26 February 2023 , 13:39
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The James Bond novels are set to be rewritten to remove offensive references following a sensitivity review.
The famous works by author Ian Fleming, which were penned in the 1950s and 1960s, currently include racist language.
Depictions of black people in the James Bond books have now been completely reworked or removed, The Telegraph reports.
However, references to other ethnicities, such as Bond’s racial terms for Asian people and his views of Oddjob, Goldfinger’s Korean henchman are said to remain.
References to the 'sweet tang of rape', 'blithering women' failing to do 'a man’s work' and homosexuality being a 'stubborn disability' will also stay.
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A disclaimer is set to appear in the reworked books, all of which are being reissued in April to mark 70 years since Casino Royale, the first book in the James Bond series.
It is expected to read: "This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers was commonplace.
"A number of updates have been made in this edition, while keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period in which it was set."
The Mirror has contacted Ian Fleming Productions, who own the literary rights to the books, for comment.
Sean Connery played the original James Bond onscreen (mirror.co.uk)It comes a week after it was announced Roald Dahl books would be edited to also remove offensive language.
The changes have been recommended following a review by sensitivity experts at publisher Penguin.
The edits include removing the word "fat" from every Roald Dahl book, with the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character Augustus Gloop instead being referred to as "enormous".
Changes have also been made to the terms used to describe groups of people, as in earlier editions of Roald Dahl's work many groups were referred to as "men".
In a push to use more gender-neutral and inclusive language, the Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will now be described as "small people" instead of "small men", and the Cloud-Men in James and the Giant Peach are now Cloud-People.
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Author Ian Fleming on the set of 'Dr No' with Sean Connery in 1962 (Rex)But following a public backlash – which even saw Queen Consort, Camilla, wade into the row – Penguin will now reissue ‘classic’ versions of Dahl’s books featuring his original words.
Dahl, who died in 1990, once threatened to never write another word if publishers ever changed his language, it emerged over the weekend.
In the unearthed conversation, Dahl reportedly said: “I’ve warned my publishers that if they later on so much as change a single comma in one of my books, they will never see another word from me. Never! Ever!”
The comments, made 40 years ago and reported in The Guardian, claim Dahl even threatened to send his ‘enormous crocodile’ from his book of the same name to “gobble them up” if they did.