Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels to be re-edited because of woke sensibilities

Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels are being reissued with rewritten and deleted passages to remove racist language and other problematic references.

The changes come as part of an effort to make the books more appropriate for modern audiences through the introduction of “sensitivity readers” to parse through the original materials in search of offensive materials.

The Telegraph reported that Ian Fleming Publications worked with "sensitivity readers" to identify and revise language that could be considered racist or otherwise offensive. The organization claims that Fleming himself was in favor of such edits and even approved changes to his book "Live and Let Die" before his death in 1964.

"We at Ian Fleming Publications reviewed the text of the original Bond books and decided our best course of action was to follow Ian's lead," a spokesperson for the organization said. "We have made changes to 'Live and Let Die' that he himself authorized."

The new versions of the Bond novels will include a disclaimer acknowledging that the books were written at a time when terms and attitudes that are considered offensive today were commonplace. The disclaimer also notes that some updates have been made while staying true to the original text and the period in which it is set.

Some controversial phrasing will remain in the books, however. For example, "Casino Royale" will still include lines like "sweet tang of rape" and "blithering women" failing to do a "man's work," as well as insensitive references to East Asians and homosexuality.

In "Live and Let Die," the line calling Africans "pretty law-abiding chaps I should have thought, except when they've drunk too much" was revised to say, "pretty law-abiding chaps I should have thought."

The move follows a similar controversy over Roald Dahl's books, which were altered to remove references deemed unacceptable. The Roald Dahl Story Co. worked with Inclusive Minds, a group that monitors children's literature for inclusion, diversity, and accessibility, to make the changes.