Fleming would have welcomed Bond edits, says author’s estate

‘Sensitivity updates’ to 007 novels have removed terms deemed offensive to modern readers

IAN FLEMING would have wanted his James Bond books to be edited so that modern readers could enjoy them, his estate has said.

The defence comes after it was revealed that the 007 thrillers have been stripped of potentially offensive racial terms following a review by sensitivity readers. The books are set to be reissued this spring.

Defending the decision to alter the books, the author’s estate said it had acted for “readers’ enjoyment” and to attract “new audiences”.

Ian Fleming Publications added: “In James Bond, Ian Fleming created one of the most famous literary characters in history. His books deserve to be read and enjoyed as much now as when they were written.

“We believe the new Bond editions will extend their pleasure to new audiences. We are certain that is something Ian Fleming would have wanted.”

It said there was a discussion before a decision was made to edit the books, adding: “As the author’s literary estate and now publishers, what responsibility did we have, if any, to review the original texts?

“We consulted with a number of external parties but ultimately decided that, rather than making changes in line with their advice, it was instead most appropriate to look for guidance from the author himself.”

Fleming authorised changes to an American edition of Live and Let Die in the 1950s, and the estate said this was the example it followed, after consulting “external parties”. These included sensitivity readers, The Daily Telegraph understands.

The statement comes after a backlash against the changes, which removed and reworked a number of depictions of black people in the Bond books.

In addition, a disclaimer will accompany the new editions, cautioning readers about their content. It is understood to state: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace.

“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.”

Dated references to different ethnicities remain in the books, such as Bond’s racial terms for east Asian people and the spy’s disparaging views of the Korean character Oddjob.

References to the “sweet tang of rape”, “blithering women” failing to do a “man’s work”, and homosexuality being a “stubborn disability” have also been retained.

Some unflattering depictions of black people have been removed, however. For example, one altered scene features Bond visiting Harlem in New York, where a salacious strip tease at a nightclub makes the male crowd, including 007, increasingly agitated.

The original passage read: “Bond could hear the audience panting and grunting like pigs at the trough. He felt his own hands gripping the tablecloth. His mouth was dry.”

The revised section replaces the reference to pigs with: “Bond could sense the electric tension in the room.”