Irish author Bram Stoker is considered one of the masters of Gothic horror, in large part due to his creation of one of modern culture's most enduring villains, Count Dracula. Making a life first in civil service and then in the theater, Stoker drew upon his personal experiences, his deepest fears, and the larger-than-life people in his inner circle to create his timeless masterpiece, cementing his own immortality in the process.
It is unlikely that Stoker could have conceived, even in his wildest dreams, what an impact his undying villain would have on the world a century after his death. It served as inspiration time and again for countless adaptations in art, print, on stage, and on screen, dating back to the very beginnings of cinema. Since its initial publication, Dracula has been translated into every major language and studied by hundreds of writers, critics, and historians. In over 120 years, it has never been out of print.
