My Thoughts on the Roald Dahl Revision Controversy
Some things should be left alone.
A few months ago, I read about Roald Dahl’s stories being revised to make them more suitable for today’s delicate readers or whatever. This got me thinking about the nature of self-publishing and the right to free speech in a world where anything deemed slightly offensive has a risk of being wiped out.
What Happened?
On 19 February 2023, it was announced that Puffin Books (Roald Dahl’s UK publisher), would be rereleasing the late author’s works. But, the newly updated versions of the author’s stories would be expurgated. A team of ‘sensitivity readers’ had spent three years reading Dahl’s bibliography and making changes lest anyone be ‘offended’. You can see a list of words/phrases that were altered or even removed here. Any sane person would agree that these changes are completely unnecessary.
The announcement rightfully triggered a backlash. So much so, that it was then announced just four days later that the original works would still be published. Readers would now have a choice: they can opt for the original editions or choose the 2023 editions that aren’t even worth publishing, in my humble opinion.
Editing a Late Author’s Works
Why should the new versions not be published? I could go down the route of society catering to the 1% who are perpetually ‘offended’ by anything, but instead I’m going to focus more on the practice of an author’s text being rewritten. I do indeed disagree with texts being ‘updated’ to have ‘offensive’ things removed, wholeheartedly. But more to the point, I’m completely against someone’s writing being edited when they can’t possibly have a say in it, i.e. when they’re dead.
I’m glad the original versions are still in circulation. Common sense has prevailed somewhat. However, it’s still galling that people have had the nerve to take a dead man’s written words and modify or delete them because they apparently wouldn’t be appropriate for today’s audiences. It doesn’t matter what a word or phrase might add to the story, if it’s ‘offensive’, it’s gone.
I truly believe that an author should always have the right to be involved in the editing process. He or she should always have the final say before their work is published. Once an author dies, there shouldn’t be any more new versions of his or her works. I think it’s wrong on many levels that people have updated Dahl’s works and that the updated versions have been published without the author being able to give his consent.
For argument’s sake, if Roald Dahl were alive today, there’s no telling whether he would approve of these changes or not. The point is that he’s not around anymore, so his works should be left alone.
The Advantage of Self-Publishing
For me, one of the best aspects of self-publishing is the fact that I’m in control of everything. This includes the editing process. I can promise you that there will never be ‘updated’ versions of any of my works. No matter how my writing progresses, whether my books become successful or not, I will never succumb to the pressure to make changes and remove ‘offensive’ material. The absurd, ridiculous and frankly pathetic act of making edits so that excessively delicate people can read a book without breaking out in tears, is something I most certainly will never carry out.
I would hate if my books were in someone else’s hands and stupid, pointless ‘updates’ could be made after my passing. It obviously wouldn’t affect me because I’d be dead, but I would want future generations to have access to the originals and only the originals.
Summary
Leave other people’s writing alone! Don’t edit people’s written works - especially those belonging to authors who have passed away - just to satisfy the hyper-sensitive. Writing shouldn’t be edited unless the author has given his or her consent. If the author’s not around, the writing should be left alone. We should focus on appreciating stories and other pieces of writing, no matter when they were written or how much they may clash with different attitudes.