According to a report in The Telegraph, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, the rights holders of the Bond novels, have commissioned sensitivity readers to review the books ahead of their reissue in April, commemorating 70 years since the release of “Casino Royale,” the first book in the series. The reissued editions will carry a disclaimer acknowledging that the original texts may contain offensive terms and attitudes by today’s standards and that certain updates have been made while staying true to the period and context of the stories.
The revisions primarily involve the removal or replacement of derogatory terms and offensive references. For instance, a pejorative term used by Fleming to refer to Black people has been replaced with “Black person” or “Black man.” In Live and Let Die, Bond’s characterization of Africans in the gold and diamond trades has been altered to remove the implication of them being prone to misbehavior when intoxicated. Descriptions of certain scenes, such as a strip tease in a Harlem nightclub, have been toned down to remove explicit content. Additionally, references to specific ethnicities have been omitted from several books.
The changes made in the U.S. edition of Live and Let Die were reportedly authorized by Ian Fleming himself before his death in 1964. Ian Fleming Publications stated that they followed Fleming’s approach and carefully reviewed instances of racial terms throughout the books, making adjustments to reflect more acceptable language for today’s readers while still honoring the period in which the books were written.
Ian Fleming Publications encourages readers to experience the revised editions for themselves when the new paperbacks are released in April. The James Bond franchise, encompassing both the novels and films, has been immensely successful, grossing a staggering $7.8 billion to date. The most recent film, No Time to Die, released in 2021, marked Daniel Craig’s final portrayal of the iconic spy. All of this comes in the wake of the recent Roald Dahl text editing controversy where many openly criticised changes made to the original texts.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
