Sunday 12 February 2017

An Icelandic Reworking of Dracula?

So, was an Icelandic author privy to Bram Stoker's notes on Dracula, and did he create a different - though very similar - story? Was the 1900 Icelandic novel entitled (in translation) Powers of Darkness an early example of fan fiction, taking Stoker's characters and ideas but reworking them in interesting ways? I've no idea, but this bloke makes some interesting claims.
What I eventually discovered turned out to be a story more exciting and elegant than Dracula itself. 
Yes, I said it. Although Dracula received positive reviews in most newspapers of the day—as recently established by John E. Browning—and later inspired hundreds of stage and screen versions, the original novel can be tedious and meandering.
I've no idea if this is legit, but if it's a hoax it's a very detailed and well-crafted one. Borges would approve, I think.


1 comment:

MajorWeir said...

My own feeling was that this all sounds just too good to be true, but I'm hooked anyway and will probably end up buying the book!

THESE AND OTHER MYSTERIES by Steve Duffy (Sarob Press 2024)

  Cover by Paul Lowe illustrating 'Screen Burn' Steve Duffy's latest collection offers the discerning reader eight stories, five...