UK fury as Roald Dahl books rewritten, but French publishers say ‘non’ to edits

The British publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books has removed colorful language from stories such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda to make them more acceptable to modern readers. © Andrew Burton, AP/ File picture

French publisher Gallimard said it had no intention of making changes to translated versions of children’s books by the late British novelist Roald Dahl, unlike the author’s UK publisher.

“Change a text today without (the author’s) consent? No,” Hedwige Pasquet, director of Gallimard Jeunesse, said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper.