James Bond novels have been rewritten to remove a number of racial references from Ian Fleming’s work, as reported by The Telegraph.
All of Ian’s works, along with 007 are going to be reissued in order to celebrate 70 long years since Casino Royale came out, which was the first book to have come out of the 007 series.
What’s really exciting about this release is that the company commissioned a full review by sensitivity readers of the classic texts under its control to ensure that the re-release will be much more acceptable.
The disclaimer accompanying the reissued texts will read: “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.”
As stated by the Telegraph, it says that “depictions of black people (are) being reworked or removed.” This is a huge win as there should be no place for hate.
However, references described as “sweet tang of rape”, “blithering women” failing to do a “man’s work”, and homosexuality being a “stubborn disability” remain.
In an example of changes that will take place in the sensitivity reader-approved version of Live and Let Die, Bond’s assessment that would-be African criminals in the gold and diamond trades are “pretty law-abiding chaps I should have thought, except when they’ve drunk too much” becomes – “pretty law-abiding chaps I should have thought.”
Certainly, it’s time for change as hateful messages or implications should have never been there to begin with.
