Stoker, Bram

NOVELIST, SHORT STORY WRITER (IRELAND)
BORN 24 Nov 1847, Dublin: 15 Marino Crescent, Clontarf - DIED 20 Apr 1912, London: No. 26 St George's Square
BIRTH NAME Stoker, Abraham
GRAVE LOCATION London: Golders Green, 62 Hoop Lane (East Columbarium (ashes))

Bram Stoker was an invalid until he was seven years old because of an unknown illness, but during his Law studies at Trinity College in Dublin he was not only a brilliant student, but also a good athlete.

Although he wanted to be a writer, he followed his father's wishes and entered the Irish Civil Service. He wrote "The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions", but this book of rules was only published in 1879.

In 1878 he left the service and became the acting manager of Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre in London (in 1906 he published "Reminiscences of Henry Irving"). Around this time he married Florence Balcombe (b.17 Jul 1858, d.25 May 1937). They had a son, Irving Noel Thornley Stoker, but it was not a happy marriage.

After some unsuccessful novels he published "Dracula" in 1897. This book made him famous. He continued his writing career until his death, but he was never able to match the success of "Dracula". A sequel, "Dracula's Guest", was published posthumously in 1914.

His death was overshadowed by the disaster of the Titanic that had happened the week before. In his obituaries "Dracula" wasn't mentioned.

Related persons
• was a friend of Terry, Ellen

Images

The ashes of Bram Stoker inside the columbarium of Golders Green Crematorium, London.
Picture by Androom (17 Mar 2006)

 

Sources
Bram Stoker - Wikipedia


Stokes, Adrian

Published: 14 Apr 2006
Last update: 19 Jan 2022