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Something in the Blood
The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
A ground-breaking biography revealing the haunted origins of the man who created Dracula.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
An "essential examination" (New York Times Book Review), this revelatory biography exhumes the haunted origins of the man behind the immortal myth.
In this "sumptuous" (Publishers Weekly) portrait of the man who birthed an undying cultural icon, David J. Skal "pulls back the curtain to reveal the author who dreamed up this vampire" (Time).
A fascinating character whose own anxieties and obsessions were perfectly in tune with his late Victorian era (Boston Globe), Stoker's infirm childhood unfolds against a tableau of Victorian medical mysteries and horrors: cholera and famine fever, childhood opium abuse, frantic bloodletting, mesmeric quack cures, and the gnawing obsession with βbad bloodβ that pervades Dracula.
Stoker's ambiguous sexuality is explored through his passionate youthful correspondence with Walt Whitman, his adoration of the actor Sir Henry Irving, and his romantic rivalry with lifelong acquaintance Oscar Wildeβhere portrayed as a stranger-than-fiction doppelgΓ€nger.
Recalling the psychosexual contours of Stoker's life and art in splendidly gothic detail, Something in the Blood is "a keepsake for any Dracula enthusiast" (Seattle Times) and the definitive biography for years to come.
16 pages of colour and 80 black-and-white illustrations
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
David J. Skal's biography of Bram Stoker is praised for its engaging and thorough exploration of Stoker's life and legacy, with reviewers highlighting its success in bringing new insights and uncovering hidden aspects of Stoker's world. Skal's extensive knowledge of literary and theatrical history enriches this "untold story", combining literary analysis with a detective-like investigation into Stoker's motivations. The book is noted for being both entertaining and richly illustrated, offering a well-rounded and informative depiction of Stoker, extending beyond his most famous creation, Dracula.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781631493867
Publisher: WW Norton & Co
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 31 October 2017
Country: United States
Imprint: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Illustration: 16 pages of color and 80 black-and-white illustrations
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 46.0mm
Width: 147.0mm
Height: 226.0mm
Weight: 905g
Pages: 672
About the Author
David J. SkalΒ was one of the worldβs preeminent authorities on Bram Stoker, Dracula, and monsters in popular culture. His book Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen (Norton, 1990) was hailed as βthe ultimate book on Draculaβ by Newsweek; The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror (Norton, 1993) has had multiple translations and is widely considered the standard historical and critical survey. As a filmmaker, he wrote, produced, and directed a dozen DVD and Blu-ray documentaries on Universalβs classic horror and science fiction films, as well as a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the Academy Awardβwinning film Gods and Monsters. Skal guest-lectured extensively at major colleges, universities, and cultural organizations in North America and Europe, with speaking engagements at sites such as the Huntington Library, the British Library, and the MusΓ©e du Louvre. He additionally taught courses based on his books at the University of Victoria and Trinity College Dublin, where he was also appointed a Long Room Hub Visiting Research Fellow for Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker (Liveright, 2016), chosen by the Mystery Writers of America as a 2017 Edgar Award finalist for biography and criticism. His official website was monstershow.net.
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Something in the Blood
An "essential examination" (New York Times Book Review), this revelatory biography exhumes the haunted origins of the man behind the immortal myth. In this "sumptuous" (Publishers Weekly) portrait of the man who birthed an undying cultural icon, David J. Skal pulls back the curtain to reveal the author who dreamed up this vampire (Time). "A fascinating character whose own anxieties...Hardback$6699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks
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