In his lifetime, Bram Stoker (1847-1912) lived in the shadow of the man he served, the Victorian actor, Sir Henry Irving. In death, he was overshadowed by his most famous creation, the undead Count who continues to permeate our consciousness. Yet Stoker was a larger-than-life individual, one of the more remarkable characters of the Victorian era, an age he both personified and transcended. At Trinity College Dublin, Stoker was a contemporary of key Irish literary and political figures and later launched himself on a career as a writer, while juggling the demands of a civil service job with journalism. He married the great love of Oscar Wilde’s youth, Florence Balcombe, and devoted the best years of his adult life to Henry Irving’s Lyceum Theatre in London.
This ground-breaking, meticulously researched biography illuminates a multi-faceted man of extraordinary creativity. Now, for the first time, Dracula is presented in the context of Stoker’s life and entire fictional output. Rooted in his upbringing and active engagement with Victorian concerns, his dark masterpiece emerges as an imaginative tour de force which both mirrored and judged his era.
‘Impressive’
Lucasta Miller, Daily Telegraph
‘Engaging.’
Manchester Evening News
‘The Stoker story is a curious one, and even if it’s been told before, Murray has a sure touch when it comes to handling facts and interpretations.’
Humphrey Carpenter, Sunday Times
‘From the Shadow of Dracula will be regarded as the definitive life of Stoker, a measured, well-written work.’
Ian Thomson, Observer
‘Excellent. . .No small part of the merits of Paul Murray’s new biography is that its author is not an academic with a particular axe or theory to grind.’
Dermot Bolger, Sunday Tribune
‘Murray has tracked down first-hand reportage that brings the man glaringly to life.’
Colin Donald, Scotsman
Paul Murray has served his subject well, drawing Abraham Stoker from the shadow of his best-known creation, and providing a rounded portrait of an intelligent and hard-working Irishman who has claimed a special place in our literary history. . .Bram Stoker may rest in peace.’
Malcolm Barker, Yorkshire Post
‘An impressively detailed study of Stoker’s life, as sturdy a work of historical excavation as any I’ve seen. . .Brilliant.’
Hugh Tynan, Irish Examiner
‘Paul Murray’s extensive scrutiny of the influences on Dracula, makes capital reading.’
Patricia Craig, Irish Times
‘A considered and extremely detailed account of the life of Bram Stoker.’
Evening Herald
‘A thorough appreciation of Stoker’s life and literary work. . .a solemn and comprehensive appraisal of the man behind the world’s most famous Vampire.’
Chris Pillow, Sunday Business Post
ASIN : B00M78WB6O
Publication date : July 27, 2014
Language : English
File size : 1671 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
Print length : 320 pages
