Puffin Books edits children's literature

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Puffin Books, an imprint of British book publishing company Penguin Books, has been criticized for editing children's books by British writer Roald Dahl. For example, the word "fat" can no longer be used, attempting to be more including.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64702224

What did Roald Dahl himself say? Sadly, we can't know. After all, he died on 23 November 1990...

[Cowabung-Gal]

What a big fat joke.

Oops. I said the “F” word. My bad.

[IMJ]

Trophy generation going further down the well making easily offended offspring.

[Sumac]

It was done by request of Dahl's estate.
Seems his grandkids or whatnot, want to hype on the censorship and make people buy OG versions of books.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Sumac

It was done by request of Dahl's estate.
Seems his grandkids or whatnot, want to hype on the censorship and make people buy OG versions of books.

Yeah but the OG versions would then be all aftermarket versions therefore not making the family any money.....

[Jester]

The one that got me was the fact that the word black is removed from some books in certain contexts. I think it's the BFG that says that somebody was wearing a black robe that is now changed to dark because for some reason you can't use the color black to describe something.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by IMJ

Yeah but the OG versions would then be all aftermarket versions therefore not making the family any money.....

They always can release "OG versions" later.
Limited Editions, of course.

[Galactus]

The Roald Dahl books have been edited to alter things deemed offensive a number of times before including when Dahl was still alive. If this happened without incident all the other times I don't see why it's such a big deal this time.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Galactus

The Roald Dahl books have been edited to alter things deemed offensive a number of times before including when Dahl was still alive. If this happened without incident all the other times I don't see why it's such a big deal this time.

Because, author is dead and those edits concern not only removal of "offensive" stuff (so modern snowflakes won't **** their pants, when they are reminded they are fat and ugly), but change whole paragraphs for no apparent reason.

It is rewriting history and censorship in one ugly can. If someone doesn't see problem with it - they are not particularly smart or care about liberty and preserving history.

[neatoman]

... I never thought I'd see the day when "fat" was a word that had to be censored...

[Andrew NDB]

"Ugly" is one of the censored words too.

[Sumac]

Both aptly describe "modern audiences".

[Cowabung-Gal]

Originally Posted by Sumac

Both aptly describe "modern audiences".

I hear Critical Drinker’s voice every time I read the words “Modern Audiences”

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Cowabung-Gal

I hear Critical Drinker’s voice every time I read the words “Modern Audiences”

Same here.
And "THE MESSAGE".

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

The edited versions aren't Roald Dahl books, and shouldn't be considered such. They should be considered cover versions. Or is this ABBA?

[Jester]

On Friday, the publishers Puffin announced the release of the Roald Dahl Classic Collection “to keep the author’s classic texts in print” claiming they had “listened to the debate.”

And there it is...it's all a ploy to get people outraged enough to buy their special collection of the unedited books.

"Pretty sneaky, Sis!"

[Galactus]

I wouldn't be surprised if the above was a factor but I think there were deeper reasons why they are releasing edited versions in addition to these earlier versions (I'm guessing they wont be the true originals).

Like I mentioned earlier the Dahl books have been edited numerous times, sometimes with Dahl's consent others after he died. Just like the Dahl estate's apology Roald's antisemitism this always seemed to coincide with a big push to market them to Hollywood studios. It's easier to sell these books to movie studios if they don't contain a bunch of racist or otherwise offensive stuff that might turn off film execs.

Also this might be difficult for non British people to grasp but it cannot be understated that for decades now Roald Dahl books have been the go-to children's books schools have used to promote literacy. Every Friday afternoon at my Primary School we would have a read along to a book; it was almost always a Roald Dahl book. They've only managed to keep this vaunted status by keeping up with what is considered politically correct at the time and this strikes me as just another cycle of that. If the Dahl Estate wants to keep selling these books to schools and indoctrinating a new generation of little kids into thinking Roald Dahl are the only children's books worth reading outside of Harry Potter this is something they have to do.

[Jester]

Come on Galactus, you've got to admit some of the new edits seem to over correct. Removing the words "fat" and "ugly" seems a bit excessive.

[Galactus]

I'm not saying I agree with it although if Dahl himself consented to having his books altered so they could continue pitching them to schools I think a reasonable case can be made that he'd be okay with continuing to do so.

It's not like we're talking about some ultra sacrosanct work here. If Shakespeare can be edited Dahl can too and frankly the most famous adaption of his work bares little resemblance to any version of the book it was based on. While I do think the latest changes are odd...personally if I was an overweight kid I'd be more offended by the word enormous than fat but I'm sure they've thought this through. Like I said this has been a consistent business strategy by the owners of the Dahl works for decades and now they also get to sell unedited versions to rubes who may want to buy them to own the libs or something. I don't know if they planned it that way all along but it works out pretty well for them.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Galactus

I'm not saying I agree with it although if Dahl himself consented to having his books altered so they could continue pitching them to schools I think a reasonable case can be made that he'd be okay with continuing to do so.

How about random lunatic nobody won't decide for an author how their works would be after their death?

It doesn't matter what Dahl thought, when he was alive. He is dead now and he can't approve of anything. Not that zealots like you care about morals or anything, outside of your dumb**** religion.

Originally Posted by Galactus

It's not like we're talking about some ultra sacrosanct work here.

And which works are sacrosanct than?

This is a slippery slope and people who think like this have no respect to their past, history, original writers and works in question. Fitting for the cult of self-obsessed losers, though, who think only themselves and their precious present matter.

Originally Posted by Galactus

Like I said this has been a consistent business strategy by the owners of the Dahl works for decades and now they also get to sell unedited versions to rubes who may want to buy them to own the libs or something.

You own yourself enough already, than you very much, good day sir!