Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hide / Dr. Jekyll ve Mr. Hyde

More about the book

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," published in 1886, became a bestseller with 40,000 copies sold in six months. The narrative is inspired by the true story of Deacon Brodie, an Edinburgh carpenter who led a secret double life and ultimately faced execution. Stevenson had previously written a play about this case as a teenager, titled "Deacon Brodie, or The Double Life," which was performed in 1882. The impetus for the novella came from a vivid dream in late September or early October 1885, after which Stevenson quickly drafted a first version. While recovering in Bournemouth, he experienced a near-fatal hemorrhage just before the dream and wrote almost feverishly. His wife criticized the initial draft, leading Stevenson to burn it and produce an allegorical second version within a week. The story blends various narrative styles and features a distinct tonal shift between the narrator and the embedded documents, showcasing Stevenson’s stylistic virtuosity, which was essential to preserve in translation.