Norwegian publisher of Roald Dahl's works rules out rewrites

Norwegian publisher Glydendal said it would not adopt the changes to Roald Dahl's works made by the UK publisher of his novels.

"We are critical of the scope of the changes that are now intended for the British market," Eva Thesen, publishing manager for children and young people at Gyldendal Litteratur, told Norwegian newspaper VG.

"We also sense a sense of unease in relation to the development we are seeing. It is out of the question to include all the changes we now see discussed in the British media," she added.

The decision comes after the publisher initially said it would follow suit and adopt the changes made by the UK publisher of Dahl's books. Dahl's Spanish, Dutch and French publishers have also stated they will not make changes.

Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, has stirred controversy with hundreds of changes to Roald Dahl's works which will appear in future publications of the Anglo-Norwegian writer's works.

The changes were made with the approval of the Roald Dahl Story Company, which is owned by Netflix and has the copyright to the books, to make the books more suitable for younger generations. Words like "fat" and "crazy" are among the terms being removed.

Other changes include more gender-inclusive language in James and the Giant Peach, replacing a reference to Rudyard Kipling - who has been labelled a colonialist, racist and misogynist in recent years - with Jane Austen and editing passages which include outdated or unfavourable depictions of women.

Critics of the changes have labelled them censorship and against the spirit of the author's style, while those in favour of the changes point out that Dahl regularly updated his works while still alive to remove harmful or racist tropes.

Inclusive Minds, a charity that works within the world of children's books, reviewed the language used in Dahl's books and determined what could be deemed harmful or offence by today's standards.