Bram Stoker
Abraham (Bram) Stoker was an Irish author known best for his 1897 Gothic
novel, Dracula. He was born on November 8, 1847, in Dublin. He was the third of seven
children.
After spending his early childhood bedridden with an unknown illness, Stoker became
athletic as a young man, and was& named University Athlete at Trinity College, Dublin.
Of his time spent ill in bed, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of
long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind
in later years." He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with a B.A. in mathematics.
In the 1890s, he was manager for actor Henry Irving, and secretary and director of
London's Lyceum Theatre. During this time, he began writing novels, including The
Snake's Pass (1890) and Dracula (1897). During this time, he was also a member of the
literary staff of the London The Daily Telegraph, and went on to write other fiction,
including the horror novels The Lady of the Shroud (1909) and The Lair of the White
Worm (1911). In 1906, after Henry Irving's death, he published Personal Reminiscences
of Henry Irving and managed productions at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
The original 541-page manuscript of Dracula was thought to have been lost. It was found
nearly 100 years after it was written, in the 1980s in a Pennsylvania barn. The typed
manuscript had many corrections, including on the title page, which bore the title: "THE
UN-DEAD." The manuscript was later purchased by Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder.
Pages from the manuscript can be seen at the Experience Music Project in Seattle,
which has a wing dedicated to science fiction. Stoker's original research notes for the
novel are kept by the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia.
Stoker's Dracula is believed to have different inspirations for the story:
1. Before writing Dracula, Stoker met Hungarian writer Ármin Vámbéry; Dracula likely
emerged from Vámbéry's stories of the Carpathian mountains. Stoker then undertook
serious study of European vampire folklore and mythology.
2. Stoker visited the English town of Whitby in 1890.
3. He also paid a visit to Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, and to
4. The crypts of St. Michan's Church in Dublin.
5. The novella Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu Opens in new window is also believed to be
influential.
After suffering a number of strokes, Stoker died on April 20, 1912. He was cremated, and
his ashes were placed in an urn at Golders Green Crematorium. Visitors to his urn must
be escorted to the room as a precaution against vandalism.
An annual festival takes place in Dublin, his birthplace, in honor of his literary
achievements.
His works (some full texts of which can be found at Project Gutenberg Opens in new
window) include:
Novels
The Primrose Path (1875)
The Snake's Pass (1890)
The Watter's Mou' (1895)
The Shoulder of Shasta (1895)
Dracula (1897)
Miss Betty (1898)
The Mystery of the Sea (1902)
The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903)
The Man (a.k.a. The Gates of Life) (1905)
Lady Athlyne (1908)
The Lady of the Shroud (1909)
The Lair of the White Worm (a.k.a. The Garden of Evil) (1911)
Short story collections:
Under the Sunset (1881), including eight fairy tales for children
Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party (1908)
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914; published posthumously by his widow)
Epistolary Novels, Revisited
Dracula, like Frankenstein, is an epistolary novel. Recall that an epistolary novel is a
story written as a series of documents, typically letters (epistles). However, in the case
of Dracula, diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are also used.
Bram Stoker's use of the epistolary form in Dracula is seen as adding realism to the
narrative. The story is told through a series of letters, diary entries, and ships' log entries,
whose narrators are the protagonists of Dracula. Stoker also includes newspaper
clippings to tell of events not witnessed.
Stoker's handwritten notes for Dracula
