Roald Dahl's Spanish translations will not be rewritten

Alfaguara, the Spanish publishing company that owns the rights to Roald Dahl's Spanish editions, has confirmed to EFE that they will not be rewriting the author's work in its Spanish version.

This comes after the news broke that Puffin Books, its London-based English language counterpart, announced that they will be reviewing and rewriting sections of the manuscripts so that they are suited for "children who may be navigating written content independently for the first time".

After consulting with the Roald Dahl Society Company, Alfaguara has said that they will keep the original Spanish editions unmodified, both in Spain and in Latin America.

Modifications in the English texts include removing or substituting words deemed offensive, such as "ugly" or "fat."

After online backlash, the British publisher announced that they will be releasing "classic," unedited versions along with the new versions in order to "offer readers the choice."

The changes have drawn condemnation from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said works of fiction should be "preserved and not airbrushed," and novelist Salman Rushdie, who said that “Roald Dahl was no angel, but this is absurd censorship.” The author of The Satanic Verses seemed to be referring to the several antisemitic comments Dahl made throughout his life, and for which his Estate publicly apologized in 2020.