Rishi Sunak has intervened in the row over the rewriting of parts of Roald Dahl’s books to remove language deemed inappropriate, portraying it as an attack on free speech.
His comments came after the author Philip Pullman suggested Dahl’s work should be allowed to fade away and be replaced by more modern children’s writers.
Dahl’s publisher, Puffin, has been criticised in recent days after hiring sensitivity readers to go over his texts to make sure the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today”. Some have said derogatory references to people’s physical appearances, as well as other characteristics, in Dahl’s work are not suitable for young readers.
On Monday, Sunak’s official spokesperson said: “When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the prime minister agrees with the BFG that we shouldn’t gobblefunk around with words. I think it’s important that works of literature and works of fiction are preserved and not airbrushed. We have always defended the right to free speech and expression.”
Pullman, however, simply encouraged children simply to read “better” authors.
“Let him go out of print,” the author of His Dark Materials said on Monday. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that people should instead explore writers such as Malorie Blackman, Michael Morpurgo and Beverley Naidoo. “Read all of these wonderful authors who are writing today, who don’t get as much of a look-in because of the massive commercial gravity of people like Roald Dahl.”
He said Dahl’s work, if left alone, would not disappear overnight or be substantially changed in the public’s consciousness, because of the vast numbers of existing editions sitting on shelves in homes, school libraries and elsewhere. “What are you going to do about them? All these words are still there, are you going to round up all the books and cross them out with a big black pen?”
Asked about the controversy over the rewrites, he said: “Dahl can look after himself. I hadn’t read his books for very many years and I don’t want to again.”
He added: “The point is: these words, these phrases and language uses do change over time. 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.”
Hundreds of changes have been made to Dahl’s original texts. For example, in The Twits, Mrs Twit is no longer “ugly and beastly” but just “beastly”. References to people being fat are also among the edits, which were made in conjunction with Inclusive Minds, a “collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature”.
The Roald Dahl Story Company has said “it’s not unusual to review the language” during a new print run and any changes were “small and carefully considered”.
Ashley Booth, 33, owner of A New Chapter Books, which specialises in books from inclusive and diverse perspectives for schools, said the focus should be on promoting novels written by people with lived experiences, or “own voice stories”.
“There aren’t that many books that people would need to get rid of. Most of what’s been published is fine but we’ve got to keep new stuff rolling in.” As a primary school teacher, he said schools can “help guide children through” books that contain what might be considered outdated ideas.
“In Charlie and the Great glass elevator, there’s quite a racist scene … that’s the kind of thing we should be writing out.
“I would much prefer that we were pumping money into new, exciting authors that are writing diverse books that appeal to the children now,” he said.
Among those to criticise Puffin is the author Salman Rushdie, who framed the issue as one of free speech. The Booker prize winner tweeted: “Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.”
Suzanne Nossel, the chief executive of PEN America – a community of more than 7,000 writers advocating for freedom of expression – said: “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.”
The literary agent Alice Sutherland-Hawes said she thought publishers could look to methods employed by Disney: “Perhaps for older books, publishers could do something similar to what Disney has done in front of their old animated films eg The Aristocats, with a disclaimer at the front saying it contains offensive language and depictions.”
But she said Dahl and older books were not the right areas of focus. “It bothers me more that new books are still being published today with the same stereotypes and language,” she said. “And maybe we as an industry should be focusing on that.”
Dahl, who died in 1990, has regularly featured among the UK’s favourite authors. But the editing of some of his works is just the latest reassessment of his legacy. In 2020, his family apologised for the “lasting and understandable hurt caused by Roald Dahl’s antisemitic statements”.
What’s new in Dahl’s books
In James and the Giant Peach Aunt Sponge is no longer “terrifically fat / And tremendously flabby at that”, but is instead “a nasty old brute / And deserved to be squashed by the fruit”. Aunt Spiker, previously described as “thin as a wire / And dry as a bone, only drier” is now, in relation to Aunt Sponge, “much of the same / And deserves half of the blame”.
Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as “enormous” instead of “enormously fat”. In The Twits, Mrs Twit is no longer “ugly and beastly” but just “beastly”.
Matilda’s Miss Trunchbull was previously described by Dahl as a “most formidable female”; that has now been changed to a “most formidable woman”.
Men has been changed to people in two books; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Oompa Loompas were “small men” and are now “small people”, while the Cloud-Men in James and the Giant Peach have become Cloud-People.
