Who Was Dracula? Bram Stoker's Trail Of Blood

Q&A with Jim Steinmeyer

Crypt Keeper here. Oh what a lovely treat for our fellow fiends to start off May! Oh whoops, too much Tales from the Crypt for me apparently as of late. Definitely a pleasure to start off the month with Jim Steinmeyer on his book “Who Was Dracula? Bram Stoker’s Trail Of Blood”. Some fascinating information that even I wasn’t aware of, shedding new darkness on the tale of Dracula and its fascinating creator Bram Stoker. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I have. Presenting.

I’ve always been a fan of Dracula, and I’d read the book as a boy. But over the years, I became interested in Stoker as well. The influences on his life, the personalities and the scandals that surrounded him in London at the time he was composing the story, tell a very interesting story. And I realized that, after all the research and all the writers and the speculation on the subject, Stokers influences still remain the most intriguing part of the story.

2. Having a bit of a Dracula fetish myself from a vast library of books and a tattoo of a Bela Lugosi style Dracula carrying his bride on my right arm taking up most of it. I have always been attracted to the subject. Especially Vlad the Impaler. How does Vlad fit into the picture with Bram in your perspective?

A tattoo. I can’t compete with that one. I’m just a fan. But I’m glad to hear that you haven’t invested in a tattoo of Vlad, because Vlad turns out to have been far less of an influence than we suspected. It’s one of literature’s great red herrings, because we now know that Stoker was aware of the name of the ruler, but was not aware of any of his legendary, bloody or violent history. In other words, the character of Dracula wasn’t really based on the character of Vlad the Impaler.

3. There are a lot of things in your book I was not aware of for instance Oscar Wilde’s family. How did Oscar Wilde and his family help to form Stoker’s Dracula?

Wilde was a childhood friend of Stoker’s, and their careers (to some extent) paralleled each other’s when they came to London. I think that the personal scandals of Wilde’s life play a part in the Dracula story; this was all happening just as the book was being plotted. Stoker later omitted Wilde’s name from a biography and didn’t speak about him; he was clearly uncomfortable about the scandal and sought to distance himself from his Dublin friend.

4. How did the poetry of Walt Whitman influence Bram Stoker’s Dracula and his appearance?

Other researchers have noticed the connections between Whitman’s appearance and Dracula’s appearance, and the mysterious, poetic way that Dracula speaks in the book. In fact, Stoker had been an admirer of Whitman and visited him when he came to America. The imagery of the tomb, the literary combination of passion and death, were all subjects that were found in Whitman’s poetry. It’s a shame that Whitman didn’t live to read the book, because he would have been fascinated by the result of Stoker’s creativity.

5. What did Bram Stoker’s boss actor Henry Irving have to do with the crafting of Dracula?

For a number of years it’s been a popular theory that Henry Irving was the inspiration for Dracula, but I think it’s more complicated than that. More than likely, Stoker had intended the character as a role for Henry Irving, who was England’s leading actor at the time. Irving wasn’t interested, and that’s a shame, as it probably would have changed the history of this character.

6. Could you tell us a bit about The Yorkshire village of Whitby which was known as a setting for Dracula and how it contributed to the story? Was this where Stoker wrote most of Dracula?

For people who haven’t read the novel, it’s a surprise that much of it takes place in Whitby, which is a pretty coastal village and port in Yorkshire. After he leaves Transylvania, this is where Dracula lands in England, where he first meets the characters in nocturnal visits. It’s the perfect transition between primitive eastern Europe and the London metropolis, where Dracula settles. It was also where Stoker composed much of the story, when he was on vacation.

7. As we both know Vampires are a part of the lore and mythology of our humanity. I first got introduced to Vampires to where it really influenced me during chemo at 17 when I had cancer and escaped into Anne Rice’s books. After being healed and of course still am I returned to school and people called me a vampire. I was very pale but it was like the enigma rubbed off on me. What are your thoughts on vampires and our society and entertainment? Also soon a new Dracula series on NBC and supposedly a Vlad historical movie with no fantasy in the vein of 300 or Braveheart and many others. Excited about that. =) Because no sparkles.

The amazing part of the Dracula myth is how it endures in so many forms, in so many variations. Stoker may have been responsible for this, as the character of Dracula appears so little in his book, his appearance is so unclear, that we’ve been forced to “reinvent” Dracula for each new generation. The Anne Rice books and the Twilight books are modern, ingenious tellings of the vampire story; they differ from the Stoker novel, of course, but they’re still based in the mythology that Bram Stoker created. We continually recast our vampires to match our current nightmares and settings. It’s perfect that the story of Vlad will be retold as an elaborate costume drama. But to be honest with you, the history of Dracula proves that he’s never needed very elaborate trappings. Dracula was always most popular in simple stage productions or dark, mysterious movies.

8. What would you like to share from the book about Dracula / Stoker that our readers might find intriguing? A wild card question if you will.

There’s a very intriguing connection between Bram Stoker and Jack the Ripper; again, this was a Victorian scandal that just preceded the composition of the book. In fact, Stoker may have met Jack the Ripper. There’s reason to believe he had dinner with one of the leading suspects, and Stoker probably learned that the man was a prominent suspect. There was also a Ripper connection through Stoker’s work in the theatre, with an actor named Henry Mansfield. It’s an amazing connection, and maybe not just coincidence.

9. What are some of your favorite films or books involving Dracula or vampires that you might recommend?

Well, if I have to make a recommendation, I’d send viewers back to the first great vampire movie, “Nosferatu” from 1922. It’s a silent film. It was very contentious, and Mrs. Bram Stoker attempted to stop the film from being shown, as the filmmakers had based it on Dracula, but had not licensed the novel. But if you haven’t seen it, it’s the most elemental, haunting, and nightmarish vision of the story. There’s something perfect about it being a silent film. And there’s never been a more horrific vampire on film.

10. What are you up to next project wise or book wise and are there any links you would like to share? Or any departing words? I have to check out your other book about Magicians as well. Seems very intriguing. Its been a pleasure. Thank you Jim.

Part of my work always involves work with magicians, and I have a couple of projects coming up to create special effects for the stage. My previous book, which just went to paperback, is The Last Greatest Magician in the World, a biography of an amazing American magician named Howard Thurston, who competed with Houdini for the honor in the 1920s.

Published by Tarcher Books.