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Published in 1885, Mathias
Sandorf is Jules Verne's 27th novel. He dedicated it to Alexandre
Dumas, and the plot is inspired by the great Dumas classic The
Count of Monte Cristo. |
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Mathias Sandorf |
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Jules Verne |
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ISBN: 978-0-9782707-0-4
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496 pages with 111 Illustrations
by Leon Bennet |
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Overview |
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Trieste, 1867.
Two petty criminals, Sarcany and Zirone, intercept a carrier pigeon.
They find a ciphered message attached to its leg and uncover a plot
to liberate Hungary from Austro-Hungarian rule. The two meet with
Silas Toronthal, a corrupt banker, and form a plan to deliver the
conspirators to the police in exchange for a rich reward. The three
conspirators, Count Sandorf, Stephen Bathory and Ladislas Zathmar
are arrested and sentenced to death. Fifteen
years later, the renowned physician Dr. Antekirtt sets out to
avenge those three brave men. Enlisting the aid of two French
acrobats, Pescade and Matifou, he scours the Mediterranean in
search of those who planned the betrayal. Rich beyond all imagination,
wielding great power and master of an island fortress filled with
advanced weaponry, Dr. Antekirtt will not rest until justice is
done. |
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| This edition
is set from George Hanna’s original translation, with slight
adjustments, modifications and restorations. It is the first time
Mathias Sandorf has been reprinted with all 111 illustrations since
the Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington Edition of 1889.
The layout has been restored to Verne's original 5 act structure
as set in Hetzel's first French edition. |
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From Classics
for Pleasure, Michael Dirda, Harcourt 2007 |
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Verne always makes sure
that his “marvellous journeys” are always, no matter
how technical, didactic, or humorous, tales of wonder and adventure.
Mathias Sandorf – appropriately
dedicated to the memory of Alexandre Dumas – offers a Vernian
take on the immortal revenge saga The Count of Monte
Cristo. In A Journey to the Centre of
the Earth, three men climb down through a chimney
of a volcano to discover another world underground. Like such
swashbuckling authors as C.S. Forester, Rafael Sabatini, and George
MacDonald Fraser, Verne seldom lets up on the excitement. |
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To read Jules Verne when one is
young is one of the great treats of childhood. To read Jules Verne
later in life is to discover a writer just as satisfying but even
richer, one who is not only a natural storyteller but also a mythmaker,
a social critic and an innovative artist. In France, Verne is now
studied seriously as an innovative literary figure and thanks to
fresh accurate English translations more and more of his work is
available to American readers in reliable texts. |
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Mathias Sandorf: Some back
story and little known facts |
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Mathias Sandorf was
Jules Verne’s last collaboration with Pierre-Jules Hetzel,
the publisher passing away a year after the novel went to press.
Verne had originally planned a darker tale, with Sandorf, like Monte
Cristo, bent on revenge. After much prodding, Verne was convinced
to change tone; his protagonist would seek justice, a nobler pursuit.
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| Poster from
the 1963 film Directed by George Lampin |
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Sandorf had been Verne’s
most ambitious novel to date. It contained the largest cast of characters
he’d ever brought to life, and the action took place in over
20 cities around the Mediterranean. Verne was fascinated by the
beauty of the Great Sea and wanted to share it with his readers.
Verne often stated that the inspiration for the novel came during
a family cruise to Tanger and Malta aboard his yacht the Saint Michel.
The storm off Malta described in Part III is based on his own real
experiences aboard ship. |
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Verne may have first heard about
the Foiba beneath Pisino castle in Charles Yriarte’s works
Les Bords de l'Adriatique (The Ports of the Adriatic) - (Hachette,
Paris 1878) and Trieste e l'Istria (Trieste and Istria)
- (Hachette, Paris 1875). Yriatre described the old castle
as well as his trip down into the gorge. He also mentioned an experiment
by a young nobleman, Count Esdorff, to find the end of the underground
river. Unfortunately the count's boat never made it out of the underground
cave. |
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Famous for his detailed
research, Jules Verne collected all available information about
the places he described. While preparing to write the huge three-volume
novel Mathias Sandorf, he wrote a letter to the mayor of Pisino,
Giuseppe Cech, asking if he could add to Yriarte's research. Mr
Cech provided the information and sent Verne several photographs
of the city which may have later been used as the basis for Leon
Benett’s wonderful illustrations. Two years later, Jules Verne
sent the mayor a first edition of Mathias Sandorf with
a hand written dedication: "Au Podestat de Pisino - Hommage
de l’auteur - Jules Verne - Paris, 22 novembre 1885."
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| Soundtrack
from the Lampin Film |
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from La Foiba di Pisino
by Nerina Feresini (Trieste, 1972) |
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Sandorf on Stage and Screen |
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Mathias Sandorf was
performed as a five act play in Paris in the 1880s. Though the novel
had been popular, the play failed to attract. Verne himself did
not make it to Paris in time to see the live adaptation. Neverthless
an English version made it across the ocean and played the Boston
theatre in the fall of 1888. |
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There have also been
three screen adaptations of Mathias Sandorf. The first was made
in 1921 and directed by Henri Fescourt. It starred Yvette Andréyor,
Romuald Joube, and Jean Toulout. During the '20s Fescourt was one
of the most successful directors working for Cineroman, and Mathias
Sandorf, Les Gransa and Mandarin were among
his most popular works. |
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In 1963 Georges Lampin
directed another version starring Louis Jourdan, Francisco Rabal,
Renaud Mary, and Serena Vergano. It strayed from Verne's orginal
plot. A revolution is brewing and despite his life of privilege
Count Sandorf (Louis Jourdan) has sided with the rebelling masses.
Unfortunately his daughter has fallen in love with the leader of
the military regime. Mathias is betrayed by false friends and improsoned
as the country draws nearer to civil war. |
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Perhaps the mnost
highly accaliamed version was the TV miniseries made for French
and German television in 1979. Directed by Jean-Pierre Decourt
it starred Istvan Bujtor as Mathias Sandorf, Ivan Desny as Zathmar,
Amadeus August, Claude Giraud, Monika Peitsch, Sissy Höfferer,
Jacques Breuer. |
| Poster from the 1921
film Directed by Henri Fescourt |
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Stills from the 1921
film Directed by Henri Fescourt |
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