Author tears into publishers that censor the ‘difficult words’

THE works of Beatrix Potter would not be printed today because publishers police “difficult” words they fear children will not understand, the Carnegie Medal winner has suggested.

Geraldine Mccaughrean, who has written more than 160 books, warned that words such as mellifluous, soporific, valiant and superb were now considered by some to be too challenging for young readers.

The author, who won the CILIP Carnegie Medal for Where The World Ends, a true survival story of boys marooned at sea, said: “They [publishers] will question difficult words, certainly if you’re doing picture books or younger fiction. A fellow author was saying the other day that ‘superb’ had to be changed because no child will understand it. But they never will understand it if they don’t read it.

“It used to be free range. I used to get away with murder with complexity of sentences and complex vocabulary and it was never questioned… Now it feels policed against political correctness and difficult language,” she added.

“With a book that’s going to be sold into schools you get a list of things that are unacceptable – no witches, no demons, no alcohol, no death, no religion. It really does cut down what you can write about.”

She said while writing for teenagers, words like “mellifluous” had been knocked back. Mccaughrean, whose books have been published in 61 countries and translated into 45 languages, said research had shown that secondary school pupils had “a diminishing vocabulary”, suggesting the internet had given them a limited pool of words.

The author cited Potter’s The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies as an example of complex language. “She writes that the lettuce is soporific. That’s a perfect example. Who knew soporific before they read it? But it’s obvious from the context. You can pick it up and you’ve got a lovely word under your belt.”

Mccaughrean, who won the award for the second time, after picking up the medal 30 years ago for A Pack Of Lies, said: “You can only think with the words you’ve got. You can’t think with a diminished vocabulary. You can’t construct abstract thought. You can only process what’s happening to you and what you see throughout the day in terms of words.”

She added: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid [by Jeff Kinney] is supposed to be the most popular book with secondary school children now. I’ve got nothing against it, but by the time you’re 15 you should be at ease with reading something on a more advanced level.”

‘It’s obvious from the context. You can pick it up and you’ve got a lovely word under your belt’