Words Such As 'Fat,' 'Ugly,' and 'Crazy' Removed From Roald Dahl's Books

If you recently purchased a new edition of one of the classic children's books written by Roald Dahl, you might notice the following message on the copyright page:

"Words matter. The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvelous characters. This book was written many years ago, and so we regularly review the language to ensure that it can continue to be enjoyed by all today."

Dahl, who died in 1990, has penned some of the most iconic books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and The BFG.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the Roald Dahl Story Company worked with the publisher Puffin to hire a team of sensitivity writers to review the language in Dahl's classics and suggest changes.

Some of their suggestions included removing the words "fat," "ugly," and "crazy" from the books. They also suggested changing some gendered language and Dahl's depiction of female characters. Several changes included a description of Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from "enormously fat" to just "enormous."

In The Witches, the word "chambermaid" was switched to "cleaner, and the phrase "the old hag" is now "the old crow." In James and the Giant Peach, the Cloud-Men are now referred to as Cloud-People.

The report about the changes sparked a sharp backlash.

"Roald Dahl was no angel, but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed," acclaimed author Salman Rushdie wrote on Twitter.

Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, also took to Twitter to voice her displeasure with the decision to edit Dahl's work.

"Literature is meant to be surprising and provocative. That's part of its potency. By setting out to remove any reference that might cause offense, you dilute the power of storytelling," she wrote in a thread of 13 tweets.

The Roald Dahl Story Company defended its decision in a statement to CNN.

"We want to ensure that Roald Dahl's wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today. When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it's not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details, including a book's cover and page layout. Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence, and sharp-edged spirit of the original text. Any changes made have been small and carefully considered."