Roald Dahl's Original Books To Be Published By Penguin Amid Censorship Backlash

After criticism of the decision to change books to make them more appropriate for modern audiences, author Roald Dahl's books will now be published in their original form, as per a press release by publisher Penguin Random House. 

The revised editions, which omit paragraphs related to weight, mental health, gender and race, will be published with reprints of 17 of the author's books in original form at a later date. The latter will be known as "The Roald Dahl Classic Collection" so "readers will be free to choose which version of Dahl's stories they prefer," according to the release.

As per the publisher, the Classic Collection will "sit alongside the newly released Puffin Roald Dahl books for young readers". They added that the latter series of books "are designed for children who may be navigating written content independently for the first time".

Today we announce the Roald Dahl Classic Collection, which will keep Dahl's classic texts in print. Find more detail here: https://t.co/8IdAOcoJfw

— PuffinBooks (@PuffinBooks) February 24, 2023

Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Penguin Random House Children's, said in a statement,"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."

It is to be noted that the antagonist Augustus Gloop in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is described as "enormous" rather than "fat" and Mrs Twit in "The Twits" is described as "beastly" rather than "ugly and beastly" in the 2022 editions. 

Also Read: Writer Salman Rushdie Slams Roald Dahl Rewrites As 'Absurd Censorship'

As per CBS News, The Roald Dahl Story Company, which owns the rights to the books, stated that it collaborated with Puffin (the children's imprint of Penguin Random House) to review and revise the texts to ensure that "Dahl's wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today."

Several popular figures including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and author Salman Rushdie had condemned the re-editing of the books. Mr Rushdie had called it "absurd censorship" by "bowdlerising sensitivity police".