13th April 1953 was a red letter day in popular culture. It was when Ian Fleming’s debut novel Casino Royale was published and the world was introduced to James Bond.
The
success of Casino Royale in the UK paved the way for subsequent works by
Fleming featuring Bond.
In
1961, President Kennedy named 'From Russia With Love' as one of his
top ten favorite books in Life magazine. This endorsement made the book a bestseller
in the US.
Some
say it was Kennedy's way of linking himself to Bond and projecting himself as a
Bond-like heroic leader taking on the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
In
politics perception often triumphs over reality. Alas for Kennedy that
perception was never tested, he never survived to run for reelection.
The
adaptation of Fleming’s novels to the big screen catapulted the character to
legendary status and widen the readership of Fleming’s novels.
Fleming
wrote twelve novels and two collections of short stories featuring
Bond.
Bond
remains a cultural icon to this day with twenty-seven hugely successful cinematic
adaptations and myriad authors such as Raymond Benson, John Gardner, Kingsley
Amis, and Sebastian Faulks taking over the
literary Bond mantle.
Back
to the Fleming novels.
Later
this April, fresh installments of the Bond book series will be reissued to
commemorate its 70th anniversary.
But
this reissue has a difference.
The Telegraph reported that
Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, which owns the literary rights to the novels,
commissioned a “sensitivity” review of the Bond novels to find out if
any of its contents met the contemporary standards of political correctness.
Following
these reviews, changes have been made to the novels.
Firstly
each book will carry the following disclaimer:
“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,”
Now
for the update to the text.
The Telegraph revealed
that the word “n-----”, which Fleming
used to refer to black people when he was writing during the 50s and
60, has been ‘almost entirely expunged’ from the revised texts.
The
Telegraph didn’t define what ‘almost entirely’ exactly means.
In
the sensitivity
reader-approved versions, the ’n-----’ word in most cases has been
replaced by “black person” or “black man”. All racial descriptors are also
entirely dropped in some instances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_IzoKbNktY
The
ethnicity of a barman in “Thunderball” (1961) has been omitted in new editions.
In
“Quantum of Solace” (1960) the race of a butler goes unmentioned.
In
“Goldfinger” (1959), the race of the drivers in the Second World War logistics
unit, the Red Ball Express – which had many black servicemen – is not
mentioned, instead referring only to “ex-drivers”.
Another
scene in the book, set during a strip tease at a Harlem nightclub, was
originally read as follows:
“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.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUg7_BpfZ3k
This
has been revised to
“Bond
could sense the electric tension in the room.”
A
segment in the book describing accented dialogue as “straight Harlem-Deep South
with a lot of New York thrown in,” has been removed.
When
the book was first published in the US in 1955, the title of the fifth chapter
was changed from "N----- Heaven" to "Seventh Avenue"
In
Dr No (1957) criminals escaping from Bond become “gangsters” and the race
of a doctor and immigration officer remain unmentioned.
But
all racially pejorative terms will not be removed.
The
racial terms Bond uses to refer to Asian people and his unfavorable views of
the Korean character Oddjob from “Goldfinger” (1959) will remain.
The
line in Casino Royale (1953) “the conquest of her body, because of the central
privacy in her, would each time have the sweet tang of rape” will remain as
well referring to homosexuality as a “stubborn disability”
This isn’t the only time the books are undergoing revisions.
Prior
to his death in 1964, Fleming permitted editors to revise sex scenes and racial
terms for American markets.
This
is the rationale cited by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd for initiating a
sensitivity review and approving textual amendments.
Fleming
isn’t the only one whose works are being revised.
Earlier
this month, The
Telegraph reported that Roald Dahl's children's books would be removed terms
related to weight, mental health, violence, gender, and race.
Following
the intense backlash
over the changes the publishers announced they would release Dahl's original
works along with the revised collection.
It
is essential that Ian Fleming Publications Ltd follows the same approach and also
publishes novels with Fleming’s texts.
The
risk is that this quest for ‘sensitivity’ will result in an Orwellian rewriting
of the past.
Art
is a reflection of the time it was created, this includes both the ideas and
the language used to express them.
If we
begin erasing the ‘offensive’ bits where does it end.
Being
offended is very subjective, the crudest joke with coarse language may be hilarious
to one while fairy tales may be offensive to another.
If we
start removing all that is offensive, some day we will end up with a blank page.
There is another risk here.
If fiction
can be revised, perhaps history will be amended to fit a narrative.
For
instance, the segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace was a Democrat and
so are many other racists. However, when the mainstream media
quotes Wallace they conveniently fail to mention that he was a Democrat.
In
time, they may say Wallace was a Republican. When caught they’ll just claim that
Wallace’s mindset is like that of a MAGA Republican, hence he must be called a Republican.
Next, they will claim Lincoln was a Democrat and used the same rationale.
To
prevent that we must ensure that all works, be it fiction or non-fiction must
remain untouched. There could be a rating system like there is for films
where readers can be forewarned about the contents of the book.
There could be versions of the original with offensive content expunged, but the fact
that it is amended must be explicitly stated.
It is
essential the original works are preserved so that generations to come to know the
facts about those times.
We
cannot allow a few to dictate what should be consumed by all.
At
the end who controls the past controls the future.
Post
Script:
President
Kennedy also had another connection to Bond.
On
November 21st, 1963, Kennedy watched the movie adaptation of 'From Russia With
Love' with Sir Sean Connery as James Bond. It was the last film he would see
before he was assassinated the next day in Dallas, Texas.
Trivia
Roald
Dahl wrote the screenplay for the 1967 Bond film You Only Live
Twice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E033uMGU7A
Also appears on American Thinker
Comments
Post a Comment