Roald Dahl publisher to release ‘classic collection’ of author’s texts after editing controversy

Puffin UK, among the world’s largest children’s books publishers, announced Friday it will keep Roald Dahl’s classic texts in print, a week after a British news outlet reported the publisher had changed or removed hundreds of the author’s words, sparking widespread criticism among readers, writers and politicians around the world.

The publishing company said in a press release that 17 of Dahl’s works will be released as part of the “The Roald Dahl Classic Collection.” The paperback books will include archive material relevant to each of the stories and feature the texts published before the recent revisions, the company confirmed to the Toronto Star via email.

The collection will be available later this year, though an exact publication date has yet to be announced. Puffin said all 17 titles in the classic collection will be published by its sister division, Penguin, and will be available alongside the revised editions currently available under the Puffin logo.

“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,” said Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Children’s.

On Feb. 17, The Telegraph reported new editions of Dahl’s beloved books, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “The Witches,” had been heavily edited. References to characters’ races, genders and physical appearances, in particular, were significantly rewritten.

The Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages Dahl’s trademarks and copyrights, said the edits were meant to remove offensive language and make the texts more inclusive. The changes followed a review process which began in 2020. It was done in partnership with Inclusive Minds, “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature,” the Roald Dahl Story Company said.

The changes, however, received widespread criticism from the public, some of whom argued the revisions amounted to censorship and stripped away the colour from Dahl’s works.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weighed in on the controversy, telling the BBC earlier this week that works of fiction should be “preserved and not airbrushed.”

Camilla, the Queen Consort, also appeared to wade into the debate, the Guardian reported Thursday, urging authors at a reception for her online book club to “remain true to (their) calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of (their) expression or impose limits on (their) imagination.”