Mathias Sandorf

[Kara Ortiez]

I recently bought an edition of this Verne classic. It was rereleased in early April. Verne himself dubbed it "The Monte Cristo" of his Extraordianry Voyages. Point Pescade has become one of my favourite Vernian characters. Anyone else read it?

[bazarov]

Once, a long time ago, then I found it happens in Croatia:)
Nice and interesting, but I really don't remember none of characters.

[Boris239]

I've read it and remember it very well. It is of course very far from Dumas's work, but the hero here is a patriot and his revenge looks more like justice, unlike Edmon Dantes's- even he himself realized that it was too much.

It's pretty funny that the book was mentioned in my cryptography class, because of the cypher that was used in the book (I have to admit that my professor was Hungarian)

[Kara Ortiez]

Verne's cyphers were always one of the fun things about his novels. I always loved the one in Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I got the information below from Amazon.com. I didn't realize Mathais Sandorf was in a way the end of an era for Verne, his last work with his publisher Hetzel.


First serialized in Le Temps in 1885, Mathias Sandorf is Jules Verne's epic Mediterranean adventure. It employs many of the devices that had fared well in earlier novels: islands, cryptograms, surprise revelations of identity, technically advanced hardware and a solitary figure bent on revenge. Verne dedicated the novel to the memory of Alexandre Dumas pere, hoping to make Mathias Sandorf the Monte Cristo of The Extraordinary Voyages.
Verne claimed that Sandorf was modeled on his publisher. Like Hetzel, a former exile, Sandorf has fervent patriotism and a high moral sense. Dr Antekirtt is a mixture of Hetzel and Bixio, one of the publisher's friends. Others see similarities with Hungarian freedom fighter Lajos Kossuth and Austrian prince Louis Salvator.

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.

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, from Trieste to shores of North Africa. Verne was fascinated by the beauty of the Great Sea and wanted to share it with his readers. He 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.

A play and several movies were based on the novel,the most recent production being a miniseries for European TV filmed in the late 70s.

[Kara Ortiez]

Found Chapter 1 of Mathias Sandorf online for those that wish to have a glance at it.

rohpress.com/Sandorf.pdf

and info on Google Book Search

google.ca/books?q=mathias+sandorf&spell=1&oi=spell

[Kara Ortiez]

Wikipedia has put the e-text of Mathias Sandorf online. Full text for those that wish to peruse it.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mathias_Sandorf