Tim Minchin, the comedian behind the Matilda musical, has described editing Roald Dahl’s books to better suit modern audiences as “a slippery slope” .
The British-Australian composer and entertainer, who wrote the music for the musical based on Dahl’s book, said removing outdated language in the author’s works set a precedent for needing to change all texts that might offend people and warned they could need to be constantly updated to keep up with changing sensibilities.
“It seems there’s an incredible slippery slope problem with editing texts,” he said in an interview with the Guardian’s Saturday magazine. “I mean, my initial reaction, when I heard about it? ‘Now we’ll have to get all the rapes out of all the history books. Then the world will be a better place.’”
“It’s not actually about morality. It’s about keeping the property, owned by the Dahls and Netflix, contemporary … It’s an interesting part of modern progressivism, that a huge amount of change is happening because corporations have identified where their bottom-line is best served,” he said.
Earlier this year, Puffin announced that some of Roald Dahl’s children’s books were being rewritten to remove language deemed offensive or outdated. The publisher used sensitivity readers to help rewrite parts of the text to ensure the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today”. The rewrites are designed for young children who are reading independently for the first time.
“Problem one, as I see it? If you do this once, you’ll have to do it to all texts ever, taking out all the words that might upset people.
“Problem two? You’ll have to change it all again in five years when the new words you put in are out of vogue. So that’s two slippery-slope problems. You’re standing at the top of a double slide. And now you’re spraying soap on the fucking things,” he said.
After public outcry and an investigation by the Telegraph, Puffin announced the release of The Roald Dahl Classic Collection, which will keep the author’s original texts and sit alongside the newly released and edited Puffin Roald Dahl books.
“I find it baffling! I’m perplexed by people’s willingness to apply ideas that only work in one direction, as if there aren’t going to be any bad outcomes of this,” Minchin said.
When asked about whether he expected to get into trouble for criticising the changes to Dahl’s books, he said Netflix and the Dahls know he is not “a mouthpiece” for them.
“I may not always say the right things. But I never, ever say what I am told. I don’t owe anyone anything. Personal-me is agitated by the unsustainable idea of changing people’s fiction. But my view about that is only as important as your view about that.”
