Bram Stoker

Legacy: the Artists Behind the Legends

Abraham ‘Bram’ Stoker was an Irish author known all over the world for his Gothic novel, Dracula, a book that has inspired a plethora of vampire-themed art and entertainment in the century following his death. What is lesser known about Mr. Stoker is that aside from a vast literary career of novels, short stories, non-fiction articles, and reviews, Bram was also the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which included managing one of Britain’s greatest actors of all time, Henry Irving. This wasn’t just a short-lived gig either – Bram held this position for three decades until Irving’s death and his own health started to decline, and this position made him a friend and contemporary to some of the best writers and entertainers of his day, which included the British gentry and high society. This guy was a BIG deal, and yet Stoker seemed to like being the man who operated from the shadows, or better, the man working behind the scenes. So, in light of that, for episode 29 of Legacy, we are going to dig into the life of Mr. Bram Stoker and see just what this man was all about. After all, he created one of the most sinister and feared villains in fiction, and wrote a novel that to this day is heavily debated and discussed in classrooms and amongst scholars for a variety of reasons. Don’t forget either, that Bram was the man who stole Oscar Wilde’s girl…but wait I am getting ahead of myself here in excitement. Here we go with episode 29!