Several novels by British novelist Agatha Christie (1890-1976) appear to have been edited to remove passages of potentially offensive language. According to the newspaper “The Telegraph”, it should be about insults and references to ethnic origin. “Poirot” and “Miss Marple” cases written between 1920 and 1976 had passages revised or removed in new editions, the report said. The aim was therefore to rid the works of language and descriptions that modern audiences find offensive.
According to the Telegraph, for example, a passage with the figure of a British tourist who vents her frustration with a group of children was edited in a recently published new edition. A number of references to smiling people and comments about their teeth and physique have also been deleted, it said.
Previously, works by other well-known authors had also been edited. Ian Fleming’s (1908-1964) “Bond” books, for example, are to be republished, adapted for the 21st century, as The Sunday Telegraph wrote in February. Some designations for ethnic groups and minorities in books are simply no longer acceptable today. Certainly the sexism debate, which the early parts of the film series are also faced with, should also play a part. The publisher Ian Fleming Publications has therefore hired specialists to take care of the texts and identify relevant passages. For these and other reasons, Roald Dahl’s (1916-1990) works “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” or Harriet Beecher Stowe’s (1811-1996) “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” were subsequently modified.
