Bram Stoker

Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is one of the most famously terrifying novels in the English language. An instant classic of Victorian Gothic fiction upon its publication in 1897, the book has proved hugely influential ever since.

Born in 1847 in Clontarf, on the outskirts of Dublin, Stoker was a sickly child, often confined to his bed. However, he grew into an athletic young man, winning various sporting prizes while studying at Trinity College Dublin. After a spell in the civil service, Stoker was invited by well-known actor Sir Henry Irving to become business manager at the Lyceum Theatre in London, a position he held for the next 27 years.

Between 1892 and 1910, Stoker took frequent month-long holidays to Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire, where he stayed several times at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel and wrote several novels, including Dracula. It is believed that nearby New Slains Castle, with its dramatic cliff-top setting, was a model for the dramatic scenes set in the novel's 'Castle Dracula'.

The real castle also contains a distinctive eight-sided reception room that corresponds with a description given in the novel by Jonathan Harker: "The Count halted, putting down my bags, closed the door, and crossing the room, opened another door which led into a small octagonal room lit by a single lamp, and seemingly without a window of any sort."

Since its publication, Dracula has been translated into many languages, inspired numerous theatrical and film adaptations as well as novels, short stories, cartoons, computer games and a wealth of academic interpretation and debate.