Who was Bram Stoker?
Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was the Irish author best known for his Gothic horror novel, “Dracula,” published in 1897. He was born Abraham Stoker on November 8, 1847, in Clontarf, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. He was the third of seven children born to Abraham Stoker and Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley and has influenced everything from Hollywood studios to Sesame Street.
Stoker spent much of his early life bedridden due to a mysterious illness. During this time, his mother entertained him with stories, which sparked his interest in literature and storytelling. He attended Trinity College in Dublin, where he excelled academically and became involved in various literary and dramatic activities. For the remainder of his life, Bram Stoker was fairly healthy.
After college, Stoker worked as a civil servant, theater manager, and critic for the Dublin Evening Mail. However, he is best known for associating with the renowned actor Sir Henry Irving, whom he met in 1876. Stoker became the business manager for Irving’s Lyceum Theatre in London, a position he held for almost 30 years. This role allowed him to travel and meet other notable authors and artists of his time.
Despite his varied career, Bram Stoker’s lasting literary legacy lies in his famous novel, “Dracula.” The novel tells the story of Count Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England to spread the undead curse and the group of people who unite to thwart his evil plans. The novel is written in an epistolary format, with various characters’ journal entries, letters, and newspaper articles forming the narrative.
“Dracula” was not an immediate bestseller but received critical acclaim and gained popularity over time. Stoker’s work significantly contributed to the modern vampire genre, shaping the popular image of vampires as charismatic, cunning, and bloodthirsty creatures.
Bram Stoker wrote other novels, short stories, and non-fiction works, but none of them reached the same level of fame as “Dracula.” Some of his other notable works include “The Jewel of Seven Stars” and “The Lair of the White Worm.”
Bram Stoker passed away on April 20, 1912, in London, England. Although “Dracula” brought him fame and recognition, he did not enjoy significant financial success during his lifetime. However, his creation has since become a cultural icon, inspiring numerous adaptations, films, and countless works in popular culture related to vampires.
Stoker on Stoker
More recently, the great grand-nephew of Bram Stoker and the international best-selling co-author of Dracula the Un-Dead (Dutton, 2009), Dacre Stoker has put together a compelling and informative multimedia presentation, Stoker on Stoker, the Mysteries behind the Writing of Dracula, which weaves together the details of Dracula’s history with Bram Stoker’s life in Dublin and London, and Stoker family lore, separating fact from popular fiction and revealing the truth about all things Stoker and Dracula. Illustrated with Dacre’s own collection of never-before-published, and seldom-seen historic images and customized to appeal to university groups, Gothic scholars, vampire fans, or history buffs, Stoker on Stoker has fascinated audiences around the world, exploring the issues behind the mysteries that have baffled Dracula scholars and fans since the book’s publication in 1897.
Most Successful Dracula Films at the Box Office
Dracula (1958) – Christopher Lee
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – Gary Oldman
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) – Tom Cruise
Nosferatu (1922) – Max Schreck
