A Brief Look At The Life Of Bram Stoker

Abraham Stoker (his family called him Bram), was an Irish writer. He was born on November 8, 1847. Stoker passed away on April 20, 1912. He came from a big Protestant family. Bram was one of seven children.

Bram Stoker was born with infirmity. Bram was bedridden, due to unknown causes, until he was seven years old. He then made a complete recovery. Stoker grew up without further illness and he was an athlete at Trinity College in Dublin. Bram graduated with full honors in 1870 and Bram obtained a degree in mathematics.

Despite his scientific studies, he enjoyed fiction. His early years of sickness resulted in countless hours of fantasizing and thinking. As a young adult Stoker was interested in the theater. After he married Florence Balcombe, Stoker and his new wife moved to London. Stoker then became the business and acting manager of the Lyceum Theater.

Florence and Bram only had a single child, Noel Thornley Stoker. Stoker was employed at the Lyceum Theater for 27 years. Bram's wages wasn’t sufficient to support his family. As a result, Bram began writing in order to supplement his income. Bram spent numerous years researching vampire folklore in Europe. Stoker was fascinated with myths of vampires. Bram went to gothic destinations such as the crypts of St. Michan's Church in Dublin and Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire. These plus other travels only further sparked Stoker’s curiosity with all things morbid.

Bram went on to write several gothic, horror, and fantasy stories including The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), The Lady of the Shroud (1909), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911). However, none would obtain the popularity of Stoker’s 1897 book, Dracula. But Bram made a very large error after releasing Dracula. He failed to follow copyright law and as a result, Dracula was in the public domain in the United States from its original publication.

Dracula was wholly unappreciated in it’s own time. The novel would not see success for a few decades. In 1922 Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau filmed an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula titled Nosferatu. After the release of the movie, the popularity of Bram's novel Dracula increased by a large degree. Bram's widow worked to have the film banned, but since Dracula was in the public domain her challenges to the movie failed.

Bram Stoker died on April 20, 1912 at St. George's Square. Historians believe that the reason for his passing away was a result of tertiary syphilis. Bram suffered a number of strokes before passing away. Stoker was cremated and his remains placed in an urn that is now on display at Golders Green Crematorium. Visitors who want to visit the urn are escorted to the chamber the urn is at, because of fears of vandalism.

In 1914, two years after Bram's death, his wife published the tale Dracula's Guest. It is widely speculated that this tale was the original first chapter of Stoker's Dracula.