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Philip Pullman addresses controversial Roald Dahl edits

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A number of Agatha Christie novels have been rewritten for modern sensitivities, with racist terms removed and passages of text amended.

The news comes weeks after books by Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming were similarly edited following sensitivity reviews.

 

Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries have undergone edits such that original passages have either been reworked or removed in new editions published by HarperCollins, as reported by The Telegraph.

According to the publication, these new editions were either already released in 2020 or are set to be released. Insiders have said these editions used the services of sensitivity readers.

Will it be ten little persons of unspecified gender and diverse ethnicity now? Can't even have the Indians, who replaced the N's in the title ????

is this not the same kind of thing as banning books ? 

 

i know a few ice cubs songs that might need reworded as well then. eminem also had a doozy a few years back talking about drugging and raping women. nwa in the early 90's also released 2 songs. automobile and she swallowed it. 

 

in automobile mc ren openly speaks about having sexual activity with a 14 year old girl. 

 

i thought all of this stuff was considered art ? the books and the songs........all of it. 

 

what will be cancelled next ? me ? you ? 

Well this news will wind up a few people.

 

Who probably have no intentions of reading it anyway.

3 minutes ago, Goat said:

Well this news will wind up a few people.

 

Who probably have no intentions of reading it anyway.

And please a lot of snowflakes.

Why do we always have to pander to these overly sensitive people ,

who must be in the minority , you just have to open your mouth and

someone , somewhere will be greatly offended , next will it be burning

of books , the destruction of art ,history to be sanitized ....Oh ! thats 

already started....

 

regards Worgeordie

It's the insidious and growing clamor of Presentism where some people are compelled to insist that everything, absolutely EVERYTHING historical must be viewed through TODAY's prism.

It is simply business. If they sell more books well and good but don't try to tell us it is because the originals had words and sentences that are controversial.

Now I'm no literary expert far from it but have any of the Greek classis been edited through time? The Canterbury Tales?

the world needs to fok right off

What will be next, remove all the blackface from old movies, movies where any kind of racism or use of the "N" word is used. Hollywood will be busy editing all that.

1 hour ago, proton said:

Will it be ten little persons of unspecified gender and diverse ethnicity now? Can't even have the Indians, who replaced the N's in the title ????

It will be 10 Native Americans.

I would suspect this a move more associated with ensuring continued sales rather than handwringing over sensibilities............I did enjoy reading Ten Little N***** Boys as a child, but wouldn't want to be seen brandishing a copy on the Underground.

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

I would suspect this a move more associated with ensuring continued sales rather than handwringing over sensibilities............I did enjoy reading Ten Little N***** Boys as a child, but wouldn't want to be seen brandishing a copy on the Underground.

I read it about 45 years ago. The title was "And then there were none". I can't remember ever seeing the N* version.

I agree with you about the reason for the rewrites. The original who-dun-it plots stand the test of time, but need modernising for younger generations.

Shameful, as she penned a couple of my favorite reads.

 

Rather see and advisory on them, instead of edits:

 

"IF you are a SnowFlake, please don't buy & F'Off"

This sort of thing actually has been going on for longer than many people think. More than a decade ago, there was this "alteration" to Conrad.  https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-n-word-of-the-narcissus/joseph-conrad/ruben-alvarado/9789076660110

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

What will be next, remove all the blackface from old movies, movies where any kind of racism or use of the "N" word is used. Hollywood will be busy editing all that.

Dave Chapelle will have to go then, every other word is N

53 minutes ago, proton said:

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

What will be next, remove all the blackface from old movies, movies where any kind of racism or use of the "N" word is used. Hollywood will be busy editing all that.

Dave Chapelle will have to go then, every other word is N

Yeah, and he's a N....

They call it intellectual PROPERTY.

 

That means the person who owns the PROPERTY can do whatever they want with it. Because it's PROPERTY.

 

Righties used to be all about property rights. But now they love Russia too. What next switcheroo turnaround will blow my mind next?

Wait for it, Shakespear is next ?

 

The Bible ? 

 

 

 

Pandering nonsense in my opinion ????

 

 

Guy Gibson's dog is still pi##ed off after his name was removed from his gravestone.

This faux-outrage will date badly and quickly. Remember when they started colorizing old black and white films and people moaned about it?

 

Ted Turner bought the intellectual PROPERTY rights to those films and decided they were more profitable in color. When was the last time you heard of people getting mad about colorized film? Is there a person here who'd rent the black and white version over the colorized one with the sound cleaned up?

 

Relatedly, my inbred Appalachian inlaws bought the DVD's of the old Dukes of Hazard show because libruls had CGI-removed the confederate flag on the car in the show -Ol' Robert E Lee. They did it for their children, for "heritage".

 

But who will explain to those children what a DVD is? The world moves on, get over it.

On 3/30/2023 at 7:44 AM, VocalNeal said:

It is simply business. If they sell more books well and good but don't try to tell us it is because the originals had words and sentences that are controversial.

Now I'm no literary expert far from it but have any of the Greek classis been edited through time? The Canterbury Tales?

Ahhhh the old Greek Philosophers. The pillars of civilisation and democracy. Most of them had "Toy Boys". All perfectly normal. Today they would be in prison, classified as paedophiles.

 

who cares?

is anyone still reading agatha christie books?

maybe if they make a movie out of one of the books, i'll watch. 

Agatha Christie's books have always been adapted to suit modern sensitivities. Do you know the original title of 'And Then There Were None'? There is a reason you don't.

It just gets more bizzzzzare every day.????????

On 3/30/2023 at 5:27 PM, stoner said:

is this not the same kind of thing as banning books ? 

 

i know a few ice cubs songs that might need reworded as well then. eminem also had a doozy a few years back talking about drugging and raping women. nwa in the early 90's also released 2 songs. automobile and she swallowed it. 

 

in automobile mc ren openly speaks about having sexual activity with a 14 year old girl. 

 

i thought all of this stuff was considered art ? the books and the songs........all of it. 

 

what will be cancelled next ? me ? you ? 

Many of us are already being cancelled for wrong opinions.

At least they are unlikely to rewrite the Sanders of the River books, though the mob would likely burn them if they got the chance.

 

I'm sure it's about making money from vandalising old book because it's cheaper than writing new ones people will buy.

On 3/30/2023 at 6:50 PM, giddyup said:

What will be next, remove all the blackface from old movies, movies where any kind of racism or use of the "N" word is used. Hollywood will be busy editing all that.

LOL. That post reminds me of when I was in Saudi, as they must of had a small army of censors using a black felt tip pen to cover up any bare arms or hair in pictures of women in foreign magazines before they went on sale.

 

I laughed like a drain when I bought a tape of a western singer that included a song about Crusaders winning a battle. They missed that one!

On 3/30/2023 at 5:18 PM, Social Media said:

The news comes weeks after books by Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming were similarly edited following sensitivity reviews.

Shouldn't that be "following wokeist reviews"?

None woke people don't have a problem with it.

Lets do away with all history books while we are at it. Too much sensitive information for the snowflakes.

When was the last time you read one of her books? What % of people under 50 can even identify her? Is the short form mystery novel even a thing anymore?

 

Ultimately, time is the big canceller. Things drift out of view.

 

In my lifetime there was a Dixieland Jazz #1 hit (an instrumental, Washington Square). Now you can't even say Dixieland. The few things like A Christmas Carol or Sherlock Holmes that pass down through the centuries are very rare.

 

These modernizations are about selling old rope for new money for the estate. And about getting Christie's dead wood (sales-wise) name out there. Mission accomplished.