Novel
Hasan Mellâh yâhud Sır İçinde Esrar
Not translated into English
Ahmet Mithat · 1874
Synopsis
Hasan, a young sailor fresh out of naval school, falls into the hands of corsairs; according to Edebiyat Fatihi, he befriends Alanzo there, who saves his life and makes the pirates respect him. He loves Cuzella, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Alfons, who intends her for another man. Cuzella is abducted, and Hasan sets off in pursuit of the abductor, from one country to another and across the sea. According to the Humanities Institute, the narrative follows its hero from childhood to adulthood, through love, piracy and the secrets announced by the title.
Context
According to the Belleten of the Turkish Language Institute, the author conceived this novel during his exile in Rhodes and began it in 1874, in response to Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo; the action passes through Morocco, Europe, Istanbul, Egypt and Arabia. A thesis from Boğaziçi University recalls that it appeared in instalments, like the first Turkish novels, and that a sequel, Zeyl-i Hasan Mellâh, appeared in 1875, almost as long as the first volume. The Turkish Ministry of Culture counts it among the author's first published novels.
Who it is for
A long adventure novel in Ottoman Turkish; no French or English translation has been found.
Prizes and reception
A success with readers, who wrote to the author to ask for a sequel, according to the Belleten.
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