Can we revisit an author’s text and adapt it to contemporary sensibilities without distorting his style and altering his message? Is this pure and simple censorship, or a necessary modernization of an outdated work that could be offended from now on?The debate reignites in Britain after Tory Daily daily telegraph On February 17th, world-renowned author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) revealed some 15 works. charlie and the chocolate factory or BGG (“Le Bon Gros Géant”), revised for its 2022 reissue, contains zany stories, often with dark humor.
‘This censorship is ridiculous’
Hundreds of changes were made to the original text, concerning the gender or appearance of the characters.exist James and the Big PeachesAunt Sponge is gone “very fat and flabby”but “A mean old brute”. Miss Trunchbull, Principal MatildaIs no longer “A Horrible Woman”but one “Scary Woman”. exist Charlie…the chocolate factory worker Oompa Loompas became “little people” no longer “Little people”.
An initiative by publisher Puffin Books (the children’s division of Penguin Random House) about the British icon, still popular in the country’s primary schools, has sparked an outcry. “Roald Dahl is no angel, but this censorship is ridiculous.” The Puffin Books and the Dahl Estate [la Roald Dahl Story Company, détentrice de ses droits d’auteur, rachetée en 2021 par Netflix] should be ashamed”feel sorry for author Salman Rushdie, great defender of free speech. ‘Prime Minister agrees with BGG that we should avoid the word ‘gobblefunking’ [le langage charabia des géants dans Le BGG] », a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak responded.Authors should resist attempts limit their freedom of speechand even ruled Queen Camilla Parker Bowles on 23 February – an unabashed criticism of publisher Puffin?
“Our guiding principles were to preserve the storyline, characters, irreverence and sharp wit of the original”, assured a spokesperson for the Roald Dahl Story Company that the company approved the rewrite. Faced with near unanimous excitement, Puffin Books partly backed down on Friday, February 24, announcing that it would be reissuing the original editions of Roald Dahl’s classics: They will be available in bookstores alongside the 2022 revision .
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