Powers of Darkness: the wild translation of Dracula from turn-of-the-century Sweden

Bram Stoker · A—e

Feb 2022 · W. Trimble

About this ebook

Powers of Darkness (Swedish: Mörkrets makter) is a translation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula published in the Stockholm newspaper Dagen in 1899–1900. It is longer than Dracula and features an expanded cast of characters, elaborate adventures in the Transylvanian castle, a lovers’ reunion in a Hungarian sanitorium, a mystical honey pot, and a showdown with the Count in London. The new content is rich in eroticism, xenophobia, spiritualism, and vague political conspiracies. This is the first time that the full Swedish text of Powers of Darkness has been translated into English; until now this story was only available in the much-abbreviated Icelandic version Makt Myrkranna. This edition contains a foreword by Hans Corneel de Roos, an expert on the Nordic Dracula variants and translator of the Icelandic text, and essays on xenophobia and racism in fin-de-siècle monster literature by Tyler Tichelaar and Sezin Koehler. It is illustrated with the original pen-and-ink drawings by Emil Åberg printed in the newspaper in 1899.

Ratings and reviews

Powers of Darkness by Bram Stoker, a Swedish adaptation by A—e, is a more detailed account of Tom Harker’s journey to Transylvania to meet with Count Draculitz. This variation on the original classic provides the reader with more detail with some slight deviations from the original text. The editor of this particular retelling, W Trimble, precedes the story with a vast collection of papers. These papers explore the similarities and differences between the original Dracula and the later versions published in Sweden like Mörkrets Makter, or Makt Myrkranna (Powers Of Darkness), published in an Icelandic newspaper in the 1900s, as well as touching on numerous other variations. Having so much information before the actual story allows the reader to understand why this retelling is different from the original. In addition, these papers touch on important and pertinent themes such as racism and assumptions about Romanians. This is evident from the offset when Tom Harker writes in his journal, “disturbed by the bat and the howling dogs, they stealthily exchanged glances and crossed themselves when they thought I was not looking.” This could be seen as a foreshadowing of the rest of the storyline, but it also assumes this is how people in these areas would behave. This is discussed in detail in the preceding papers. The adaptation itself is still written in the same style as the original, littered throughout with the well-known imagery of the tale, such as “put her in the coffin” however, it contains some elements such as that of a beast which would have been slightly more shocking at the time it was originally published. I am a big fan of the text published in England and enjoyed getting a more in-depth tale. This variation is perfect as a literary source, or for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge of gothic literature, especially due to the papers contained in the preface. With the change in times, the additions and this version of the story are as exciting as the first Dracula. Powers of Darkness: the wild translation of Dracula from turn-of-the-century Sweden is a captivating take on the story of Dracula most people know. The added history included gives readers a new look at this classic story. This gothic horror novel will provide readers with more suspense and thrills than the original book.

About the author

He was born Abraham Stoker in 1847 at 15 Marino Crescent – then as now called "The Crescent" – in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland.

In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.

In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.

The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.

Bram Stoker died in 1912.

A—e is the translator credited with the adaptation of Dracula under the title Mörkrets Makter ("Powers of Darkness") published in the Swedish newspapers Dagen and Aftonbladets Halfvecko-Upplaga (“Evening Paper’s Half-Weekly”) in 1899–1900. The translator and ghostwriter was familiar with Sherlock Holmes, Swedish opera, and scientific celebrities (including Thomas Huxley, John Herschel, Alfred Russel Wallace), and described the rooms of Castle Draculitz in an unusually consistent manner. A—e penned summaries of the novel printed June 10, July 2, and December 2, 1899, but the pseudonym was not used elsewhere. Bootleg translations of foreign-language fiction were common at the time, but A—e's adaptation of Dracula seems uniquely creative.

Emil Åberg (1864–1940) was an illustrator and fine artist from Stockholm who illustrated dime-novels and pictures-of-the-day in newspapers in the 1890s and was later recognized as a cartoonist and painter.