Roald Dahl’s ‘Classic’ Text Will Be Kept in Print After Mass Condemnation of ‘Sensitivity’ Book Rewrites

AP Photo/Andrew Burton

The publisher of Roald Dahl’s famed children’s books announced Friday that a “classic collection” of the author’s works will still be kept in print after the mass condemnation of a plan to rewrite hundreds of passages in an effort to remove offensive material.

Dahl’s famed books, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, were reportedly edited in new versions to remove descriptive words like “fat.” Sensitivity readers went through Dahl’s work and flagged any material that could be potentially offensive to today’s readers — particularly related to topics like mental health, gender, and physical descriptions.

Penguin will now release Dahl’s original texts along with the newly edited versions for those who may not be able to handle the writer’s original 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,” Francesca Dow, managing editor of Penguin announced on Friday.

The original texts will be part of the Roald Dahl Classic Collection, according to the publisher. Penguin said they “[recognized] the importance of keeping Dahl’s classic texts in print.” The alternate versions, however, will still be available alongside Dahl’s actual work.

From Penguin:

The Roald Dahl Classic Collection will sit alongside the newly released Puffin Roald Dahl books for young readers, which are designed for children who may be navigating written content independently for the first time.

Readers will be free to choose which version of Dahl’s stories they prefer.

Among the critics of the decision to mess with Dahl’s work was novelist Salman Rushdie who dubbed it “absurd censorship.”