Introduction and Notes by Dr David Rogers, Kingston University.
‘There he lay looking as if youth had been half-renewed, for the white hair and moustache were changed to dark iron-grey, the cheeks were fuller, and the white skin seemed ruby-red underneath;
‘There he lay looking as if youth had been half-renewed, for the white hair and moustache were changed to dark iron-grey, the cheeks were fuller, and the white skin seemed ruby-red underneath; the mouth was redder than ever, for on the lips were gouts of fresh blood, which trickled from the corners of the mouth and ran over the chin and neck. Even the deep, burning eyes seemed set amongst the swollen flesh, for the lids and pouches underneath were bloated. It seemed as if the whole awful creature were simply gorged with blood; he lay like a filthy leech, exhausted with his repletion.’
Thus Bram Stoker, one of the greatest exponents of the supernatural narrative, describes the demonic subject of his chilling masterpiece Dracula, a truly iconic and unsettling tale of vampirism.
Bram Stoker
It has been said of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', that it "not only set the standard for subsequent novels in the horror-mystery genre but also helped establish the vampire as one of the most recognizable figures in the popular arts." Stoker (1847-1912) wrote many other works of some merit, but achieved lasting fame through his iconic invention.
Bram Stoker was born near Dublin on November 8 1847, the third of seven children. A mystery illness kept him virtually bedridden until the age of seven. He remained shy and bookish throughout his adolescence, but astounded his doctors by overcoming his early frailty and developing into a fine athlete, to the point where he was named as University athlete at Trinity College, Dublin.
Bram had always dreamed of becoming a writer, but initially followed his father’s wishes and became a civil servant in Dublin Castle. While a civil servant Stoker continued to write stories.
By 1878 he had moved to London and was offered a job by Henry Irving as actor-manager of the Lyceum Theatre. He promptly resigned from the civil service, married Florence Balcombe and started to lead a new life. Florence gave birth to their only child, a son, Noel, but though they kept up appearances, it is believed that they became estranged. Although he found himself extremely busy with his professional duties, Stoker nevertheless found time to write fiction. His first full-length novel, The Snake’s Pass, was published in 1890. It was in the same year that he began research for his masterwork, Dracula, which was eventually published in 1897, to great public acclaim. His other published works include, The Lady of the Shroud (1909), The Lair of the White Worm (aka: The Garden of Evil) (1911), and Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914)
Stoker continued his writing career until his death in London from exhaustion at the age of 64 on 20 April 1912.
