Stoker was the third of seven children and was bedridden for the first seven years of his life with an undiagnosed illness. He received his initial education at home, before enrolling atTrinity College Dublin in 1864. He excelled as a rugby athlete and was a prominent member of both the university's philosophical society and student union. It was also during this period that Stoker was introduced to literature, becoming the auditor of the society and writing his first paper.
During the early part of his career, Stoker spent ten years in the civil service atDublin Castle, during which time he was also a drama critic for theDublin Evening Mail. Following this, he was employed as a theatre critic for several newspapers, including theDaily Telegraph, and occasionally wrote short stories and theatre commentaries. During his life, he was better known as the personal assistant of actorSir Henry Irving and the business manager of theWest End'sLyceum Theatre, which Irving owned. During his time as a theatre critic, Stoker founded the "Dublin Sketching Club" in 1879, which dealt mostly with art collections. He regularly travelled during his free time, particularly toCruden Bay in Scotland, which was the setting for two of his novels and also served as the inspiration for writingDracula. He was friends with bothArthur Conan Doyle andOscar Wilde, and had collaborated with other authors for experimental novels such asThe Fate of Fenella (1892).[3]
Stoker wrote a dozen horror and mystery novels andnovellas,[4] includingThe Jewel of Seven Stars (1903),The Lair of the White Worm (1911) andThe Mystery of the Sea (1902), but his reputation as one of the most influential writers of Gothic horror fiction lies solely withDracula.[5] Since the early 20th century, the novel has become one of the best-selling works of vampire fiction and Count Dracula is one of the best-known fictional figures of theVictorian era.[6][7][8][9] The work deeply influenced future representations ofvampiric characters and Stoker came to be regarded by many as "the father of vampire fiction."[10][11]
Stoker was bedridden with an unknown illness until he started school at the age of seven when he made a complete recovery. Of this time, 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 was privately educated at Bective House school run by the Reverend William Woods.[17][18]
After his recovery, he grew up without further serious illnesses, even excelling as an athlete atTrinity College, Dublin, which he attended from 1864 to 1870. He graduated with aBA in 1870 and paid to receive hisMA in 1875. Though he later in life recalled graduating "with honours in mathematics", this appears to have been a mistake.[19] He was named University Athlete, participating in multiple sports, including playing rugby forDublin University. He was auditor of theCollege Historical Society (the Hist) and president of theUniversity Philosophical Society (he remains the only student in Trinity's history to hold both positions), where his first paper was onSensationalism in Fiction and Society.[citation needed]
Bram Stoker's former home featuring a commemorative plaque,Kildare Street, Dublin
Stoker became interested in the theatre while a student through his friend Dr. Maunsell. While working for theIrish Civil Service, he became the theatre critic for theDublin Evening Mail,[20] which was co-owned bySheridan Le Fanu, an author of Gothic tales. Theatre critics were held in low esteem at the time, but Stoker attracted notice by the quality of his reviews. In December 1876, he gave a favourable review of Henry Irving'sHamlet at theTheatre Royal in Dublin. Irving invited Stoker for dinner at theShelbourne Hotel where he was staying, and they became friends. Stoker also wrote stories, and "Crystal Cup" was published by theLondon Society in 1872, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts inThe Shamrock. In 1876, while a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote the non-fiction bookThe Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland (published 1879), which remained a standard work.[17] Furthermore, he possessed an interest in art and was a founder of the Dublin Sketching Club in 1879.
In 1878, Stoker marriedFlorence Balcombe, daughter ofLieutenant-Colonel James Balcombe of 1 Marino Crescent. She was a celebrated beauty whose former suitor had beenOscar Wilde.[21] Stoker had known Wilde from his student days, having proposed him for membership of the university's Philosophical Society while he was president. Wilde was upset at Florence's decision, but Stoker later resumed the acquaintanceship, and, after Wilde's fall, visited him on the Continent.[22]
The Stokers moved to London, where Stoker became acting manager and then business manager of Irving'sLyceum Theatre in theWest End, a post he held for 27 years.[23] On 31 December 1879, Bram and Florence's only child was born, a son whom they christened Irving Noel Thornley Stoker. The collaboration with Henry Irving was important for Stoker and through him, he became involved in London's high society, where he metJames Abbott McNeill Whistler andSir Arthur Conan Doyle. Working for Irving, the most famous actor of his time, and managing one of the most successful theatres in London made Stoker a notable if busy man. He was dedicated to Irving and his memoirs show he idolised him. In London, Stoker also metHall Caine, who became one of his closest friends – he dedicatedDracula to him.[citation needed]
In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker travelled the world, although he never visitedEastern Europe, a setting for his most famous novel. Stoker enjoyed the United States, where Irving was popular. With Irving, he was invited twice to theWhite House and knewWilliam McKinley andTheodore Roosevelt. Stoker set two of his novels in America and used Americans as characters, the most notable beingQuincey Morris. He also met one of his literary idols,Walt Whitman, having written to him in 1872 an extraordinary letter[24] that some have interpreted as the expression of a deeply-suppressed homosexuality.[25][26]
Slains Castle,Cruden Bay. The early chapters ofDracula were written in Cruden Bay, and Slains Castle possibly provided visual inspiration for Bram Stoker during the writing phase.
Stoker was a regular visitor toCruden Bay in Scotland between 1892 and 1910. His month-long holidays to the Aberdeenshire coastal village provided a large portion of available time for writing his books. Two novels were set in Cruden Bay:The Watter's Mou'(1895) andThe Mystery of the Sea (1902). He started writingDracula there in 1895 while in residence at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel. The guest book with his signatures from 1894 and 1895 still survives. The nearby Slains Castle (also known asNew Slains Castle) is linked with Bram Stoker and plausibly provided the visual palette for the descriptions of Castle Dracula during the writing phase. A distinctive room in Slains Castle, the octagonal hall, matches the description of the octagonal room in Castle Dracula.[27]
Commemorative plaque inWhitby, North Yorkshire, the English coastal town frequented by Stoker, and whereCount Dracula comes ashore inDracula
Stoker visited the English coastal town ofWhitby in 1890, and that visit was said to be part of the inspiration forDracula, staying at a guesthouse in West Cliff at 6 Royal Crescent, doing his research at the public library at 7 Pier Road (nowQuayside Fish and Chips).[28][29][30][31] Count Dracula comes ashore at Whitby, and in the shape of a black dog runs up the199 steps to the graveyard ofSt Mary's Church in the shadow of theWhitby Abbey ruins.[32] Stoker began writing novels while working as manager for Irving and secretary and director of London's Lyceum Theatre, beginning withThe Snake's Pass in 1890 andDracula in 1897. During this period, he was part of the literary staff ofThe Daily Telegraph in London, and he wrote other fiction, including the horror novelsThe Lady of the Shroud (1909) andThe Lair of the White Worm (1911).[33] He published hisPersonal Reminiscences of Henry Irving in 1906, after Irving's death, which proved successful,[17] and managed productions at thePrince of Wales Theatre.
Before writingDracula, Stoker metÁrmin Vámbéry, a Hungarian-Jewish writer and traveller (born in Szent-György,Kingdom of Hungary nowSvätý Jur,Slovakia). Dracula likely emerged from Vámbéry's dark stories of theCarpathian Mountains.[34] However this claim has been challenged by many includingElizabeth Miller, a professor who, since 1990, has had as her major field of research and writingDracula, and its author, sources, and influences. She has stated, "The only comment about the subject matter of the talk was that Vambery 'spoke loudly against Russian aggression.'" There had been nothing in their conversations about the "tales of the terrible Dracula" that are supposed to have "inspired Stoker to equate his vampire-protagonist with the long-dead tyrant." At any rate, by this time, Stoker's novel was well under way, and he was already using the name Dracula for his vampire.[35] Stoker then spent several years researching Central and East European folklore and mythological stories ofvampires.
The 1972 bookIn Search of Dracula byRadu Florescu andRaymond McNally claimed that the Count in Stoker's novel was based onVlad III Dracula.[36] However, according toElizabeth Miller, Stoker borrowed only the name and "scraps of miscellaneous information" about Romanian history; further, there are no comments about Vlad III in the author's working notes.[37][38][39]
The first-edition cover ofDracula
Dracula is anepistolary novel, written as a collection of realistic but completely fictional diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings, all of which added a level of detailed realism to the story, a skill which Stoker had developed as a newspaper writer. At the time of its publication,Dracula was considered a "straightforward horror novel" based on imaginary creations ofsupernatural life.[33] "It gave form to a universal fantasy ... and became a part of popular culture."[33] It is one of the most famous works in English literature, and the titular character of Count Dracula has been adapted more times than any other fictional figure.[40] The book also established Stoker's reputation as one of the most acclaimed writers of Gothic horror fiction.[41]
According to theEncyclopedia of World Biography, Stoker's stories are today included in the categories of horror fiction, romanticized Gothic stories, and melodrama.[33] They are classified alongside other works of popular fiction, such asMary Shelley'sFrankenstein, which also used the myth-making and story-telling method of havingmultiple narrators telling the same tale from different perspectives. According to historian Jules Zanger, this leads the reader to the assumption that "they can't all be lying".[42]
The original 541-page typescript ofDracula was believed to have been lost until it was found in a barn in northwestern Pennsylvania in the early 1980s.[43] It consisted of typed sheets with many emendations, and handwritten on the title page was "THE UN-DEAD." The author's name was shown at the bottom as Bram Stoker. Author Robert Latham remarked: "the most famous horror novel ever published, its title changed at the last minute".[44] The typescript was purchased byMicrosoft co-founderPaul Allen.
Stoker was a member of theLondon Library and conducted much of the research forDracula there. In 2018, the Library discovered some of the books that Stoker used for his research, complete with notes and marginalia.[46]
After suffering a number of strokes, Stoker died at No. 26St George's Square, London on 20 April 1912.[47] Some biographers attribute the cause of death to overwork,[48] others totertiary syphilis.[49] Hisdeath certificate listed the cause of death as "Locomotor ataxia 6 months", presumed to be a reference to syphilis.[50][51] He was cremated, and his ashes are contained in a display urn atGolders Green Crematorium in north London. The ashes of Irving Noel Stoker, the author's son, were added to his father's urn following his death in 1961. The original plan had been to keep his parents' ashes together, but after Florence Stoker's death, her ashes were scattered at the Gardens of Rest.[citation needed]
Stoker was raised a Protestant in theChurch of Ireland. He was a strong supporter of theLiberal Party and took a keen interest in Irish affairs.[17] As a "philosophical home ruler", he supportedHome Rule for Ireland brought about by peaceful means. He remained an ardent monarchist who believed that Ireland should remain within the British Empire. He was an admirer of Prime MinisterWilliam Ewart Gladstone, whom he knew personally, and supported his plans for Ireland.[52]
Stoker believed in progress and took a keen interest in science and science-based medicine. Some of Stoker's novels represent early examples of science fiction, such asThe Lady of the Shroud (1909). He had a writer's interest in the occult, notablymesmerism, but despised fraud and believed in the superiority of thescientific method over superstition. Stoker counted among his friendsJ. W. Brodie-Innis, a member of theHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and hired memberPamela Colman Smith as an artist for the Lyceum Theatre, but no evidence suggests that Stoker ever joined the Order himself.[53][54][55]
Like Irving, who was an activeFreemason, Stoker also became a member of the order, "initiated into Freemasonry in Buckingham and Chandos Lodge No. 1150 in February 1883, passed in April of that same year, and raised to the degree of Master Mason on 20 June 1883."[56] Stoker however was not a particularly active Freemason, spent only six years as an active member,[56] and did not take part in any Masonic activities during his time in London.[57]
His novelDracula has become one of the most influential and well-known works of both vampire fiction andEnglish literature.[58] Count Dracula is also ranked among the most depicted fictional characters of the Victorian era,[6] with over 700 adaptations.[8] The significance of the novel and its direct impact on subsequent vampire-themed works led to Stoker being popularly regarded as "the father of vampire fiction."[10][11] The short story collectionDracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories was published in 1914 by Stoker's widow,Florence Stoker, who was also hisliterary executrix. The first film adaptation ofDracula wasF. W. Murnau'sNosferatu, released in 1922, withMax Schreck starring as Count Orlok. Florence Stoker eventually sued the filmmakers and was represented by the attorneys of the British Incorporated Society of Authors. Her chief legal complaint was that she had neither been asked for permission for the adaptation nor paid any royalty. The case dragged on for some years, with Mrs. Stoker demanding the destruction of the negative and all prints of the film. The suit was finally resolved in the widow's favour in July 1925. A single print of the film survived, however, and it has become well known. The first authorised film version ofDracula did not come about until almost a decade later whenUniversal Studios releasedTod Browning'sDracula starringBela Lugosi.[citation needed]
Canadian writerDacre Stoker, a great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker, decided to write "a sequel that bore the Stoker name" to "reestablish creative control over" the original novel, with encouragement from screenwriter Ian Holt, because of the Stokers' frustrating history withDracula's copyright.Dracula: The Un-Dead was released in 2009, written by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. Both writers "based [their work] on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition" along with their own research for the sequel. This also marked Dacre Stoker's writing debut.[59][60]
In spring 2012, Dacre Stoker in collaboration with Elizabeth Miller presented the "lost" Dublin Journal written by Bram Stoker, which had been kept by his great-grandson Noel Dobbs. Stoker's diary entries shed a light on the issues that concerned him before his London years. A remark about a boy who caught flies in a bottle might be a clue for the later development of theRenfield character inDracula.[61]
A monument to Stoker has been erected at the Borgo Pass, 45 kilometres from Bistritz (Romania) at an altitude of 1,200 metres.[62]
On 8 November 2012, Stoker was honoured with aGoogle Doodle on Google's homepage commemorating the 165th anniversary of his birth.[63][64]
An annual festival takes place in Dublin, the birthplace of Bram Stoker, in honour of his literary achievements. The Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival encompasses spectacles, literary events, film, family-friendly activities and outdoor events, and takes place every October Bank Holiday Weekend in Dublin.[65][66] The festival is supported by the Bram Stoker Estate[67] and is funded byDublin City Council.
^Murray, Paul (2004).From the Shadow of Dracula: A Life of Bram Stoker. Random House. p. 11.ISBN978-0224044622.
^His siblings were: Sir (William) Thornley Stoker, born in 1845; Mathilda, born 1846; Thomas, born 1850; Richard, born 1852; Margaret, born 1854; and George, born 1855
^"Dracula creator Bram Stoker born".www.history.com. A&E Television Networks. 2010. Archived fromthe original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved21 October 2022.He then worked for the Irish Civil Service while writing theatre reviews for a Dublin newspaper on the side.
^"Bram Stoker". Victorian Web. 30 April 2008. Retrieved12 December 2008.
^The Discussion (3rd ed.). Grade Eight – Bram Stoker: Oberon Books (for The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). 2004. p. 97.ISBN978-1-84002-431-9.
^Gibson, Peter (1985).The Capital Companion. Webb & Bower. pp. 365–366.ISBN978-0-86350-042-8.
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