James Bond has been compromised.
Ian Fleming’s James Bond books have been rewritten to remove insensitive and racial words according to Telegraph. Fleming’s estate has been reported to have worked with “sensitivity readers” to remove any language that is considered offensive and outdated.
New James Bond Novels to be Revised
The novels are set to be rereleased for its 70th anniversary celebration. They will be released in April. The republished novels will contain a disclaimer about the changes made.
“This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were 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 is set.”
Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl Controversies
Ian Fleming’s novels are not the only ones being revised. Roald Dahl’s books are also being revised to remove language deemed offensive or insensitive.
Dahl was said to be against any changes made to his writing. Penguin Books announced that they wouldn’t be making changes to the books after the controversy drew widespread coverage.
In Fleming’s case, he was said to be more open to revisions in his books according to his estate. His novel Live and Let Die underwent changes while Fleming was alive. Some of the changes included replacing pejorative terms for Black people with “Black person” or “Black man.”
Conclusion
As this has recently been in the news, expect the controversy to garner a lot of attention in the coming days. Ultimately, I believe that the James Bond books will be revised as they are a lot more offensive than Dahl’s novels.