Transylvania and literature as a land of mystery and magic. For example, in Paulo Coelho's novel "The Witch of Portobello", the main character, Sherine Khalil, is described as a Transylvanian orphan with a Romani mother, in an effort to add to the character's exotic mystique. The so-called Transylvanian trilogy of historical novels by Miklos Banffy, "The Writing on the Wall", is an extended treatment of the 19th- and early 20th-century social and political history of the country. Among the first actors to portray Dracula in film was Bela Lugosi, who was born in Banat, in present-day Romania. Transylvania Transylvania is a
Transylvania Stakes Transylvania Stakes The Transylvania Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course near Lexington, Kentucky. The Grade III event is the first race of the year in Kentucky for three-year-olds and is contested on turf over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs). It currently offers a purse of $100,000. The Transylvania Stakes is named for the local Transylvania University and was first run in 1989. It was a listed race until it earned Grade III status in 2003. Since 2008, the race has been run at a distance of one and