“Roald Dahl was no angel but this is pointless censorship,” tweeted The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie. “Books of dead ends and the estate of Dahl should be ashamed.” The same position seems to be expressed by the writer Philip Pullman, who suggests, instead of interventions and corrections, Dahl’s work should be “allowed to disappear and be replaced by more modern writers”. A question that has arisen in the UK concerns one of the most famous children’s book authors at home and abroad, and changes made to his books for reasons of political correctness at the initiative of his publisher. The changes have sparked heated debate among writers and readers, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak intervened yesterday, presenting Dahl’s “corrections” as an attack on freedom of speech.

Characteristically, in such books as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “The Big Friendly Giant” and “Matilda”, references regarding the appearance, weight and character of persons have been removed. For example, August Gloop from The Chocolate Factory is now described as “huge” and the word “fat” has been removed from every book, according to The Telegraph. Mrs. Tweet is no longer “ugly and ferocious” but simply “fierce”. The words “crazy” and “crazy” were also removed due to sensitivity to mental health issues. The Roald Dahl Story Company and Puffin Books said they were informed and accepted the changes to make the books more suitable for contemporary audiences. Any amendments resulting from the review process that has been underway since 2020 have been “minor and well thought out”, they said. However, Sunak’s spokesman commented, “When it comes to our rich literary heritage, the Prime Minister agrees with the Big Friendly Giant (GG) that we should not hesitate to speak. I consider it important that literary and artistic works be preserved and not corrected. We have always defended the right to freedom of speech and expression.”