Home What is Gothic? Misconceptions About Goth Why This Site? Gothic Timeline Absinthe Gothic Art Gothic Settings A-Z of Horror Films Freud's The Uncanny Bram Stoker Bio Charlotte Perkins Gliman Bio	Bram Stoker (1847-1912): Bram Stoker, best known for Dracula (1897), was born near Dublin, Ireland on November 8, 1847. Bram was the third of seven children. He spent the early years of his life as an invalid due to an unidentified illness. The seven years he spent beridden developed him into a shy and bookish, yet imaginative child. Once Bram got over his illness, he blossomed into quite the athlete. During his years at Trinity College, Dublin, Stoker was a fine soccer player and was named Universtity Athlete. He graduated from college in 1870 with honors in mathematics. Although he'd always harbored dreams of being a writer, his father convinced him instead to become a civil servant in Dublin Castle-a job which he pursued for eight years. During this time he wrote a dry book of rules titled Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland but it wasn't published until 1879. He also wrote short stories during this time. "The Crystal Cup" was published in 1872 by The London Society. "The Chain of Destiny" followed in 1875. Stoker also found time to work (unpaid) as a theatrical critic for Dublin's Evening Mail and, later, as editor of The Irish Echo. Stoker left his unsatisfying job in civil service in 1878 when Henry Irving, who remained a close friend for over thirty years, offered him the position of manager of Lyceum Theatre in London. The same year, Stoker married Florence Balcombe (Oscar Wilde's ex-girlfriend). Just one year later, the couple had their first and only child, a boy named Noel. Thanks to his friendship with Irving and his position at the Lyceum Theatre, Stoker was introduced to London's high society and got to travel (with Irving's tours) around the world. His marriage suffered, however-although they kept up appearances, Stoker and his wife (a decade younger than he) became estranged. His writing certainly didn't suffer, however. His first published book of fiction, Under the Sunset (1882), was a collection of creepy fairytales for children. The Snake's Pass, a full length novel, was published eight years later (1890). It was that same year that Stoker met Arminius Vanbéry, a Hungarian professor who taught Stoker the story of Prince Vlad Tepes. Dracula was finished seven years later (1847). Bram Stoker's writing career continued until his death on April 20, 1912, at the age of 65. Read Dracula (online text by New Wave Publishers) All material on this page is © Wondra Vanian, unless noted otherwise. Do not use without permission.
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