Roald Dahl wanted "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" hero to be black

[WhiskeyGrinder]

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41257684

Liccy Dahl told BBC Radio 4's Today programme her husband had written about a "little black boy".

But Dahl's agent thought the idea a bad one and insisted the character be changed - something Dahl's widow said was a "great pity".

She said seeing the 1964 children's book as her husband had intended it would be "wonderful".

(snip)

"It was his agent who thought it was a bad idea, when the book was first published, to have a black hero," said Sturrock. "She said: 'People would ask why.'"

[msongs]

1. well they could put out a new edition with the change nt

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. New illustrations, anyway.

Pretty sure his skin color is never described in the book.

[JI7]

2. Sadly many would say the same even now

[shenmue]

4. Yeah

[Iris]

5. Interesting b/c my childhood favorite "A Snowy Day" was published in 1962

http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ezras-books/the-snowy-day/

I'd love to dig more into that story. Who the publisher was. If the Keats book had any impact on the decision.

[Aristus]

6. Sounds like an effort to rehabilitate the essential racism of Dahl's original "CatCF".

The Oompa-Loompas were originally supposed to be from 'Darkest Africa', and be the worst sort of black stereotype, and work for Willy Wonka for cacao beans as payment.

p://

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. It mentions that in the article.

[JI7]

8. why was that changed ?