1001 Nights in Croatia

Booksellers in Croatia are finding it hard to keep copies of the Arabian Nights on the shelves and several publishers are filling the gaps by producing more versions there.  This run on the Nights though has little to do with the book and more to do with the Turkish Soap Opera called Binbir Gece (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binbir_Gece) even though the TV show has little to do with the story collection (has that ever stopped anyone from using the name??).  Turkish Soap Operas are a craze unto their own as followers of the hit show Nour will readily tell you (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noor_%28soap_opera%29) but this current Nights-craze is a precedent.  Publishers are not speaking out against the sales of the books despite the discrepancy between the show and the text however...neither are the Turkish language classes in Croatia...

More from Croatiatimes.com:  http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Panorama/2010-10-06/14232/Bookstores_riding_the_wave_of_%27Arabian_Nights-mania%27

"Bookstores riding the wave of 'Arabian Nights-mania'

Croatian Times

Turkish soap opera fans have been snapping up editions of a book with the same name as their favourite TV series, only to find it has nothing to do with the soap.

The book "One Thousand and One Nights" (or Arabian Nights) is now the country’s most sought after title with thousands flying off the shelves every day, despite it having no connection to the popular soap.

But bookstores are keeping hush about the mix up as orders mount up, with one shop even issuing a golden edition with 736 pages and 38 illustrations.

But customers seem happy saying that the soap opera which tells the story of a beautiful architect and her boss has clearly used the book for inspiration as it borrows numerous romantic quotes from the book."

more here:  http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Panorama/2010-09-30/14105/Retailers_cashing_in_on_Croatia%B4s_obsession_with_Turkish_soap

"30. 09. 10. - 17:00

Retailers cashing in on Croatia´s obsession with Turkish soap

Croatian Times

Just like the movie "Eat,Pray,Love" has popularized travel tours by the same name, the Turkish soap opera "1,001 nights" has Croatians learning Turkish and flying to Istanbul.

Retailers, tour operators and language schools are cashing in on Croatia's obsession with the romantic affair between gorgeous architect Scheherazade and her boss, Onur. The two protagonists have the nation glued to their TV sets every night of the week at 8pm.

Zagreb school of foreign languages "Sjajna zvijezda" has registered a large interest in the Turkish language. In the last week or two, 50 people signed up to learn; demand has never been so high.

"Our new clients are mainly young women below 30 who are not afraid to admit being motivated by their favourite the TV series. They come having picked up a few words from the show, like "merhaba" (good day) or "iyi geceler" (good evening)," says the school's director Jasmin Selihovic.

Merchandise produced by opportunistic retailers showing pictures of the characters has been flying off the shelves. A shirt with Scheherazade's portrait is selling for 13.5 Euros.

"In addition to the fact that they sell well, they bring a smile to everyone in the shopping center," says a sales attendant in WGW boutique.

Even publishing houses are profiting from the renewed interest in the Arabian classic "1001 nights," a collection of fairy tales and stories from which the series takes its name.

And the Kompas travel agency said that the charter flight from Split to Istanbul on 7th of October has been sold out partly thanks to the popularity of the soap.

"Even though the flight was opened earlier, the space filled up during the showing of the last few episodes of the series," said agency's director Ivan Puksar who is planning another four-day excursion to Istanbul that will include some of the shooting locations, says Croatian internet portal Dalje."