The United Kingdom
publishing house
that distributes the
writings of Roald Dahl
said it would continue to release the author’s beloved children’s books in their original prose after details of an
announced edit
sparked widespread backlash.
Puffin U.K. released a statement Friday announcing it would now publish two editions of Dahl’s books, one that maintains the original language and another with the editorial changes that included eliminating entire sentences and replacing gendered language.
ROALD DAHL EDITS: READ THE 25 MOST SURPRISING CHANGES TO BELOVED CHILDREN’S BOOKS
“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, the managing director of Penguin Random House Children’s. “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.”
Puffin Announce Roald Dahl Classic collection to keep author’s classic texts in print pic.twitter.com/oOqaWNbzV7
— Ed Cumming (@edcumming) February 24, 2023
The publisher’s planned edits to Dahl’s books will eliminate words such as “fat” or “men” over sensitivity concerns. Some books saw descriptions and sentences
entirely deleted or changed
to language that had no connection to the original text.
The publisher will now release two editions of Dahl’s books, which include well-known titles such as Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
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The edited editions of the books will still be released under the Puffin banner, while the Roald Dahl Classic Collection will be released by the publisher’s Penguin banner and will provide readers with the author’s unfiltered prose.
