Roald Dahl Memory Holed

 

There must be very few people alive today who have not in some way been influenced by Roald Dahl, primarily in their childhood. Between 1943 and 1990 the Anglo-Norwegian author penned seventeen marvellous children's books that are some of the most popular and classic stories anybody has ever grown up with. They have sold millions and have been translated into all the world's principle languages. They are perfect for young readers with their solid moral logic, irreverent black comedy and caricatured villains. Most have been adapted more than once into films, stage shows and musicals. Dahl also wrote poetry and some short story anthologies for adults. Therefore the lovers of his work were universally horrified when we found out that it was to receive the Winston Smith treatment. How this came about is a tragic story. Roald Dahl died in 1990. His publisher was Puffin Books, a children's imprint of Penguin; while his copyright is managed by the Roald Dahl Story Company, an organization set up by the people who inherited his copyright. By some process I don't know about... and don't really want to... the copyright passed to, of all people, Netflix, the same TV platform that has just butchered JRR Tolkien. Dahl has been criticized throughout his career for themes in his literature that are supposedly "anti-Semitic!", "racist!" and "misogynist!" etc. In fact as long ago as 1973 Dahl agreed to make a minor edit to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to make it clear the Oompa-Loompas has white skin. However much worse was to come. In 2023 the publisher announced a new edition of Dahl's canon with hundreds of changes. They hired "sensitivity editors" to alter "potentially offensive!" words or phrases. For example the Cloud Men in James and the Giant Peach are now "cloud people" and the word "fat" has been omitted from the descriptions of Augustus Gloop and Aunt Sponge. The outcry against this revision has not been universal. That horrid little SJW thug Philip Pullman (who sadly still writes very good books), even wished Roald Dahl would "fade away". Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/17/roald-dahl-books-rewritten-offensive-matilda-witches-twits/.
 
However the opposition has been much louder than the approval. It has included such prominent figures as Salman Rushdie and Queen Camilla. I am happy to say that Puffin have caved in under the pressure. In February they announced that there would be two new editions, not one. The revised edition would proceed, but alongside it readers could choose the "Roald Dahl Classic Collection" if they prefer. This one has the original content left intact. Guess which edition will sell the most! I'm very relieved at this news; however the general danger has not gone away. The publishers of Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels, which spawned one of the world's most popular film franchises, has announced they are revising all the text to remove "racist language and depictions!" What's more, something else has happened that I warned about years ago: e-book publications of Roald Dahl are automatically updating to the new politically correct edition. This means that even if you purchased the text in its original form your reader will automatically change it to the new one without your consent. See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2020/12/1984-removed-from-kindle.html. This is why my own books will never be on Amazon Kindle or any other e platform! So the rebellion against the Ministry of Truth is not over; it is only just beginning. We have won a battle, but there will be plenty of future ones to be fought. This article is a call to arms.
See here for more information: http://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2021/08/political-correctness-portal.html.