After a recent controversy over the removal of words in Roald Dahl's books that were deemed potentially offensive, it has been announced that the original versions of his books will be kept in print.
The plan to amend Dahl's novels to make them more suitable for modern audiences by removing references to characters' appearances and weight, had sparked a fierce debate.
The decision to remove words such as "fat" and "ugly" was made after sensitivity readers reviewed Dahl's books.
Puffin, which is owned by Penguin, had planned to sell the modified versions of the books, but after a significant backlash, the company has decided to sell the originals.
The Roald Dahl Classic Collection, which features the original versions of his children's books, will be released by Puffin to "keep the texts in print."
According to Francesca Dow, the managing editor of Penguin, the decision to keep producing the original versions was made because "we recognise the importance of keeping Dahl's classic texts in print."
Dow added, "At Puffin, we have proudly published Roald Dahl's stories for more than 40 years in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company. Their mischievous spirit and his unique storytelling genius have delighted the imaginations of readers across many generations."
Some of the updated changes made to Dahl's books included removing the word "fat" in reference to Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and referring to Mrs Twit in The Twits as "beastly" rather than "ugly and beastly." In addition, the phrase "a weird African language" in The Twits is no longer used in the updated versions.
Dahl passed away in 1990 at the age of 74, is one of the UK's most popular children's authors, and his works have been adapted into various forms of media. In 2021, Netflix bought the rights to his books.
