Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker was an Irish author best known for his iconic Gothic horror novel, *Dracula*, published in 1897. Born in 1847, Stoker faced significant health challenges during his early childhood but eventually flourished, becoming an accomplished athlete at Dublin University, where he graduated in 1867. Following a decade as a civil servant, he carved out a niche in literary criticism, serving as an unpaid drama critic for the *Dublin Mail*, which led to a significant relationship with the esteemed actor Henry Irving. Stoker managed Irving for many years, contributing to the arts through their collaborations. *Dracula*, narrated through letters and journal entries, revolves around Count Dracula's sinister quest in London and has inspired numerous adaptations in theater and film, marking a significant evolution in the Gothic genre. In addition to *Dracula*, Stoker authored other notable works, including *The Jewel of Seven Stars* and *The Lair of the White Worm*. He also contributed to the *London Telegraph* during the latter part of his life, reflecting his enduring engagement with literature and theatre.
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Bram Stoker
Author
- Born: November 8, 1847
- Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
- Died: April 20, 1912
- Place of death: London, England
Irish novelist
Biography
Abraham “Bram” Stoker, famous for his sensational novel, Dracula, was a sickly child, so weak that he was unable to stand up unaided until the age of seven. He outgrew his childhood weakness, however, and became a champion athlete while at Dublin University, from which he graduated in 1867. For the next ten years he worked as an Irish civil servant. From 1871 to 1876 Stoker served as an unpaid drama critic for the Dublin Mail, work which won for him the friendship of the actor Henry Irving (1838-1905). As a result of their friendship, Stoker served as Irving’s manager for many years.
After touring America with Irving, Stoker wrote a series of lectures about life in the United States to deliver to English audiences. The success of the lectures when printed in pamphlet form caused Stoker to consider other kinds of writing. Dracula appeared in 1897. The novel, written in the form of journal entries and letters, tells of the vampire Count Dracula’s attempt to spread his evil to London and his eventual defeat. The tale has been produced on stage and in several film versions. The work represents a late nineteenth century development of the earlier gothic novel, and its marked success stimulated other authors to imitate the type. Other works by Stoker worth noting are The Jewel of Seven Stars and The Lair of the White Worm, both novels, and Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving, which recounts Stoker’s life with Irving and with the Lyceum Theatre. During his last years Stoker was also on the literary staff of the London Telegraph.
Bibliography
Bedford, Barbara. Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of “Dracula.” New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.
Hughes, William. Beyond “Dracula”: Bram Stoker’s Fiction and Its Cultural Context. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
Hughes, William, and Andrew Smith, eds. Bram Stoker: History, Psychoanalysis, and the Gothic. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.
Senf, Carol A. Dracula: Between Tradition and Modernism. New York: Twayne, 1998.
Senf, Carol A, ed. The Critical Response to Bram Stoker. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993.
Valente, Joseph. Dracula’s Crypt: Bram Stoker, Irishness, and the Question of Blood. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002.