Bram Stoker is most famous for his vampire creation, Dracula, and there are scores of academic studies of the novel in which this vampire first appeared. However, Stoker himself remains a figure shrouded in darkness, and his other writings are virtually unknown and ignored. This lecture will look at Bram Stoker the man behind the vampire, and discuss his influences in writing Dracula, the importance of his Irish background, and the ways in which the Count himself has been treated in both popular culture and literary criticism.
Jarlath Killeen is a Professor of Victorian Literature in Trinity College, Dublin. Much of his teaching involves the study of popular literature, including Victorian Gothic literature, with a particular focus on Irish Gothic fiction. He has written six books and edited several collections of essays.