The problem of what to do when a once-esteemed work offends sensibilities has bedevilled publishers much of late, particularly in the field of literature for children and young adults. Some have dealt with it by simply stopping publication, as has happened with six Dr Suess books — including And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and If I Ran A Zoo — which were put out of print by the late writer’s estate on account of their racist imagery. The other approach involves continuing to publish the offending work, but only after slurs, stereotypes etc have been excised — notable examples include the recent “sanitised” version of the books of Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.
The release last month of Tintin in the Congo with a preface that lays out the historical context for the book offers a middle path, avoiding the extremes of putting a work out of print or making changes that may contradict the original authorial vision. The second volume in Belgian cartoonist Herge’s Tintin series and originally published as a serial in 1930, the book takes the young reporter and his dog Snowy into the heart of a diamond-smuggling ring in what was then a colony of Belgium. It has long been contentious, thanks to its racist portrayal of Africans (Herge himself later came to regret the “paternalistic” elements of the work, making some alterations for the 1946 reprint).
The trouble with the so-called culture wars of recent years, with the deliberately offensive ranged against the easily offended, is that they end up stalling conversations on important issues, whether race, gender, sexuality or religion. Either stance reduces readers to passive consumers. With the new Tintin preface as a precedent, perhaps other harried publishers too will be able to find solutions that help readers form their own impressions and arrive at their own conclusions.
