Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula

by Nancy Whitelaw

Overview

The familiar figure of Count Dracula -- pale and icy, with sharp teeth, inhuman strength, and a relentless hunger for human blood -- was born in the imagination of Bram Stoker. Where did this seemingly mild-mannered theater manager get the inspiration for such a strange character? Why did it take him six years to write this chilling story? Where is Transylvania and why did Stoker choose it to be Count Dracula's home? To answer these and many other questions, open the cover of this book and enter the world of Bram Stoker, Author of Dracula.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781883846305
Publisher:	Morgan Reynolds Incorporated
Publication date:	01/28/1998
Series:	World Writers Series
Edition description:	LST ED.
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.73(w) x 8.83(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Table of Contents

Chapter 1	Imagination Creates a World	9
Chapter 2	The Theater Calls	17
Chapter 3	Art and Business Meet	28
Chapter 4	Travels Bring Successes and Trials	37
Chapter 5	Realism Demands Research	49
Chapter 6	Writing Competes with the Theater	56
Chapter 7	Count Dracula Casts His Spell	69
Chapter 8	A Writing Career Flourishes	79
Chapter 9	Goodbyes	92
	Timeline	102
	Sources	103
	Bibliography	107
	Index	109

Editorial Reviews

Here is a fascinating account of the life of the author of Dracula. An actor, director, and manager, he felt compelled to write and became a successful published author. At the beginning of each chapter, the book includes a list of what was going on around the world. Politics, art, music, literature-these lists give a feeling for what life was like in the late nineteenth century. This was an inspired idea. Fans of the grotesque and macabre will enjoy this book. Great photographs are included of Stoker, Vlad Dracula (Vlad the impaler), Walt Whitman, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, and other major players in Stoker's life. Part of the "World Writers" series. Recommended.

Children's Literature - Judy Silverman

Gr 6 Up-While certainly a dutifully researched account, this biography fails to bring its subject to life. The writing, which often reads like a term paper, generates little interest, leaving readers with a flat recitation of events. Without providing any background, Whitelaw launches into Stoker's childhood, and from the sound of it, the tales that filled his youth would have traumatized any youngster. The author makes it clear that one reason Stoker was drawn to write such a lurid, supernatural tale was that he was fed a steady diet of similar stories from early on. However, the author repeats this point ad nauseum, forcing readers to search desperately for additional insights that might have had a bearing on his novel. The book ends abruptly with Stoker's death without placing his life or work in a historical context. Each chapter, however, begins with a list of concurrent events and cultural touchstones. A chapter-by-chapter list of sources, an appendix that briefly discusses the Dracula legend, a list of some of the many movies created about this character, and a short but helpful index are included. Black-and-white photographs, reproductions, and movie stills illustrate the text.Tim Wadham, Dallas Public Library, TX

School Library Journal

Young fans of horror should enjoy this fascinating glimpse into the life of the man who wrote Dracula. Born a sickly child in Ireland, Abraham Stoker didn't walk until he turned seven; however, he possessed a fertile imagination that was nourished by his mother's tales of blood-sucking faeries as well as the real-life horrors of the potato famine. Stoker grew into a strapping young man and campus leader in college; later he supported himself as a civil-service clerk. But such a mundane existence held little attraction for him, and after befriending renowned stage actor Henry Irving, Stoker accepted a post managing Irving's company at London's Lyceum Theater. Although Stoker proved a success, eventually shepherding Irving's players on tours throughout the US, the urge to create tugged at him throughout his life; among his literary outpourings was Dracula, published when he was 47. While the novel was serialized in newspapers of the day, Stoker never achieved financial successþa fact that may shock readers more than anything Stoker wrote. (b&w photos, chronology, appendix, bibliography, sources, index) (Biography. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews