The collection "The Roald Dahl Classic Collection" will consist of sixteen titles and include "Kalle and the Chocolate Factory", "Matilda" and "SVJ", reports the British book magazine The Bookseller.
The decision to publish the collection with the original texts comes after criticism that the publisher has changed words in Roald Dahl's books in order to make the books more inclusive.
Among those who have criticized the changes are the author Salman Rushdie, who calls the changes "absurd censorship", the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the freedom of expression organization American Pen.
- The changes are perceived as rather unmotivated and insensitive.
There are probably many who wonder what the difference is between "huge" and "fat", or whether the biggest problem with the Oompa-Loompies is whether they are "little men" or "little people", says Malin Nauwerck, researcher at the Swedish Children's Books Institute.
"A way to save face"
The new old books with the original texts will be published in paperback under the Penguin logo and will thus exist in parallel with the editions that have been changed.
- It is a way to perhaps save face or to ride a PR wave.
Presumably, he now wanted to reach two target groups;
those who want books without changes and those who think it was quite good with changes, says Malin Nauwerck.
Unusual
It is not uncommon for literature to be adapted to different target groups according to Malin Nauwerck, who gives examples of how Moomin books have been turned into picture books to suit younger children and the Harry Potter books that exist in both a British English and an American English edition.
- Starting points that deal with these sensitivity readers, I would say, are more unusual.
I can't think of any example when it has been done to this extent, says Malin Nauwerck.