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Powers of Darkness:  The First Dracula
Powers of Darkness: The First Dracula | Bram Stoker
15 posts | 3 to read
In 1899-1900, a Swedish newspaper published a translation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. This version, titled Mörkrets makter (Powers of Darkness), is almost twice as long as the standard text of Dracula published in 1897. In addition, it contains numerous scenes not included in the 1897 text, along with a new ending and significant alterations of character names (Jonathan Harker becomes Thomas Harker; Dracula himself is referred to as Mavros Draculitz). This edition of Powers of Darkness should not be confused with a book of the same title published in 2017, which was an English translation of a highly truncated Icelandic translation of Dracula that is about half the length of the 1897 text.
There is a strong possibility that the Swedish version of Dracula was founded on an early draft of the novel that found its way to Sweden in the 1890s. The translator may have added scenes and episodes to the text, especially passages where it is suggested that Dracula is conducting a fascist political conspiracy.
The Swedish text has been translated by Rickard Berghorn, a leading Swedish scholar and publisher of weird fiction, and edited by S. T. Joshi and Martin Andersson, who are both experts on the weird fiction of the turn of the 20th century, and this edition features an exclusive new foreword by Dacre Stoker. As John Edgar Browning has written: "Mörkrets makter (Powers of Darkness) is among the most important discoveries in Dracula’s long history." Now, more than a century after its initial publication, it appears unabridged in English.
The Centipede Press edition of this book is a massive 824 pages with a comprehensive introduction and 11 full page and four double-page illustrations.
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Texreader
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Now that I‘ve finished the #readingAfrica challenge I‘m picking up this bad boy again. #chunksterchallenge at 824 pages!

Aimeesue "The translator may have added scenes and episodes to the text" Oh, sure, like you do. ? 2y
Texreader @Aimeesue Those Swedes! 😁 2y
52 likes2 comments
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Texreader
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I was an unfortunate victim of a nasty headache much of yesterday and sadly didn‘t start all my #scarathlon posts! But I am making up for it today starting with yesterday‘s photo challenge, black (& you see how it picks up fingerprints 😞).

#scarathlondailyprompts #black #teamslaughter @Clwojick @StayCurious

AnnR Glad you're feeling better! 2y
43 likes1 comment
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Texreader
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I‘m loving my decision to listen to the original Dracula on audiobook and reading this Swedish version that was only recently discovered and translated into English. It‘s more than twice the length of the original and still early in there are notable differences, like here: Harker‘s meeting and talking to 1 of the witches on occasion. In the Swedish version, Dracula has an old woman who is his house servant but he has none in the original. ⬇️

Texreader And, I‘ve seen the first speech by Dracula in which he talks about ruling the world (unlike in the original). Dracula‘s fascism and anti-semitism are discussed in the introduction by the man who discovered the vastly different Swedish version and who translated it. My problem with listening to the original (much shorter) is that I‘m getting too far ahead. I‘ll have to find a rhythm. The Audible edition of the original, BTW has a full cast. ⬇️ (edited) 2y
Texreader Alan Cumming is Jonathan Harker and I think Tim Curry is Dracula. I‘ve just started the chapter by Mina and Lucy in the audiobook, voiced by 2 different women. There are actors for the whole gang including Van Helsing. I‘m having a ball. #chunksterchallenge2022 @Amiable (edited) 2y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Texreader
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“To rule, my young gentleman, to rule is the only thing that makes life worth living – whether you rule over the will of men or their hearts!”

Draculitz, in this Swedish version, purportedly is a fascist, hoping to create a super race of vampires to rule the world. This is the first hint of that.

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Texreader
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I wish I could read this alongside the “original” Dracula that I‘ve read so many times (but then I‘d never finish!). This version is twice as long and was published as a serial in a Swedish newspaper two years after Dracula was published in 1897, only recently discovered to be a vastly different version of Dracula.

Reading this edition feels like I‘m hanging out with an old friend about whom I‘m learning new things. It‘s a very enjoyable feeling.

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Texreader
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“The room was circular like a kind of library; all the walls were completely covered with bookshelves… I immediately made a closer inspection of the books. Some of them were apparently very old, a few even handwritten, and thick covers of leather or leather-clad wood—Their titles and contents were to a large extent completely incomprehensible to me, although some, as far as I could judge, dealt with such subjects as astrology, alchemy, etc.”

Texreader This reminds me so much of a favorite book, 2y
27 likes1 comment
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Texreader
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I have finished the lengthy introduction and the very interesting translator notes (which bear on who may have written this extended Swedish version of Dracula—I‘m reading the first English translation of it) and Stoker‘s preface. I‘m heading to bed but anxiously awaiting the start of this chunkster version of Dracula (or Draculitz in this version). #chunksterchallenge @Amiable

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Texreader
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Sorry I‘m geeking about this book and I may be sharing too much. But I love this:

“Stoker copied a large number of inscriptions from tomb monuments, some of which made their way into the finished novel.“

I may have spent an enormous amount of time transcribing tombstones in my pre-kid years, many times with Mom helping (thanks @Doll8455 !). We did this before ancestry.com became a thing. I‘d post lists on the internet for fellow genealogists.

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Texreader
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The translator of this book, who discovered this lengthier Swedish version of Dracula, has a detailed introduction. In this section he makes the case that the lengthier Swedish version was based on Bram Stoker‘s notes. This is one of the examples.

The person he references, Eighteen-Bisang, has a book coming out called “Drafts of Dracula.”

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Texreader
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It‘s time for a little 19th century gossip:

“Stoker‘s wife Florence also had a relationship with Oscar Wilde before she abandoned him for Stoker.“

Who knew?

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Texreader
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Time for me to spend an evening with Dracula, or rather Draculitz as he is called in this edition

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Texreader
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“It turned out that the Swedish adaptation of Dracula was almost twice as long … with a plethora of memorable characters, scenes, and plotlines of which there is no trace in Dracula, and with an entirely new ending. In one stroke it turned out that the Icelandic version was nothing but a severely abridged translation, which also lacked details and scenes from the Swedish original. The Swedish Mörkrets makter was the “real deal.“”

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Texreader
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The signature page.

vivastory This is incredible! Do you know if there are plans for an eventual wider release? Dracula is one of my fave classics. I recently read the following & found it very informative. Def recommend it to a fellow Dracula fan 2y
Texreader @vivastory My husband suspects there will be a second edition since the first edition sold out in minutes. I stacked the book you tagged! It looks fun! 2y
51 likes2 comments
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Texreader
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The cover

Gissy Yes!😍🙌 2y
Zoes_Human 😍😍😍 2y
54 likes2 comments
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Texreader
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I received a very late birthday present from the husband today 💝 because it just arrived, a limited signed edition 403 of only 500 printed copies of the complete translation of the Swedish edition of Dracula-twice as long as the original-which is one of my all-time favorite books. So, I have decided to abandon my current chunkster for this one at 824 pages! I used to read Dracula every Halloween, so it's time to do it again! #chunksterchallenge

Texreader P.S. This edition is sold-out. You can learn more about it here: https://www.centipedepress.com/horror/powersofdarkness.html

Husband completely scored, didn't he? He said he waited for the day it went on sale, and knew it would sell out, so he immediately hit “buy“ when it became available. And he was still #403 out of 500! Whew!
(edited) 2y
Amiable What an awesome gift! And an awesome hubby! 2y
kspenmoll Wow! What an amazing gift! 2y
49 likes3 comments