Changes to Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books spark censorship spat

The news that changes have been made to the works of best-selling children’s author Roald Dahl has been met with anger from leading writers, including Booker prizewinner Salman Rushdie , who branded the changes “absurd censorship.” Dahl, who died in 1990 at age 76, was the creator of characters such as Matilda, the BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Willy Wonka and the Twits. His books have sold more than 300 million copies and have been translated into 63 languages, while there have been numerous adaptations of his work for both the big and small screens. However, the author has long been regarded as controversial and in 2020 his estate officially apologized for antisemitic comments made during his lifetime. It has now emerged that current editions of his books, published by Puffin, feature the following wording at the bottom of the copyright page: “Words matter. 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.” These revisions have been worked on by “sensitivity readers” from an organization called Inclusive Minds , which describes itself as “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature, and are committed to changing the face of children’s books.” In a lengthy report published on Saturday, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph revealed that […]

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