Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and James and the Giant Peach are among some of Roald Dahl’s most cherished works, which evoke numerous childhood memories of the first joys of reading. Roald Dahl is well known as the author of many beloved children’s books that are still prominent as classics in literature. Yet recently, Dahl’s works have sparked debate after his publisher made amendments to his original works to revise certain content and expressions. Indeed, the world has greatly changed since Dahl’s books were first written and published, but is such rigorous censorship truly necessary?

Roald Dahl is one of the most famous British authors of the 20th century; having written many popular works of children’s literature, Dahl has sold more than 300 million copies of his books worldwide and these are still loved by many young readers. Despite his great success as an author, he has also been a controversial figure due to his antisemitic remarks, for which his family later apologized in a statement on the official Dahl website. Moreover, his publisher, Puffin Books, deemed certain content and expressions in Dahl’s books inappropriate and has started to make major revisions in recent editions of his work.

Roald Dahl is famous for his use of colorful, creative language, which makes his books so enjoyable and exciting to read. However, Roald Dahl’s Story Company announced that they were introducing “carefully considered” changes to Dahl’s work under the initiative of working towards inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature. For instance, Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as being “enormous” instead of “enormously fat,” Oompa Loompa’s are “small people” rather than “small men,” and Miss Trunchbull from Matilda is now a “formidable woman” rather than being the “most formidable female.”

Although it is necessary to protect young readers from potentially harmful and offensive content, Dahl’s use of language does not seem particularly problematic to the point where it has to be completely rewritten. Changing “fat” to “enormous” and “men” to “people” does not seem necessary or significant. Many critics are also strongly against the revisions—Salman Rushdie, a Booker Prizewinning author, tweeted, “Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship,” and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also criticized the changes as a threat to free speech.

It is difficult to judge everything and everyone from the past based on a modern perspective as standards and values do shift over time. Certain words used by Dahl may possibly raise some eyebrows in current society, but they were most likely laughed off as comical expressions back in his time. It would be unfair to accuse him of being insensitive to issues that were not necessarily relevant back in the 20th century. Revising and editing his books diminishes the original value of the meticulous stories told through vibrant and graphic description—something only Dahl could do. The revisions will start with words, then sentences and paragraphs, and ultimately ideas. There are no limits or standards for such deliberate amendments.

Promoting inclusivity and diversity is definitely a crucial goal in modern society. Nevertheless, changing certain words and phrases from Dahl’s books that are already widely recognized and loved for their literary value does not seem to be the best way to advocate for such objectives. Dahl might not have been the most moral person, but he was indeed a great author who welcomed countless children to the magical world of reading. His works should be respected and preserved the way they are—witty, funny, clever, and colorful.