Rewriting Roald Dahl

Wokewashing or updating?

Sir, – In view of the changes that will shortly be made to some of Roald Dahl’s books (Jennifer O’Connell, “Yes, Roald Dahl sometimes got it wrong. But it isn’t up to us to make it right”, Books, February 22nd), will we see the same happening to James Joyce’s Ulysses? A description of “Two gonorrheal ladies, fresh Nelly and Rosalie, the coal quay whore”, cannot be allowed to be left unchanged to what is acceptable now. Action should be swift to protect the readers. A good book burning night should be held in our capital. – Yours, etc,

KEN BUGGY,

Ballyduff Upper,

Co Waterford.

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Sir, – Noddy’s friend Big Ears is now Mr Squeaks? (Finbar Kearns, Letters, February 24th). I hadn’t heard. – Yours, etc,

RONAN McDERMOTT,

Dublin 6.

Sir, – Thanks to your letters page I was horrified to learn that Enid Blyton’s Noddy books were changed to be more woke. Next stop, the Bible?

Do these people not realise that the characters in Dahl’s books give children insight into the real world, showing that there is good and bad while telling great stories? – Yours, etc,

TINA DERMODY,

Blessington,

Co Wicklow.

Sir, – Finbar Kearns concludes his advocacy of sanitising the works of Roald Dahl with the statement, “Thank God Billy Bunter seems to have disappeared forever” (Letters, February 24th).

He hasn’t disappeared. He now goes by the name of Boris Johnson. – Yours, etc,

KEVIN O’SULLIVAN,

Letterkenny,

Co Donegal.