Pinguin holds back from Roald Dahl changes after backlash
Publisher Penguin Random House announced Friday that it will publish “classic” unabridged versions of Roald Dahl’s children’s novels after receiving criticism for cuts and rewrites intended to make the books suitable for modern readers.
Along with the new editions, the company said 17 of Dahl’s books will be released later this year in their original form as “The Roald Dahl Classic Collection,” giving “readers the freedom to choose which version of Dahl’s stories they prefer.”
The move comes after criticism of changes to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and other well-loved classics for recent issues released under the company’s Puffin children’s label, which have seen passages related to weight, mental health, gender and race changed .
Augustus Gloop, Charlie’s gluttonous antagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – originally published in 1964 – became “hugely” rather than “hugely fat”. In Witches, a supernatural woman posing as an ordinary woman can be “a top scientist or run a company” rather than “a cashier in a supermarket or writing letters for a businessman.”
The Roald Dahl Story Company, which controls the rights to the books, said it worked with Puffin to review and revise the texts because they wanted to make sure “Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters are still enjoyed by all children today.” become”.
While tweaking old books to suit modern sensibilities is not a new phenomenon in publishing, the scale of the edits has drawn fierce criticism from freedom of speech groups like writers’ organization PEN America and from authors like Salman Rushdie.
Camilla, the queen consort, appeared to be giving her opinion at a literary reception on Thursday. She urged writers to “remain true to your calling, unhindered by those who wish to limit your freedom of speech or limit your imagination.”
Featuring mischievous children, strange beasts and often animalistic adults, Dahl’s books have sold more than 300 million copies and continue to be read by children around the world. Her numerous stage and screen adaptations include Matilda the Musical and two Willy Wonka films based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with a third in the works.
But Dahl, who died in 1990, is also controversial because of the anti-Semitic statements he made throughout his life. His family apologized in 2020.
In 2021, Dahl’s estate sold the rights to the books to Netflix, which plans to produce a new generation of films based on the stories.
Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Children’s, said the publisher “listened to the debate over the past week, which reaffirms the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions of how stories from another era can remain relevant has every new generation.”
“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,” she said.
“We also recognize the importance of keeping Dahl’s classic writing in print,” said Dow. “By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we offer readers the choice to choose how they experience Roald Dahl’s magical, wonderful stories.”
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