Some of Roald Dahl’s famous stories, such as ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and ‘Matilda’, are now politically correct. In the rewritten version, the Oompa Loompas are gender neutral and characters are no longer described as “fat” or “ugly”. So wrote the British newspaper The Telegraph.

Puffin Books, the largest publisher of children’s books in Great Britain and much of the Anglo-Saxon world, has hired a sensitive reader to critically analyze Roald Dahl’s stories. Based on their input, hundreds of adjustments were made to the original text. In this way, the publisher hopes to ensure that the books “can be appreciated by everyone today.”

Characters are made less grotesque by toning down descriptions of their physical appearance. The word “fat” was removed from every book, so that Caspar Slok from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is now described as “big”. Oompa Loompas are no longer “tiny” or “no taller than my knee,” but simply “small” and even gender-neutral: not “little men,” but “little people.” Words like “crazy”, “black”, and “white” were also removed.

In addition, parts not written by Roald Dahl have been added. For example, ‘The Witches’ adds an additional sentence, specifically in the passage explaining that witches are bald under their wigs: “There are many other reasons why women wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.”

Controversy

Revision of the famous story has already started in 2020, after the new film ‘The Witches’ caused controversy. The fact that the Great Witch – an evil character played by Anne Hathaway – is missing several fingers on each hand, has angered several Paralympians and organizations. Warner Bros. later had to apologize for the “offensive representation” of persons with disabilities.