Major update in Roald Dahl row after woke publishers rewrite books over ‘offensive’ characters
WOKE publishers have made a major call amid the Roald Dahl censorship row after revealing they were rewriting the beloved books to remove "offensive" language.
Puffin UK today backed down and announced it will publish an unedited classic collection alongside the newly released versions for "young readers".
The publishers said they made the call "to keep the author's classic texts in print" following the recent uproar.
Last week it was revealed the books were being re-edited to include politically correct changes to mentions of weight, mental health, gender and race.
Publisher Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the writer’s stories, worked with a collective of inclusion, diversity and equality champions.
Changes to the words “fat” and “ugly” are among “hundreds” of others.
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Dahl died in 1990 and his books, including Matilda, James And The Giant Peach, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory – which features Willy Wonka – and The BFG have sold more than 250million copies.
At the time the Roald Dahl Story Company said: “We want to ensure the wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children.
“When publishing new print runs of books written years ago it is not unusual to review the language used.”
But they were slammed by Brits - including Rishi Sunak who told them not to “gobblefunk” the author’s words.
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Mr Sunak’s spokesman blasted: “When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the Prime Minister agrees with the BFG that you shouldn't gobblefunk around with words.”
Publishers said today the 17 titles will be available later this year and will include archive material relevant to each of the stories by the much-loved but controversial children's author.
Penguin's managing director Francesca Dow said: "At Puffin we have proudly published Roald Dahl's stories for more than 40 years in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company.
"Their mischievous spirit and his unique storytelling genius have delighted the imaginations of readers across many generations.
"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.
"As a children's publisher, our role is to share the magic of stories with children with the greatest thought and care.
"Roald Dahl's fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care for the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility.
"We also recognise the importance of keeping Dahl's classic texts in print."