Literary revisionism

In recent times potentially offensive passages have been removed from works that have marked generations. There are plenty of disagreements, between publishers and writers, and ultimately the sensibilities of modern readers. Will limits be set for writing? Is amending books considered censorship? V&G tried to find out from writer Ana Margarida de Carvalho and Portuguese Culture professor Cândido Martins, from Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Braga. 

For instance, in the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, «little men» have become «little people» and the adjective «black» has been completely erased from the work. Agatha Christie’s protagonist, Miss Marple, no longer encounters natives, because they are now called «locals». There is also the case of Enid Blyton, as the libraries in Devon, England, have decided to put the unrevised versions of the author’s books in a restricted area. Revisiting the classics, publishers are creating a progressively longer list of banned words that will have no place in the new editions of the works, some examples being «Jew», «gypsy», «ugly» and «fat». The foundations holding the copyrights explain that they want to bring the books into line with modern sensibilities by filtering them of potentially offensive passages. But some are going even further and are physically hiding certain books. 
Many writers warn of the creation of a generation that may not understand literature. This is why we wanted to hear the view of Professor Cândido Martins: «There are publishers who believe they have the right to alter the original text of various works of literature, purging these creations of passages that are supposedly violent, amoral or contrary to today's political correctness. Basically, they want to publish and sell books that they consider to be more in line with current trends,» he declares. The academic believes that authors whose works do not fit into the established parameters are nowadays subject to being cancelled. But author and journalist Ana Margarida de Carvalho shares a somewhat different opinion: «There are phenomena of fashion, of some fanaticism, but they will be temporary and ephemeral, which is the very definition of fashion,» she says. But, ultimately, are there such things as books that out of step?

Publishers are creating a progressively longer list of banned words.

The writer thinks there are, arguing that, «it does not seem appropriate to expose children to the racial or gender prejudices of the adult world.» She continues, «in fact, we have always tried to review children’s narratives, which are already adapted from folk stories and which came to us through the Brothers Grimm or from Hans Christian Andersen.» She says that these stories were originally bloody, with scenes of paedophilia, rape and cannibalism, along with the «normalisation of racism or the chronic debasement of women». Nevertheless, Ana Margarida de Carvalho admits that for the market-orientated publishing houses, anything that sells is overriding. Cândido Martins is adamant in his position. «There are no "out of step” works or books; it is us who definitely do not have the right to mutilate works of art from a biased, anachronistic, contemporary point of view. Take the hilarious (and tragic) case of the American teacher, who was disciplined for showing her adolescent students the nudity of Michelangelo’s famous David sculpture,» he explains. When questioned about the existence (or not) of literary censorship, the disagreement between the two remains. Ana Margarida de Carvalho speaks of a trend issue, which in her opinion cannot be compared to the dictatorship that existed before Portugal’s 25th of April Revolution. «Today, "the literary dictatorship” that concerns me is the dictatorship of the markets. What publishers believe will not sell is simply discarded,» the writer reveals. The professor at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa confirms the existence of censorship: «In the wake of historical revisionism, it is clearly a form of censorship, both crude and shocking, because it has been implemented in the 21st century, when we thought we lived in an open and free society, equipped with a mature critical sense.

«Today, "the literary dictatorship” that concerns me is the dictatorship of the markets», Ana Margarida de Carvalho

The rule of thumb is to erase anything that could potentially offend contemporary sensibilities.» They both agree on one point: that the writer should be free to write what is in their heart.
In a subject that could lead to heavy debate, Cândido de Oliveira Martins reveals his concerns, assuring us that it will not be long before Artificial Intelligence determines what should or should not be published and what we can or cannot say or search for on the Internet. Ana Margarida de Carvalho mentions the evident concern for the logic of oversimplification, of infantilisation and of greater accessibility for many authors.

«Artificial Intelligence will determine what should or should not be published», Cândido de Oliveira Martins

In conclusion, the academic believes that you should act «as if it was possible to live and know the world in a here and now (hic et nunc), devoid of a multi-secular past», insisting on the importance of learning to critically read the world around us. The writer gives her conclusion by stressing that we are experiencing small thematic dictatorships, «a little obsessive, with an expiry date, of course, which appear and then give way to others...».