Roald Dahl’s classic books are now being re-released without an ‘awakened’ edit after the king’s wife Camilla waded in after a huge outcry at a reception where she was hailed by Britain’s best-selling authors.
Puffin has come under fire for changes to many of his most famous children’s classics, as critics including the Queen Consort demanded they don’t restrict “freedom of expression”.
Today the publisher announced the release of the Roald Dahl Classic Collection “to keep the author’s classic writing in print” and claims they “listened to the debate” after criticism of the recent editing of his work for removing words like “Fat” had been voiced.
Dahl’s 17 Books, Read and Loved by Tens of Millions, will be available later this year and will include archival footage relevant to each of the popular children’s author’s stories.
But these unedited versions will still sit alongside the newly released Roald Dahl books, which have been controversially rewritten – sparking outrage in the UK.
A new poll for Web by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that nearly two in three Brits (60%) disagree with a change in language in classic children’s books and 63% oppose recent changes to Roald Dahl’s books. Only 20% supported the changes.
The latest editions of Mr Dahl’s children’s books have been edited to remove language that might be deemed offensive – Puffin says they will now re-publish them unedited
Queen Consort Camilla chimed in the ongoing literary debate about Roald Dahl’s publisher rewriting passages from his children’s books as she welcomed guests to her literary reception yesterday
Camilla’s remarks at Clarence House yesterday were greeted with laughter and chants of ‘Hear, hear!’ by Richard Osman, Sebastian Faulks, William Boyd, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Ben Okri and Charlie Mackesy. Her intervention is credited with forcing a partial turnaround. Sir Salman Rushdie and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have also condemned the changes.
Puffin has sparked a revisionism row after they ruled that words like “fat” should be removed – Augustus Gloop can now only be described as “enormous” – and that Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’s Oompa Loompas should be made gender-neutral.
How Editors Changed Roald Dahl’s Stories
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
2001 – Mrs. Salt was a great, fat, short-legged creature, and she snorted like a rhino
2022 – Mrs. Salt was so out of breath she was panting like a rhino
THE TWITS
2001 – Ms. Twit might have been ugly and she might have been beasts, but she wasn’t stupid
2022 – Ms. Twit might have been bestial, but she wasn’t stupid.
MATILDA
2001 – Get your mom or dad
2022 – Get your family
THE BFG
2001 – ‘BFG,’ she said, ‘would you please tell these pretty dimwitted characters exactly what to do.’
2022 – “BFG,” she said, “would you please tell them exactly what to do.”
THE HUGE CROCODILE
2001 – We eat little boys and girls
2022 – We eat little children
ESIO TROT
2001 – “I beg you to tell me Mr. Hoppy! I will be your slave for life.’
2022 – “I beg you to tell me Mr. Hoppy! You will be my hero for life.”
AMAZING MR FOX
2001 – Bunce, the little pot-bellied runt, looked up at Bean…
2022 – Bunce looked up to Bean…
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
2001 – They were like a couple of hunters who had just killed an elephant
2022 – They were like a couple of hunters who had just killed their prey
Mrs. Twit’s “fearful ugliness” has been reduced to “ugliness” and Mrs. Hoppy in Esio Trot is not an “attractive middle-aged lady” but a “friendly middle-aged lady”.
The publisher also added passages that were not written by Dahl, who died in 1990.
In The Witches, a paragraph describing her as bald beneath her wigs is briefly followed by a new line: “There are many other reasons women might wear wigs, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.”
Puffin said in a statement this afternoon that they will be releasing two versions of each book – the original and the newer edited ones.
Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Penguin Random House Children’s, said: “At Puffin, we have been proud to publish Roald Dahl’s stories in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company for more than 40 years. Her mischievous spirit and unique storytelling genius have captured the imagination of readers for generations.
“We have listened to the debate over the past week, which has validated the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions about how stories from another era can remain relevant to each new generation.
“As a children’s publisher, it is our job to share the magic of the stories with children with the utmost care and diligence. Roald Dahl’s fantastic books are often the first stories young children read on their own, and nurturing the imagination and rapidly developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility.
“We also know how important it is to keep Dahl’s classic writing in print. By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we offer readers the choice to choose how they experience Roald Dahl’s magical, wonderful stories.’
She added, “Roald Dahl once said, ‘If my books can help children become readers, then I feel like I’ve accomplished something important.’ At Puffin, we will pursue that ambition for as long as we make books.
Camilla spoke at a reception yesterday with many of Britain’s top writers amid their anger that publishers have hired “sensitivity gurus” to remove “offensive” language from Dahl’s books.
She told the authors, “Please remain true to your calling unhindered by those who wish to limit your freedom of speech or limit your imagination.” The 73-year-old royal looked up with a mischievous smile and added: “Enough said.”
Her comments were greeted with laughter and “Hear, hear!” cheers. by best-selling authors including Sebastian Faulks, William Boyd, Ben Okri, Philippa Gregory and Charlie Mackesy.
The Queen Consort said to them, “Let not squeak like mice in your achievements, but only roar like a pride of lions.”
She spoke at a reception at Clarence House yesterday.
During her speech, Camilla weighed in on the debate surrounding author Roald Dahl’s (pictured) sensibility rewrite
In her speech, Camilla quoted John Steinbeck, who said, “I am forced not to squeak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession.”
Puffin says it made the changes so Dahl’s work “can still be enjoyed by all today.”
The Queen Consort – an avid reader and advocate for improving literacy rates, particularly among children – was joined by a host of writers last night.
They argued that the works of writers like Dahl should be preserved as products of their time.
William Boyd, author of Any Human Heart, said, “If you ask kids why they like Roald Dahl, it’s because he’s naughty and sinful and you end up throwing the baby out with the bath water.”
Peter James, one of the world’s best-selling crime writers, added: “There’s an old tradition in publishing of publish and be damned. And I think Her Majesty only approved of that to a certain extent. She just said “be brave”.
“The big question is how far do we go back? Will we censor Dickens? There’s some pretty tough stuff in Dickens that’s pretty offensive. Shall we watch Shakespeare?
“I think what we have to accept is that it was a moment in time and this is now. We are so blessed to have the Queen Consort supporting us.’
In the new version of The Twits, Mrs Twit’s ‘fearful ugliness’ has been chopped up into ‘ugliness’.
Publishers Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company changed the description of Gloop (pictured far left in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) so that the character is no longer called fat in new versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
In The Witches (pictured), “old witch” has been changed to “old crow,” while “You must be crazy, woman” is now “You must be crazy.”
Richard Osman, author of the bestselling book The Thursday Murder Club, agreed, adding: “My opinion is only one: the more we read, the better.
“I’m trying to write the most entertaining book I can. You must always keep your audience in mind.
“So a 19th-century book is different from a 20th-century book, is different from a 21st-century book. This is literature. It reflects what is in the heart of the artist and what is in the heart of the reader.’
Actor and author Richard E Grant added: “I’ve always thought what’s amazing about Britain is that there are no restrictions on freedom of expression.
“You go back a mere ten years in the literature and there’s something that wouldn’t be acceptable now.”
Ben Okri, the Booker Prize-winning author of The Famished Road, praised the Queen Consort’s decision to set up their reading room, describing it as a “wonderful idea”.
He said: “Kings and queens and princes in general are not famous for being champions of literature. Often, for some reason, they are afraid of literature. Literature is very bold and very questioning.
“So having a queen who supports reading and literacy is a really great sign of openness in the culture. We need them, we need this support at all levels of society.
“Many of us writers were amazed when she spoke of rendering the lion’s roar. That’s a very seductive thing to say to writers. Because we are constantly aware that our yelling could get us into trouble.”
Gyles Brandreth, a trustee of the Queen’s Reading Room, revealed he shared a train journey with Dahl around 40 years ago.
He recalled, “We had a disagreement about something, and I remember him saying to me, ‘It’s entirely possible to disagree with someone and still find them interesting, isn’t it?’
Camilla was joined by King Charles yesterday as she urged all the assembled writers to show “the utmost pride” in their profession and in the role they play in opening readers’ eyes to the experiences of others.
Her online book club has become so successful that it is now being transformed into a charity to promote a love of literature among adults and children around the world.
It also aims to close the gap between writers and readers through accessible, educational and free literary content.
The Queen’s Reading Room is hosting its first literary festival at Hampton Court in June.