ENORMOUS, NOT FAT

Roald Dahl’s Books Rewritten to Omit ‘Offensive’ Language

The author’s books no longer contain words like “fat” or “ugly’ following “careful consideration” from publisher Puffin.

Roald Dahl’s famous children’s stories are being rewritten by sensitivity readers to contain more inclusive language. Now, books like Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory no longer contain words like “fat” or “ugly” to describe characters. Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as “enormous”. In The Twits, Mrs Twit is no longer “ugly and beastly” but just “beastly”. Gendered language has also been revised; for example, books will no longer use the word “female,” opting for “woman” instead. Both the Roald Dahl Story Company and the publisher, Puffin, said the changes were “small and carefully considered.” A notice will now appear on new editions of Dahl’s books: “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.”