They remove the words “fat” and “ugly” from Roald Dahl’s books: what are the most important changes in Matilda

The world of literature has been living in turbulent times since it became known that There will be changes in new editions of Roald Dahl’s books. Many of his most famous stories, such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will be subject to inclusive changes and not everyone is happy.

From anonymous network users to world-famous writers have complained about the decision of Puffin booksthe children’s imprint of British publisher Penguin Books, to be launched new editions of Dahl’s stories and novels with edits suitable for all audiences.

With the intention of whitening the image of the British writer, branded for life as a misogynist and accused of perpetuating racial stereotypes and anti-Semitism, the Roald Dahl History Society began a process of analyzing Dahl’s work even before Netflix acquired the rights to it.

The company’s goal is that “all children today continue to enjoy Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters.”

Then, in partnership with Puffin Books, the company came together Inclusive mindsa group who describe themselves as “passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature” to rewrite much of the author’s work and revamp its language and messages.

The cry in the sky

In addition to that controversy with the streaming of Gone with the Wind, endless voicesmany of them from readers and writers, they opposed the measure.

The organization that defends freedom of expression PEN America expressed its opinion through its executive director, Suzanne Nosselthat they are “alarmed” by the decision and that the solution to the problem would be to “offer an introductory context” instead of editing the work without the consent of the author, who died in 1990.

Writer Salman Rushdiewho recently published his new novel “Ciudad Victoria”, said on Twitter that “Dahl was not an angel”, but that it is still “absurd censorship”.

Changes

In many cases, the changes made to Dahl’s works are quite significant. For example, a song sung by the centipede from James and the giant peach replace, among others, the words “fat” and “flabby”.

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the adjective “ugly” was removed and a character that was described as “fat” became “huge”. Oompa Loompas are no longer recognized as “little men” but as “little people”.

In Matilda References to writers accused of being imperialists and supremacists, such as Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, were replaced by John Steinbeck and Jane Austen.

To avoid the sexualization of women, Tronchatoro is no longer a “terrific woman”, but “a formidable woman”.

There are also changes in Witches. For example, a passage in the book where the protagonist states that he will pull women’s hair to find out if they are wearing wigs, and his grandmother replies, “You can’t go pull every girl’s hair you meet” was replaced with “there are many other reasons why women might wear wigs, and there’s really nothing wrong with that.”

The Roald Dahl Story Company states that by “releasing new editions of books written years ago it is not uncommon to review the language used“.

The co-founder of Inclusive Minds says he wants to “ensure authentic representation, working closely with the world of books and those who have experienced every aspect of diversity.”