By Nefise Kahraman
Vampires have long been a staple of Ottoman folklore,* long before the allure of Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula (1897) reached Turkish shores. When Dracula was finally translated into Turkish in 1998, it wasn’t the first time Turkish readers had encountered the Count; a unique adaptation was already in circulation. First published in 1928 in the Ottoman script and later in 1946 in the Latin alphabet, these editions intriguingly credited Ali Rıza Seyfi (1880-1958), who abridged and adapted Stoker’s novel into Turkish, as the original author rather than a translator – a misrepresentation that persisted for years.** Marketed as an original creation, Kazıklı Voyvoda (Vlad the Impaler),*** the title of Seyfi’s adaptation, may seem like a pale replica of Stoker’s magnum opus at first glance. However, it bore compelling narratives, especially in its portrayal of Istanbul, not as a dark, gothic metropolis but a city of light. This curious divergence from the gothic ambiance of Dracula, which is synonymous with the genre, deserves attention.
In The City in Literature, Richard Lehan draws parallels between Dracula and Dionysus, the Greek God of wine and ecstasy, portraying Dracula as a contemporary incarnation of the deity. Lehan observes, “Like Dionysus, he [Dracula] embodies the principle of chaos within the city, a system of supposed order. In this sense, he is analogous to the plague or some other catastrophe that comes into the city” (96). In Kazıklı Voyvoda, a team of hunters, all ardent patriots and close companions of the protagonist Azmi (Jonathan Harker in Stoker’s Dracula), quickly recognize the ominous presence of Dracula in Istanbul. Taking Şadan’s (Lucy in Dracula) sudden and mysterious death as a forewarning, they soon find themselves dealing with another eerie development when several children go missing, only to be found with bite marks on their necks. While these events hint at a disruption of the societal equilibrium and the imminent eruption in the city, they remain absent from Seyfi’s cartographic representations of Istanbul.
In Dracula’s homeland, Transylvania, Azmi finds himself amidst the quintessential gothic surroundings of the Count’s dim, intimidating castle. Similarly, the London locale Dracula chooses is conducive to his existence and oozes a gothic aura. As the narrative shifts to Istanbul, however, the sole eerie ambiance is evoked by the mansion Dracula occupies, ominously located near a graveyard. In Seyfi’s depiction, Istanbul defies the notion of housing gothic entities and succumbing to a gothic ambiance. This is evident in the city’s portrayal as bright, delightful, and almost celestial; a luminous city described in Turkish as “nurlu,” a term imbued with religious undertones. Seyfi refrains from reshaping Istanbul to align it with a gothic narrative. Even though Istanbul boasts a rich history filled with fortresses—often a quintessential element in gothic backdrops—Seyfi chooses not to leverage them for a dark setting. These fortresses and other significant landmarks of Istanbul are never cast in the shadow of horror. Then the question remains: What might have influenced Seyfi’s decision against a gothic portrayal of Istanbul.
Dracula’s choice of residence in Istanbul may be attributed to the city’s captivating allure. In contrast to Transylvania, described as a savage “hearth of darkness,” Istanbul stands out as a coveted place of residence. Attributing gothic characteristics to Istanbul could diminish the contrast between the two locations, and Seyfi may have intended to maintain that clarity.
One can also argue that Seyfi deliberately avoids painting Istanbul in a terrifying light, given its representation as the idyllic ‘vatan’ (motherland). It is worth noting that Seyfi does not merely create an abridged version of Stoker’s Dracula with domesticated characters set in Istanbul; he reenvisions the tale to blend the vampire legend with elements that celebrate Turkish identity and history, equating Istanbul with the motherland. Istanbul takes on a significant political and religious role since Vlad Tepes (Voivode Dracula), the historical figure thought to have inspired Stoker’s Dracula, has long been noted as an adversary of the Turks. Seyfi reinforces the patriotic tone of his adaptation by weaving in allusions to this historical context. Notably, unlike Stoker’s narrative, Seyfi’s version concludes in Istanbul, where Dracula meets his end in an estate he purchased in the city, never returning to Transylvania. This deviation lends credence to the idea that a creature like Dracula finds it challenging to navigate a city as luminous and orderly as Istanbul, especially if accustomed to the shadows of a gothic milieu.
Essentially, Dracula’s choice of location becomes his downfall. Seyfi’s message is loud and clear: shortly after the victory of the Turkish War of Independence, fought against Western imperial powers, Istanbul is once again liberated from another enemy – this time from an atypical, undead creature of the shadows with a grudge against the Turks.
For those who find this adaptation intriguing and want to know more about it, cheer up, as Seyfi’s adaptation is available in English translation: Dracula in Istanbul: The Unauthorized Version of the Gothic Classic
*Cemal Kafadar, “‘Vampire Trouble Is More Serious Than the Mighty Plague’: The Emergence and Later Adventures of a New Species of Evildoers” in The Land between Two Seas: Art on the Move in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea 1300–1700, ed. by Alina Payne (Brill, 2022) https://brill.com/edcollchap-oa/book/9789004515468/BP000016.xml?language=enSee also Marinos Sariyannis’ review “Ottoman Accounts of Vampirism” https://tinyurl.com/57bktnpk
**For an in-depth exploration of why the text is marked as an original work instead of a translation, refer to Şehnaz Tahir Gürçağlar, “Adding toward a Nationalist Text: On a Turkish Translation of Dracula,” Target (13)1, 125-148. Gürçağlar elucidates Kazıklı Voyvoda’s position as a “concealed translation” (cf. Gideon Toury) and highlights the nationalist tendencies underlying the translation process.
***Kazıklı Voyvoda was reissued in 1997 as Drakula İstanbul’da (Dracula in Istanbul). Seyfi’s rendition also laid the foundation for the 1953 film adaptation Drakula İstanbul’da (Dracula in Istanbul), directed by Mehmet Muhtar. Available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7tAWcm3EX0
References:
Gürçağlar, Tahir Şehnaz. (2001). “Adding toward a Nationalist Text: On a Turkish Translation of Dracula,” Target (13)1, 125-148.
Lehan, Richard. (1998) The City in Literature, Oakland: University of California Press.
Seyfi, Ali Rıza. (1946). Kazıklı Voyvoda, İstanbul: Çığır Kitabevi.
Stocker, Bram. (2011) Dracula, ed. by Roger Luckhurst, Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Originally published in 1897).
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