Overall, racial descriptors have been significantly reduced. The novels were also littered with well known racial slurs for Black people, which have been changed in the new editions to “black person” or “black man” where relevant. Fleming wrote that the man and woman spoke in an accent that was “straight Harlem-Deep South with a lot of New York thrown in.” One such instance is Bond’s assertion that suspected African criminals are “pretty law-abiding chaps I should have thought, except when they’ve drunk too much,” which has now been shortened to “pretty law-abiding chaps I should have thought.”Īnother passage that has been completely removed sees Bond witnessing a couple arguing in Harlem in New York City. What racist content has been removed from Fleming’s novels?Īccording to The Telegraph, most of the revisions pertain to the way Black people are described.
As the publishing industry faces increased scrutiny for revising texts, here’s what to know about changes to the James Bond novels.
