Dracula in Istanbul

For the first time in English comes a remarkable literary discovery. In 1928, Turkish author Ali Rza Seyfiolu pirated Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 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.

In Seyfiolu’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. Seyfiolu boldly reworks Stoker’s classic tale, retelling it from the unique perspective of a people once routed by the real-life Dracula.

Dracula in Istanbul: The Unauthorized Version of the Gothic Classic presents the first ever translation into English of Seyfiolu’s novel, Kazkl Voyvoda. With a foreword by Anno Dracula author Kim Newman,  an introduction by Turkish translation scholar ehnaz Tahir Gürçalar, an afterword on the 1953 movie adaptation Drakula stanbul'da by film scholar Iain Robert Smith, and several rare photos from the film, Dracula in Istanbul 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.