So, in my many searches for the best in historical, swashbuckler-type adventure fiction, I have more than once stumbled across the name of Emilio Salgari–usually mentioned by native Italian-speakers who lament that they cannot share his greatness with their English-speaking friends. The premise behind his most popular character, Sandokan, stuck out to me especially: Sandokan is, from what little I’ve heard, the son of an Indian Raja who, after the English murder his family, escapes to the South China Sea, where he becomes a pirate, fighting off evil colonials. My kind of hero.
Anyway, the Sandokan books are now being released in affordable English editions, so I can finally see what all the fuss is about: Salgari is, according to some, the world’s best-selling Italian author. ROH Press, whom I have never heard of, are releasing new translations that, according to them, are more complete than any of the few English versions that have dotted the literary landscape in the past. At their website, you can read excerpts from the three Sandokan novels that they’ve released thus far, as well as from Mathias Sandorf, a Jules Verne novel that they carry, whose plot is purportedly inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo–i.e. my favorite book of all time. I recommend poking around their site a bit, as there’s interesting info about Sandokan, Sandorf, Salgari, and another creation of Salgari’s whose first book they’ll publish in English next year: The Black Corsair, a good ol’ Caribbean pirate. Good times. (Also, you can watch the opening theme song to a goofy Sandokan cartoon show, which, for only having the word “Sandokan” repeated over and over again, is surprisingly catchy.)
Rest assured, I’ll be picking up the first Sandokan book, The Tigers of Mompracem, (and probably also Mathias Sandorf) when time and money allow, and reviewing it when I’m done, it looks right up my alley.
Wish i had the talent to write such posts.
I know I am coming very late to this, but:
“So, in my many searches for the best in historical, swashbuckler-type adventure fiction, I have more than once stumbled across the name of Emilio Salgari–usually mentioned by native Italian-speakers who lament that they cannot share his greatness with their English-speaking friends.”
YES! Yes yes yes! Exactly! I am just now trying to coax my British boyfriend into watching the 1976 mini-series. I myself read the books, but only in the annotated version that was very good for making fun of Salgari, who, writing as he did quickly to pay the bills, often forgot the color of some character’s eyes or some such. Lots of fun. Also, in my family when somebody says, “Pass me…” we often yell with great enthusiasm:
“Kammamuri! Pass me the two silver pistols, with the finely carved mother-of-pearl grip, that the Marajah of Lahore gifted us!” something that Yanez yelled in a moment of great urgency, his current weapon having run out of bullets, instead of simply “Kammamuri! GUNS!”