Puffin UK has announced the release of Roald Dahl’s Classic Collection which aims to keep the author’s classic texts in print, following criticism of a recent edition of his work to remove potentially offensive language.
Dahl’s 17 books, read and loved by millions, will be available later this year and they will be including stored material relevant to each of the tales by the beloved children’s author.
The publisher today announced the launch of the Classic Collection ‘to keep the author’s classic texts in print’ claiming they’d ‘listened to the debate’ following criticism for the removal of the words like ‘fat’ etc.
But these unedited versions of the classic collection will still sit beside the just-released books of Roald Dahl, which have been controversially rephrased to serve the audience of the date. Some people also said that Puffin should cancel the censored version entirely.
Both The Puffin Books and Roald Dahl did an audit related to Dahl’s Classics leading to the rephrasing or removing of inappropriate words. These words were related to mental health, weight, size, gender, violence, etc.
Now, the best thing is that both versions are available for the fans of Roald so they can freely decide what version to pick up for themselves.
MD of Penguin Random House Children’s says- “At Puffin we have proudly published Roald Dahl’s stories for more than forty years in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company. Their mischievous spirit and their unique storytelling genius have delighted the imaginations of readers across many generations”.
“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 about how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation”. Read more about WhatsApp drops support for iOS 10 and iOS 11 devices
“As a children’s publisher, our role is to share the magic of stories with children with the greatest thought and care. Roald Dahl’s fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care of the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility”.
An agent from the Roald Dah’ls company said that the last few days had told everyone the importance of Roald’s books and how much people admire him. His books are based on feelings. “The most important thing to us is that the stories continue to be enjoyed by all. Puffin UK’s plan to print two editions of the book will give readers – whether seven or 77 – the choice to explore the stories in whichever way they wish.”
