TEHRAN-A Persian translation of the novel “The Carpathian Castle” written by the French author Jules Verne has been released in the bookstores across the country.

Translated by Farzaneh Mehri, the book has recently been published by Qoqnoos Publishing Group, ILNA reported.

In the village of Werst in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania (then part of Austria-Hungary), some mysterious things are occurring and the villagers believe that Chort (the devil) occupies the castle. A visitor to the region, Count Franz de Télek, is intrigued by the stories and decides to go to the castle and investigate.

 He finds that the owner of the castle is Baron Rodolphe de Gortz, with whom he is acquainted; years earlier, they were rivals for the affections of the celebrated Italian prima donna La Stilla. The Count thought that La Stilla was dead, but he saw her image and voice coming from the castle.

The original book was first published in 1892. It is possible that Bram Stoker took inspiration from this for his 1897 novel “Dracula”. Due to the castle aspect and local toponymy, it is assumed that Colț Castle in Hunedoara County inspired Jules Verne.

Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. He is considered to be an important author in France and most of Europe, where he has had a wide influence on the literary avant-garde and surrealism.

Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Agatha Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the “father of science fiction” for novels including “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1864) “Around the World in Eighty Days” (1873), and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” (1870) among many others.

SS/SAB