The controversy over edits to Roald Dahl's children's books has been resolved in a way that would probably have amused the wry author himself: Publisher Puffin says it will sell two versions of the books and the 16-book Roald Dahl Classic Collection, with the original text, will "sit alongside the newly released Puffin Roald Dahl books for young readers." Critics of the edits, which removed words like "fat" and "ugly," hailed the decision as a win, though others accused Puffin of trying to cash in on the publicity by having two sets of Dahl books in print, the Guardian reports.
There was an uproar this week after the Telegraph reported that hundreds of edits had been made to children's classics like The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Witches. Many sentences were removed—including one in which a giant complains "Greeks from Greece is all tasting greasy"—and "men" was changed to "people" in many places. The "man-eating" giants became "human-eating giants." "Fat" was removed or changed to "enormous." Puffin said the edited books "are designed for children who may be navigating written content independently for the first time." Queen Consort Camilla and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were among those who weighed in, with Sunak saying the books of the late Dahl should not be "airbrushed."
As for Camilla, she told a group of writers and publishers: "Please remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination. Enough said." The editing project began when Dahl's estate owned the rights to the books and continued after Netflix acquired them in 2018. "We've listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl's books, and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation," said Francesca Dow, managing editor of Penguin, which owns Puffin, per the BBC.
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Author Philip Pullman suggested that Dahl's books should be allowed to "fade away" instead of being changed. "That’s what I’d say. Read Phil Earle, SF Said, Frances Hardinge, Michael Morpurgo, Malorie Blackman. Read Mini Grey, Helen Cooper, Jaqueline Wilson, Beverley Naidoo," he said. "Read all these wonderful authors who are writing today who don’t get as much of a look-in because of the massive commercial gravity of people like Roald Dahl." (More Roald Dahl stories.)
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