modern audiences. Some ...

"You love it when, in Matilda, Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to eat that whole chocolate cake, or you are locked up in the Chokey [a torture device] - that's what children love. "I think if you're going to decide that, then the only answer is to put the book out of print. "Augustus Gloop is a greedy character. I don't think you can say, 'So let's change Dahl's words but keep the character'." She told the BBC World Service: "I think it's been done quite sensitively. "If Dahl offends us, let him go out of print," said Pullman.

Famous works including “The Twits” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” have been adjusted.

Twit is simply “beastly” instead of “ugly and beastly,” as Dahl wrote in 1980. This is not the first time Dahl has been embroiled in controversy after his passing. “Those prejudiced remarks are incomprehensible to us and stand in marked contrast to the man we knew and to the values at the heart of Roald Dahl's stories, which have positively impacted young people for generations,” the company wrote on its website. Fox, to make them more inclusive, but some authors and critics have labeled the edits a form of censorship—here’s what to know about the revisions. [tweeted](https://twitter.com/SalmanRushdie/status/1627075835525210113?s=20) Dahl “was no angel but this is absurd censorship,” and said his estate should be “ashamed,” [calling](https://twitter.com/SalmanRushdie/status/1627375615165755392?s=20) those who edited Dahl’s writing “the bowdlerizing Sensitivity Police.” [reported](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/17/roald-dahl-books-rewritten-offensive-matilda-witches-twits/) that “hundreds” of words in Dahl’s books had been changed; the character Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as “enormous,” instead of “enormously fat,” as he was in the original 1964 version, and in The Twits, Mrs.

New editions of the best-selling author's children's classics, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” have been altered to eliminate words deemed ...

While noting that it did not “write, edit or rewrite texts,” the group said that it had helped “provide valuable input when it comes to reviewing language that can be damaging and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.” “Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the story lines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text.” A review of the author’s works began in 2020, before [Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-acquires-iconic-roald-dahl-story-company), which manages the author’s copyrights and trademarks, Rick Behari, a company spokesman, said in a statement on Monday. “I never get any protests from children,” Mr. “What are you going to do about them? But they remain widely read and are regularly reimagined for the silver screen. “When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details including a book’s cover and page layout,” Mr. “All you get are giggles of mirth and squirms of delight. The books’ publisher, Puffin Books, and the author’s estate did not immediately respond to questions about the nature of the changes. Behari said that the estate had partnered with Inclusive Minds, an organization that champions diversity and accessibility in children’s literature. In a statement on Monday, the group declined to discuss the Dahl project specifically. The changes have prompted widespread criticism from prominent literary figures and others, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain.

The news that changes have been made to the works of best-selling children's author Roald Dahl has been met with anger from leading writers, ...

While he did not express support for the changes, he told BBC Radio 4's "Today" show on Monday that Dahl's books should be left to "fade away." Following the release of his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses," the then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the his death. When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it's not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details including a book's cover and page layout. In a lengthy report published on Saturday, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph revealed that it had found hundreds of changes across the author's many children's books. It has now emerged that current editions of his books, published by Puffin, feature the following wording at the bottom of the copyright page: "Words matter. Fox, Willy Wonka and the Twits.

Author Roald Dahl autographing books in Dun Laoghaire shopping centre, Oct. 22, 1988. Independent News and Media—Getty Images. By Armani Syed.

These edits include the Cloud-Men in James and the Giant Peach becoming Cloud-People, while in The Witches, the use of “old hags” has been replaced with “old crows.” “You start out wanting to replace a word here and a word there, and end up inserting entirely new ideas.” Instead, she suggests, publishers should include introductions to works with offensive language to prepare readers with context. [who died](https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/24/obituaries/roald-dahl-writer-74-is-dead-best-sellers-enchanted-children.html) at age 74, had a history of making anti-Semitic comments and including [racist](http://bbc.com/culture/article/20160912-the-dark-side-of-roald-dahl) tropes and language in his works. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.’’ In Matilda, a mention of the English novelist Rudyard Kipling has also been replaced with Jane Austen. In The Witches, Dahl had written, “You can’t go round pulling the hair of every lady you meet, even if she is wearing gloves. The idea was rejected on the grounds that he was “associated with anti-Semitism and not regarded as an author of the highest reputation.” “We hope that, just as he did at his best, at his absolute worst, Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words.” “He may have been a great children’s writer but he was also a racist and this should be remembered,” she said. But in the years since Dahl’s death in 1990, some have turned their focus to a number of harmful tropes used by the late British author, including a history of Puffin Books, a children’s imprint of Penguin Books, worked with the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC), which is now exclusively owned by Netflix, to review the texts. The organization told TIME they “do not write, edit, or rewrite texts, but provide book creators with valuable insight from people with the relevant lived experience that they can take into consideration in the wider process of writing and editing.”

Critics accused the publisher of Roald Dahl's classic children's books of censorship after it removed language from works such as "Matilda."

The language was reviewed in partnership with Inclusive Minds, a collective which is working to make children's literature more inclusive and accessible. Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74. "Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.'' Critics complain revisions to suit 21st century sensibilities risks undermining the genius of great artists and preventing readers from confronting the world as it is. Augustus Gloop, Charlie's gluttonous antagonist in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which originally was published in 1964, is no longer "enormously fat," just "enormous." A review of new editions of Dahl's books now available in bookstores shows that some passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered.

Not for the first time, books by the famously misanthropic children's author have been edited to remove potentially offensive content.

The lingering thoughts on this one are: that the question of the editorial line is a fair one. [Dr Cat Pausé](https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/resisting-fatphobia-in-the-time-of-covid-19/) argued for the word fat to be reclaimed and used with the intention of negating the ways in which fat bodies are dehumanised in society at large. Ultimately though, I think I’d have to conclude that while some of the Puffin edits seem unnecessary, others appear in line with Dahl’s own, prior updates, and don’t mess with the delightfully acidic characters and storylines. And yet, when I found that the descriptions of the three farmers (Borris, Bunce and Bean) in Fantastic Mr Fox made me squirm – knowing those ideas were landing in my son’s ears via my own voice – I edited as I read aloud to soften the language. The point that this kind of editing could, in the wrong hands, be problematic is a fair one. If you buy a new edition of a Dahl novel now, you’ll see this statement somewhere in the frontmatter: “The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvellous characters. But the ethics of editing a dead author’s work is the sticky bit. The question here, however, is whether what is happening with Dahl’s books is censorship or a necessary editorial refresh to books that continue to be read to, and by, millions of children. According to The Telegraph’s investigation, the book edits were well underway before the sale with Puffin and the Story Company working with a company called Should there be a further page dedicated to explanations on the nature of the edits, and pointing to where readers can find the original texts? It’s important to note that this is not the first time that Dahl’s books have been updated, as the Telegraph article itself reports: “In the first edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), the Oompa-Loompas were black pygmies, enslaved by Willy Wonka from ‘the deepest and darkest part of the African jungle’ and paid in cocoa beans. The example below shows an edit to Dahl’s world in which witches are women with bald heads and who therefore must wear wigs when in plain sight, and is one of 59 changes that The Telegraph found in the novel The Witches: