Tom Hanks says he would boycott books whose content is censored in order to avoid offending modern readers, according to a May 9 interview with the BBC.
Hanks said publishers should not edit works in an attempt to avoid offending some readers. The radio interviewer asked Hanks about his thoughts on censoring “problematic references or language” of famous authors such as Roald Dahl or Agatha Christie.
“I’m of the opinion that we’re all grown-ups here. Let’s have faith in our own sensibilities as opposed to having somebody decide what we may or may not be offended by,” Hanks told the outlet.
“Let me decide what I am offended by and what I’m not offended by. I would be against reading any book from any era that says ‘abridged due to modern sensitivities,’” he added. (RELATED: ‘Back The F**k Off!’: Tom Hanks Lashes Out At Fans After They Nearly Trip His Wife)
Tom Hanks says he is not always Mr Nice Guy https://t.co/SylmNNacK2
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 9, 2023
Publishers such as Puffin and HarperCollins received backlash earlier in 2023 after making hundreds of edits to classic novels in order to avoid potentially offensive language. HarperCollins removed insults and ethnic references from Christie’s works such, as the n-word and the word “natives,” The Guardian reported. Puffin removed the character descriptors such as “crazy Indian prince” and “enormously fat.”