European publishers said they will not make changes to
Roald Dahl's books, arguing that his stories will "lose all their power" after a U.K. publishing company revealed it had rewritten some of the late author's work to remove potentially offensive language.
Puffin Books, which published Dahl's classic works, hired sensitivity readers to update portions of the author's wording in the U.K. editions to ensure the books "can continue to be enjoyed by all today." The edits include new gender-neutral language and altered descriptions of
certain physical appearances and were reportedly approved by Dahl's estate.
In one example, the word "fat" has been replaced with "enormous" in reference to Augustus Gloop, the chubby character featured in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."