From the Shadow of Dracula: A Life of Bram Stoker

Abstract

It is one of the great ironies of literary history that the author of arguably the world's bestselling work of fiction remains little known. This book seeks to redress the balance and to articulate a new vision of Bram Stoker, relating the creator to his most famous creation. Paul Murray has examined important primary sources, such as Stoker's working notes for Dracula, and his extensive correspondence, which shed an entirely new light on Stoker's life. He places Stoker in the context of Victorian Ireland and the literary and theatrical circles in which he moved. Bram Stoker was immersed in the Dublin literary scene and was involved with the great theatrical, literary and artistic figures of the day such as Sarah Bernhardt, Ellen Terry, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Tennyson and Whistler. His most important relationship, however, was with Henry Irving, with whom he ran the Lyceum Theatre in London. And, as his greatest achievement, Dracula, Stoker's enduring work of horror, is placed at the core of this book. This remarkable new biography places Bram Stoker centre-stage in a tradition of Irish horror writing which extends back to authors such as Charles Maturin and Sheridan Le Fanu and which also looks forward to writers such as Neil Jordan and Anne Rice.

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