Free Books Online Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula
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Title | : | Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula |
Author | : | Barbara Belford |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 381 pages |
Published | : | May 13th 1998 by Knopf (first published January 1st 1996) |
Categories | : | Biography. Nonfiction. History |
Barbara Belford
Hardcover | Pages: 381 pages Rating: 3.82 | 88 Users | 23 Reviews
Representaion To Books Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula
Stoker was a reticent and very private man, more comfortable living in the shadow of a great man (the actor Henry Irving, one of the most famous people of his age) than occupying the limelight on his own account; these qualities make him a challenging subject for a biography. Given the difficulty of getting at the character of this almost impenetrable man, Belford has managed to produce a biography worth reading; you'll find out more about late Victorian theatre than you will about Stoker's fiction, but that's simply a consequence of the shape of his life. And the business of theatre in the period is pretty interesting in its own right.Particularize Books Toward Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula
Original Title: | Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula |
ISBN: | 0679418326 (ISBN13: 9780679418320) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Regarding Books Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula
Ratings: 3.82 From 88 Users | 23 ReviewsCommentary Regarding Books Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula
A biography of a fascinating man. I found it somewhat dry compared with the life of the man himself. He had a fabulous and interesting life. It also helps give context to how Bram Stoker conceived the character of the count for "Dracula".A very enjoyable read, hadn't realised the connections between the literary and theatrical personalities of the time.
I read this book in college when I had to write a paper on Bram Stoker. I didn't like it. It seemed like the author, Barbara Belford, just hates Bram Stoker and likes to write about it. She made a lot of tall claims about him without much evidence to back them up. I would say that if you want to read this book, accompany it with another book on Bram Stoker by a different writer. I recommend reading one by Elizabeth Miller.
01/25/20: Stopped on p 240 when Stoker meets Arthur Conan Doyle. Going to read the Doyle / Stoker chapters of Graham Moore's The Sherlockian concurrently with the rest of this.01/26/20: After reading a couple of Moore's chapters that take place shortly after Conan Doyle and Stoker met, I'm back to Belford's biography. Stopped on p 289 shortly after the publication of Dracula and before the death of Oscar Wilde. This is when most of The Sherlockian takes place.02/12/20: Finished the book. One of
Stoker was a reticent and very private man, more comfortable living in the shadow of a great man (the actor Henry Irving, one of the most famous people of his age) than occupying the limelight on his own account; these qualities make him a challenging subject for a biography. Given the difficulty of getting at the character of this almost impenetrable man, Belford has managed to produce a biography worth reading; you'll find out more about late Victorian theatre than you will about Stoker's
The main impression that the reader takes away from this biography is that Stoker was enigmatic. He was famously reticent which has left little evidence by which to assess his motivations.The prose style is mainly quite easy to read, marred by the occasional clunky passage. The text is accompanied by well chosen illustrations including photographs, cartoons and play bills which really helped to bring the period to life.Like Robert Louis Stevenson, Stoker's childhood was marked by illness which
More 'literary' than Haining & Tremayne's book (which argues this one has quite a few mistakes in it), but I'd take the latter for reference. The more interesting parts are where the author compares Dracula with similar books of the time. That said, most of the book is an attempt to prove that Dracula was Stoker's life in metaphor.
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