Donald Dahl’s “The Witches” apologized for antisemitic comments made during his 90-year work with the Ronald Dahl Story Company

Though his work is revered, Dahl is also a controversial figure for antisemitic comments he made throughout his life. The Ronald Dahl Story Company apologized in 2020.

Dahl, who died in 1990 at age 76, was the creator of characters such as Matilda, the BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Willy Wonka and the Twits. His books have sold hundreds of million of copies, with 63 languages where they’ve been translated, while there have been multiple adaptions of his work for the big and small screens.

In 2020 his estate apologized for antisemitic comments made in his lifetime, which have long been regarded as controversial.

These revisions have been worked on by “sensitivity readers” from an organization called Inclusive Minds , which describes itself as “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature, and are committed to changing the face of children’s books.”

In a lengthy report published on Saturday, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph revealed that it had found hundreds of changes across the author’s many children’s books. Language relating to gender, race, weight, mental health, and violence had been cut or rewritten according to close analysis by its journalists. This included removing words such as “fat” and “ugly,” as well as descriptions using the colors black and white.

Journalists working on the piece found 59 changes in “The Witches” alone, with hundreds more discovered in Dahl’s other popular books, such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda.”

Rushdie, 75, is not fat, but he’s an idiot: censorship, freedom of expression and the role of literary sanity

Rushdie, 75, is no stranger to the debate around censorship. The fatwa calling for his death was issued by the leader of Iran after his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses”. The author, who was born in India, lost the sight in one eye after he was attacked in New York.

“When it comes to our rich and varied literature, the Prime Minister agrees that you shouldn’t censor it,” said Sunak’s spokesman when he was asked about the issue at a news conference on Monday.

“It’s important that works of literature and fiction are kept intact and not altered,” the spokesman said, “which is why we’ve always defended freedom of expression.”

Puffin and The Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the copyrights of Dahl’s books and works with publishers, didn’t respond to NPR’s requests for comment.

In a thread of 13 tweets , she said the organization was “alarmed” by the changes, which had been made in “a purported effort to scrub the books of that which might offend someone.”

She wrote that attempting to correct for perceived slights instead of allowing readers to receive and react to books as written, would jeopardize the work of great authors.

He pointed out that millions of old editions are still being passed down in schools, libraries, second-hand stores and elsewhere.

Augustus Gloop, the character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is not fat anymore. The Telegraph states that he is described as “enormous.”

The Wrong Thing for Witches: A Comment on Dahl’s Opinions on the “Stability of Beads and Wigs”

Further, the changes to these books include adding language not originally written by Dahl. In his 1983 book The Witches, he writes that witches are bald beneath their wigs. According to The Telegraph, an added line in new editions says, “There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.”