Dracula in Istanbul

<p>For the first time in English comes a remarkable literary discovery. In 1928 Turkish author Ali Rıza Seyfioğlu pirated Bram Stoker’s <em>Dracula</em> completely rewriting it with new material patriotic overtones and Islam. A rare example of a “bootleg” novel it’s also the first adaptation to plainly identify Dracula as the historical warlord Vlad the Impaler.</p><p>In Seyfioğlu’s story when a modern Istanbul is threatened by the invasion of an ancient vampire three veterans of the Turkish War of Independence are thrust into a conflict with their nation’s hereditary enemy. Seyfioğlu boldly reworks Stoker’s classic tale retelling it from the unique perspective of a people once routed by the real-life Dracula.</p><p><em>Dracula in Istanbul: The Unauthorized Version of the Gothic Classic</em> presents the first ever translation into English of Seyfioğlu’s novel <em>Kazıklı Voyvoda</em>. With a foreword by <em>Anno Dracula</em> author Kim Newman  an introduction by Turkish translation scholar Şehnaz Tahir Gürçağlar an afterword on the 1953 movie adaptation <em>Drakula İstanbul'da</em> by film scholar Iain Robert Smith and several rare photos from the film <em>Dracula in Istanbul</em> is a rare combination of literary artifact and genuine entertainment. From movie and vampire buffs to literature scholars there’s enough here to delight all the children of the night.</p>