German publisher attacked for bowdlerising children's classicThieneman under fire for removing terms including 'negro' from The Little Witch by Otfried PreußlerDie Kleine Hexe (The Little Witch) by Otfried Preußler is about a rebellious, 127-year-old witch, an age that is "not at all old for a witch", who has a year to learn to be a good witch. First published in 1957, it is a perennial bestseller in Germany, but a "modernised" new edition from publisher Thienemann removes terms from the story which it says are "obsolete and no longer politically correct", including the word "Neger", which translates as "negro". Other changes include the removal of the verb "wichsen", which used to mean "to polish" but which is now linked to male masturbation, according to Der Spiegel.
Tyskland har nu fått sin egen Tintin i Kongo-affär med boken Den lilla häxan av Preussler.http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jan/18/german-publisher-bowdlerising-childrens-classicSkall man hålla på att ändra i gamla böcker allteftersom värderingarna i samhället ändras?
