Author. He is best known for his 1897 horror novel "Dracula", which established the popular modern day legend of the fictional 'vampire" of the title. Educated at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, he served there as President of the Philosophical Society and earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in 1870 and 1875, respectively. In 1878, he was selected by famed Shakespearean actor Henry Irving to manage London, England's Lyceum Theatre; he would hold that position until the theater's closure in 1902, and would continue to work for Irving until the actor's death in 1905. While at the Lyceum, Stoker tried his hand at creative writing, authoring the children's book "Under the Sunset" in 1882 and the novel "The Snake's Pass" in 1889. In 1890, he began work on a supernatural novel based in the Balkans. In crafting his story, he made great use of British Museum's library, taking a number of details from the popular travel literature of the time. The final result of this work was "Dracula". Though "Dracula" would later become the definitive vampire novel and the most filmed book of all time besides the Bible, it was only modestly successful during its first run (though it has never been out of print), its initial reception was merely lukewarm, and Stoker did not become a rising star. He would continue to write, publishing "Miss Betty" (1898), "The Mystery of the Sea" (1902), "The Jewel of the Seven Stars" (1903), "The Man" (1905), "The Lady of the Shroud" (1909), "The Lair of the White Worm" (1911) and the posthumous compilation "Dracula's Guest and Other Wierd Stories" (1914). He also authored the nonfiction "Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving" (1906) and "Famous Impostors" (1910). Though achieving some success with these, he was never a great success as an author, and died without knowing how influential his work would become.
Author. He is best known for his 1897 horror novel "Dracula", which established the popular modern day legend of the fictional 'vampire" of the title. Educated at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, he served there as President of the Philosophical Society and earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in 1870 and 1875, respectively. In 1878, he was selected by famed Shakespearean actor Henry Irving to manage London, England's Lyceum Theatre; he would hold that position until the theater's closure in 1902, and would continue to work for Irving until the actor's death in 1905. While at the Lyceum, Stoker tried his hand at creative writing, authoring the children's book "Under the Sunset" in 1882 and the novel "The Snake's Pass" in 1889. In 1890, he began work on a supernatural novel based in the Balkans. In crafting his story, he made great use of British Museum's library, taking a number of details from the popular travel literature of the time. The final result of this work was "Dracula". Though "Dracula" would later become the definitive vampire novel and the most filmed book of all time besides the Bible, it was only modestly successful during its first run (though it has never been out of print), its initial reception was merely lukewarm, and Stoker did not become a rising star. He would continue to write, publishing "Miss Betty" (1898), "The Mystery of the Sea" (1902), "The Jewel of the Seven Stars" (1903), "The Man" (1905), "The Lady of the Shroud" (1909), "The Lair of the White Worm" (1911) and the posthumous compilation "Dracula's Guest and Other Wierd Stories" (1914). He also authored the nonfiction "Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving" (1906) and "Famous Impostors" (1910). Though achieving some success with these, he was never a great success as an author, and died without knowing how influential his work would become.
Bio by: Stuthehistoryguy
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Stoker memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
