Re-issued James Bond books to remove racist language
The iconic James Bond spy novels by British writer Ian Fleming are set to be reissued later this year, with various edits made to the material, including the removal of racist words and references.
Released to mark 70 years since the release of the first book in the series, Casino Royale, the re-published novels will go through various changes after having been assessed by sensitivity readers commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. A report from The Telegraph details how a disclaimer will accompany the novels, reading: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace”.
Continuing, it adds: “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”.
Included in the censored sentences and words are references towards homosexuality being a “stubborn disability”, sexist descriptions such as “blithering women” that won’t do a “man’s work”, as well as uses of the N-word, which have been entirely removed.
Ian Fleming Publications told The Telegraph in a statement: “We at Ian Fleming Publications reviewed the text of the original Bond books and decided our best course of action was to follow Ian’s lead. We have made changes to Live and Let Die that he himself authorised…Following Ian’s approach, we looked at the instances of several racial terms across the books and removed a number of individual words or else swapped them for terms that are more accepted today but in keeping with the period in which the books were written”.
Concluding, they state: “We encourage people to read the books for themselves when the new paperbacks are published in April”.
Take a look at the trailer for the latest James Bond movie, No Time to Die, below.
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