The Judge’s House by Bram Stoker When the time for his examination drew near Malcolm Malcolmson made up his mind to go somewhere to read by himself. He feared the attractions of the seaside, and also he feared completely rural isolation, for of old he knew it charms, and so he determined to find some […]
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847-1912) was born in Dublin, Ireland. Despite being bedridden with an unknown illness until age 7, he grew into an excellent athlete and student, graduating with honors from Trinity College, Dublin in mathematics.
After a brief civil service career, Stoker became drama critic for the Dublin Evening Mail. This led to a friendship with actor Henry Irving and a 27-year career managing Irving's Lyceum Theatre in London starting in 1878.
As a writer, Stoker started with non-fiction and short stories in the 1870s before publishing his first novel, "The Snake's Pass," in 1890. But his masterpiece came in 1897 with "Dracula," an epistolary horror novel that introduced the world to the iconic vampire Count Dracula. With its deft blend of Victorian anxieties, adventure, and Gothic imagination, "Dracula" has shaped vampire lore ever since.
Other notable Stoker works include "The Jewel of Seven Stars" (1903), "The Lady of the Shroud" (1909), and the story collection "Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories" (1914), published posthumously. Recurring themes include the supernatural, curses, hidden evils revealed, and Victorian fears of the foreign "other."
Stoker married actress Florence Balcombe in 1878, living mainly in London and at Torcraig in Scotland. Poor health plagued his final years, and he died in 1912. But his literary legacy, especially "Dracula," has proven immortal, inspiring countless adaptations and cementing his place as a pioneer of horror fiction.
Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker
When we started for our drive the sun was shining brightly on Munich, and the air was full of the joyousness of early summer. Just as we were about to depart, Herr Delbrück (the maître d’hôtel of the Quatre Saisons, where I was staying) came down, bareheaded, to the carriage and, after wishing me a […]