''The Mystery of the Black Jungle'' ( it, I misteri della jungla nera) is an exotic adventure novel written by Italian author

Emilio Salgari Emilio Salgari (, but often erroneously ; 21 August 1862 – 25 April 1911) was an Italian writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction. In Italy, his extensive body of work was more widely read than that of Dante A ...

, published in

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

. It features two of his most well-known characters, the hunter Tremal-Naik and his loyal servant Kammamuri, and introduces his most famous character, Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia.

Plot summary

Few can live in the Black Jungle of the Sundarbans, the islands formed by the delta of the Ganges river in India, a desolate, silent place teeming with wild dangerous beasts. Yet it is among its dark forests and bamboo groves here that the renowned snake and tiger hunter Tremal-Naik makes his home. For years he has lived there in peace until one night in the deep of the jungle a strange apparition stands before him - a beautiful young woman that vanishes in an instant. Within days, strange music is heard in the jungle, then one of his men is found dead without a mark upon his body. Determined to find some answers, the hunter sets off with his faithful servant Kammamuri, but as they head deeper into the jungles of the Sundarbans, they soon find their own lives at risk: a deadly new foe has been watching their every move, a foe that threatens all of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. Tremal-Naik encounters the young woman, whose name is Ada, again in a temple in the jungle, and he's caught by fever, as his never-trembling heart is caught by love for her, right at the time when she seems to be facing her doom. Ada is there captured by ''thugs'', worshipers of the goddess Kali.

Characters

* Tremal-Naik: The tiger hunter. * Kammamuri: Tremal-Naik's friend and ever-loyal servant * Aghur: Another of Tremal-Naik's servants * Ada Corishant: The Priestess of the Eastern Temple * Suyodhana: The leader of the Thugs of the Kali cult, also known as The Son of the Sacred Waters of the Ganges * Captain Macpherson: Ada's father. Enemy of the thugs * Bharata: A sepoy soldier serving under Captain Macpherson * Manciadi: A Thug * Negapatnan: A Thug leader * Vindhya: A Thug who poses as an ascetic. * Nagor * Nimpor: A Thug who poses as an ascetic. * Hider: A Thug

Film versions

There have been several big screen adaptations of the novel including ''The Mystery of The Black Jungle'' filmed in 1953 starring

Lex Barker Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr. (May 8, 1919 – May 11, 1973), known as Lex Barker, was an American actor. He was known for playing Tarzan for RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953, and portraying leading characters from Karl May's novels, notably as ...

. The sequel, ''The Black Devils of

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

'' came out the subsequent year. It was later remade in 1965 as ''The Mystery of

Thug Thug or THUG may refer to: People * Thug, a common criminal, who treats others violently and roughly, often for hire * Thug, a member of the former Indian cult Thuggee ** Thug Behram (ca 1765–1840), leader of the Thuggee cult Video game * ''T ...

Island''. In the 1990s it returned to the small screen in Italy as ''I misteri della jungla nera'', a popular miniseries. Actor

Kabir Bedi Kabir Bedi ( pa, ਕਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬੇਦੀ; born 16 January 1946) is an Indian actor. His career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States and especially Italy among other European countries in three media: fi ...

, who has portrayed popular Salgari characters

Sandokan Sandokan is a fictional late 19th-century pirate created by Italian author Emilio Salgari. His adventures first appeared in publication in 1883. Sandokan is the protagonist of 11 adventure novels. Sandokan is known throughout the South China S ...

and

The Black Corsair ''The Black Corsair'' is an 1898 adventure novel written by Italian novelist Emilio Salgari. Set in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, the novel narrates the exploits of Emilio Roccanera, Lord of Ventimiglia and his attempts to ave ...

appeared as Tremal-Naik's loyal servant Kammamuri.

External links

Read the first chapter.Italy’s enduring love affair with Emilio Salgari, The Economist, June 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mystery Of The Black Jungle, The 1895 novels Italian novels adapted into films Novels by Emilio Salgari Italian adventure novels 19th-century Italian novels

Plot summary

Characters

Film versions

See also

External links