Roald Dahl’s books are being rewritten to remove language deemed offensive, including descriptions of characters’ physical appearances.
Publisher Puffin hired sensitivity readers to rewrite passages to edit out words such as “fat” and “ugly”.
The decision has been criticised by many including writer Salman Rushdie, who called it “absurd censorship”, and actor Brian Cox, who said the edits were “disgraceful”.
So why are Dahl’s books being edited, and what is being changed?
Why are Roald Dahl’s books being rewritten?
Roald Dahl’s books are being edited to remove “offensive” language.
The Roald Dahl Story Company (owned by Netflix since 2021) and the publisher Puffin made the changes following a review that began in 2020.
A Hollywood film adaptation of The Witches highlighted concerns that its depiction of the Grand Witch was offensive to people with limb differences because she was missing fingers.
As a result, Puffin said it would review the language to ensure that the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today”.
Which Roald Dahl books are being rewritten?
A number of popular Roald Dahl books have been edited, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.
The following books are among those being edited:
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- James and the Giant Peach
- The Twits
- Matilda
- The Witches
- The BFG
What are the Roald Dahl rewrites?
Words such as “ugly” and “fat” have been removed, while some descriptions of characters have been edited entirely, as reported by The Telegraph.
References to “black” and “white” have been removed. For example, the BFG no longer wears a black cloak.
Some gendered descriptions have also been made gender-neutral.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Augustus Gloop is no longer described as “enormously fat” but simply “enormous”, while the Oompa Loompas are just “small” instead of “tiny” or “titchy”.
The Oompa Loompas are also now “small people” rather than “small men”.
The Twits
In The Twits, the word “ugly” has been removed so that Mrs Twit is now just “beastly”.
The famous quote from the Twits, “You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams,” has been edited to remove the “double chin”.
James and the Giant Peach
The Centipede originally said: “Aunt Sponge was terrifically fat/And tremendously flabby at that,” and, “Aunt Spiker was thin as a wire/And dry as a bone, only drier.”
But these descriptions have been changed to: “Aunt Sponge was a nasty old brute/And deserved to be squashed by the fruit,” and, “Aunt Spiker was much of the same/And deserves half of the blame.”
The Witches
A sentence has been added to a passage in The Witches explaining that they’re bald beneath their wigs: “There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.”
The jobs in The Witches have been changed from “cashier” or “typing letters for a businessman” to “top scientist” or “running a business”.
Matilda
In Matilda, a description of Miss Trunchbull as a “most formidable female”, has been changed to “most formidable woman”.
Matilda also reads Jane Austen instead of Rudyard Kipling.
What have the publisher and the Roald Dahl Story Company said?
The publisher has written in the copyright pages: “The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvellous characters. This book was written many years ago, and so we regularly review the language to ensure that it can continue to be enjoyed by all today.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Roald Dahl Story Company said: “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.
“Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text. Any changes made have been small and carefully considered.”
What have critics said about the Roald Dahl rewrites?
Rushdie, whose book The Satanic Verses is banned in countries including Bangladesh, Sudan, and South Africa, said: “Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.”
Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed. https://t.co/sdjMfBr7WW
— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) February 18, 2023
Rushdie is referring to Dahl’s history of openly antisemitic statements, which have tainted his legacy.
Cox told Times Radio that it is “disgraceful” to rewrite Dahl’s books. He said: “We can’t start rewriting works of literature because it suits our so-called moral code.”
Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, an organisation that fights for freedom of speech, said: “At PEN America we are alarmed at news of ‘hundreds of changes’ to venerated works by Roald Dahl in a purported effort to scrub the books of that which might offend someone.
“Amidst fierce battles against book bans and strictures on what can be taught and read, selective editing to make works of literature conform to particular sensibilities could represent a dangerous new weapon.”
