Kéraban the Inflexible

Lore & Background

The principled Kéraban and his reluctant traveling companions begin the journey, with the only deadline being that Kéraban must return in six weeks to arrange for his nephew's wedding. The young woman must be married before she turns seventeen to inherit 100,000 Turkish pounds. Villains Yarhud, Scarpante, and Seigneur Saffar plot to ensure she marries Saffar instead before the deadline.

Reader's Guide

Kéraban the Inflexible represents a classic Vernean figure of stubborn principle driving an epic journey. The novel, published in 1883, was released in the USA as The Headstrong Turk and in the UK in two volumes: The Captain of the Guidara and Scarpante the Spy. The character's inflexibility serves as the central plot mechanism, transforming a minor tax dispute into a circumnavigation of the Black Sea. The story also incorporates a marriage deadline and villainous scheming, typical of Verne's adventure narratives. The work remains accessible through Project Gutenberg in French and has associated media on Wikimedia Commons.

Did You Know?

• Kéraban's journey around the Black Sea covers seven hundred leagues to avoid a ten-para tax.
• The novel was published in the USA as The Headstrong Turk.
• The young woman must marry before turning seventeen to inherit 100,000 Turkish pounds.