[FIRST TURKISH COMEDY OF ERRORS] Sehv-i mudhik [= The comedy of errors] . Juz: 1-2 set (Ebüzziya Kütübhanesi Aded 51-52). Translated by Örikagasizâde Hasan Sirri, (1861-1939).

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, (1564-1616)., Matbaa-i Ebu'z-Ziya., Constantinople, [AH 1304] = 1887.

In very aesthetical modern full morocco in a traditional Ottoman style. Unopened and untrimmed pages, covers (saved in modern binding) stained slightly, also extremities damaged. Otherwise a very good copy. 12mo. (16 x 12 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 119 p. Hegira: 1304 = Gregorian: 1887.

Extremely rare first Turkish edition of the comedy of errors by Shakespeare in book form.

Since the middle of the 19th-century, Turkish literature has appealed to foreign sources, especially European and Anglo-American culture, in order to meet modern Turkey's demands. Shakespeare played a significant role in inspiring and shaping modern Turkish theatre. Shakespearean plays made their official entrance into Turkey during the reform movement of Tanzimat (1839-76) that warmly welcomed translating works from other cultures. European, Greek and Armenian troupes of the Ottoman Empire, as well as traveling Italian troupes, were the pioneers of producing plays from other cultures, yet in their own languages. The Merchant of Venice (1885) and The Comedy of Errors (1886-7) were the earliest translations into Turkey by Hasan Sirri, which had the chance to be published in book form. First translations of Shakespeare’s plays were made from French copies. However, Sehv-i mudhik (The Comedy of Errors) was one of the earliest translations directly from English language. The translator of this book, Örikagasizâde Hasan Sirri, (1861-1939) was an administrator and educator who grew up during the reign of Abdulhamid II and was in state service for almost forty years. He was the son of Turkish diwan poet Ahmet Nafiz Pasha and the father of author Nahid Sirri Örik. The Comedy of Errors which he translated by easing or removing prejudiced sentences and words about Turks, Islam and Jews, is of importance in terms of his clear Turkish and careful attention to detail. The Comedy of Errors was the second play of Shakespeare translated, and is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humor coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and wordplay. The Comedy of Errors is, along with The Tempest, one of only two Shakespearean plays to observe the Aristotelian principle of unity of time, through which the events of a play should cover a period of 24 hours. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre numerous times worldwide. In the centuries following its premiere, the play's title has entered the popular English lexicon as an idiom for "an event or series of events made ridiculous by the number of errors that were made throughout".

Özege 17696.; Only one copy in OCLC: 978068535.