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A publisher has altered children's books by Roald Dahl – the author of several well-received children's books that were later made into hit movies, including "Matilda," "James and the Giant Peach," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" – to remove language now deemed offensive.
Puffin, the publisher of Dahl's classic works, has hired sensitivity readers to make changes to certain portions of the author's wording in the U.K. editions as part of an effort to ensure the books "can continue to be enjoyed by all today."
The publisher's rewrite, first reported by The Telegraph, altered numerous descriptions of certain characters' physical appearances, removed references to some characters being fat, and changed some language to be gender-neutral.
Augustus Gloop, the chubby character featured in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," is now described as "enormous," while Mrs. Twit, a character from "The Twits," is described as just "beastly" instead of "ugly and beastly."
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Roald Dahl, the author of several popular works, including Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (Tony Evans, E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)
In "James and the Giant Peach," the character of Miss Sponge is no longer described as "the fat one," Miss Spider’s head is not "black" anymore, and the Earthworm has given up its "lovely pink" skin for "lovely smooth skin."
In Dahl's "The Witches", first published in 1983, a paragraph noting that witches are bald beneath their wigs includes a new line that reads: "There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that."
Another passage from "The Witches" that originally described a "fat little brown mouse" has been changed to "little brown mouse" and a section that used to be, "‘Here’s your little boy,’ she said. ‘He needs to go on a diet’," has been altered to read: "Here’s your little boy."
In "Matilda," the description of Mrs. Trunchbull's "great horsey face" has been changed to simply "face," and "eight nutty little idiots" now reads "eight nutty little boys."
The changes have also resulted in the inclusion of gender-neutral language.
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The Oompa Loompas in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" were once described by Dahl as "small men", but now they are known in the rewritten books as "small people."
Similarly, in "James and the Giant Peach," the Cloud-Men are now Cloud-People.
Dahl, who passed away in 1990, is pictured on December 11, 1971. (Photo by Ronald Dumont/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
A notice that sits at the bottom of the copyright page of Dahl's latest written editions reads: "The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvellous 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."
There have been multiple changes to Dahl's original text, but the Roald Dahl Story Company is defending the decision, concluding that "it's not unusual to review the language" used in works of the past and that the changes were "small and carefully considered."
"We want to ensure Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today," a spokesperson for the company said told Fox News Digital. "When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details including a book’s cover and page layout. Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text. Any changes made have been small and carefully considered."
"As part of our process to review the language used we worked in partnership with Inclusive Minds, a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children's literature," the spokesperson added. "The current review began in 2020, before Dahl was acquired by Netflix. It was led by Puffin and Roald Dahl Story Company together."
Puffin, along with the Roald Dahl Company, made the changes in coordination with Inclusive Minds, which is described by the spokesperson as "a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature."
Dahl, who passed away in 1990, has come under scrutiny in recent years for alleged anti-Semitic comments he made prior to his death.
Roald Dahl autographs books in Dun Laoghaire shopping centre on October 22, 1988. (Independent News and Media)
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In December 2020, Dahl's family released a statement three decades after his passing to apologize for the "hurt" his books caused.
"The Dahl family and the Roald Dahl Story Company deeply apologise for the lasting and understandable hurt caused by some of Roald Dahl’s statements," the family's brief statement reads. "Those prejudiced remarks are incomprehensible to us and stand in marked contrast to the man we knew and to the values at the heart of Roald Dahl's stories, which have positively impacted young people for generations."
It concludes: "We hope that, just as he did at his best, at his absolute worst, Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words."
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