Acclaimed crime author Val McDermid has spoken out against what she describes as the "dishonest" practice of forcing authors to revise their previous works to align with contemporary sensibilities. The Scottish writer, often hailed as the queen of crime, disclosed that she was assigned a sensitivity reader to scrutinise her early Lindsay Gordon mystery novels for potentially offensive language.
The Controversy Over Historical Authenticity
McDermid, whose books have sold over 19 million copies worldwide, made these remarks during her appearance at the Out in the Hills LGBTQ+ festival in Pitlochry. She explained that the Lindsay Gordon series, originally published in the 1980s and 1990s, features characters in law enforcement who use racial and homophobic slurs. These elements were included to authentically reflect the prevailing attitudes of that era.
A Battle Over Editorial Changes
The sensitivity reader was tasked with identifying content that could cause offence today, as part of preparations for the novels' rerelease. McDermid strongly contested this approach, arguing that it is fundamentally dishonest to attempt to make historical texts read as if they were written in the present day.
"I argued the case that these books were of their time and that it's dishonest to try to make them read differently," McDermid stated, as reported by The Times. "In most instances, I won my point. The few examples where I didn't win my point were to do with race."
Preserving Literary History
McDermid, who is 70 years old, emphasised the importance of preserving original texts as historical documents. She believes that readers should have access to unaltered versions to understand societal progress.
"A book set in 1987 can't suddenly have the sensibilities of a book that's going to be published now," she remarked. "We need to have those earlier historic texts to understand how far we've come and how different it is now."
When questioned about whether she felt offended by the assignment of a sensitivity reader, McDermid responded that she was more amused than offended. She acknowledged that upon rereading her early works, there are elements she would not include today, but she sees little value in retroactively rewriting them.
Broader Context and Career Highlights
This discussion comes amidst ongoing debates about sensitivity readings in publishing. McDermid's 1995 novel, The Mermaids Singing, has previously faced retrospective criticism for its depiction of graphic violence and a transgender serial killer character.
Beyond her writing career, McDermid serves as a national year of reading ambassador. She recently met the Queen in Edinburgh during the launch of a reading initiative at the National Library of Scotland. The Fife-born author began her professional life in 1977 as a newspaper journalist in Glasgow, working for the Daily Record, before achieving international fame as a novelist.
