Roald Dahl classic collection

EDIT PAGE

Artist: Roald Dahl

Year: 2023

Date of Action: February 2023

Region: Europe

Location: United Kingdom

Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion

Medium: Literature

Confronting Bodies: Puffin Books

Description of Artwork: Roald Dahl's books — like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, and Matilda — have been beloved by children for decades and have been adapted multiple times into films. The characters in Dahl's works are larger-than-life figures whose personalities and quirks excite young readers, and the worlds they inhabit and situations they confront are just as engrossing and imaginative. However, Dahl's books have recently attracted criticism due to Dahl's use of stereotypes and potentially uncomfortable language. Critics see antisemitism, racism, fat-phobia, and other themes present in Dahl's language.

The Incident: Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Group which serves as Dahl's publisher, made hundreds of changes to original texts of the author's well-known children's books. The character Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is no longer called "fat." Instead he is described as "enormous," according to The Telegraph. Instead of being called "small men," Oompa-Loompas are now "small people," The Telegraph reports.

The changes to Dahl's works included adding language not originally written by Dahl, in addition to removing and replacing language. For example, in Dahl's 1983 book The Witches, he writes that witches are bald beneath their wigs. According to The Telegraph, an added line in new editions says, "There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that."

Language relating to gender, race, weight, mental health and violence had all been cut or revised, including the removal of words like “fat” and “ugly,” and descriptions using the colors black and white.

“Words matter,” reads a note included on the copyright page of revised editions. “The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvelous 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.” 

The move received backlash from many in the literary community, including award-winning author Salman Rushdie, who himself has faced censorship by foreign regimes. Rushdie noted that Dahl – whose family has apologized for antisemitic comments the author had made in the past – “was no angel,” while calling the changes to his text “absurd.”

Children's author Judy Blume agreed, noting: "Kids still love [Dahl's] books, and they love them the way he wrote them. So I don’t believe in [censorship].”

Results of Incident: The bowdlerization of Dahl's works incensed many, but it also drove people to take action, and encouraged public engagement with advocacy groups. Judy Blume recalls that amidst the Dahl controversy, she “discovered ‘the little organization that could,’” referencing the National Coalition Against Censorship, which is the nonprofit she chose to highlight as a Power of Women honoree. “NCAC is right there on the front lines. If a teacher, librarian, parent or student needs help as books are being challenged in their classrooms, NCAC is on the other end of the phone to help," Blume said.

Following negative headlines, criticism from celebrity writers like Rushdie and Blume, and the work of advocacy groups like NCAC, Penguin Group backed down. Although the bowdlerized texts will still be published under the Puffin imprint, the original editions of Dahl's work will also continue to be published as "The Roald Dahl Classic Collection" under the Penguin Originals imprint.

Source:
• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/17/roald-dahl-woke-overhaul-offensive-words-removed/,
• https://variety.com/2023/film/news/judy-blume-roald-dahl-censorship-book-bans-queer-books-1235570001/,
• https://www.npr.org/2023/02/21/1158347261/roald-dahl-books-changed-offensive-words,
• https://www.cnn.com/style/article/roald-dahl-classic-text-release-cec/index.html,
• https://ew.com/books/roald-dahl-original-texts-available-after-censorship-criticism/