John William Polidori

Joseph LeFanu

'Carmilla' is a classic vampire story replete with mystery, tragedy - and ambiguity. 'The Vampyre' is a much earlier story will helped lay the foundation for the gothic genre. Each story played its part in making Bram Stoker's Dracula possible. 'Carmilla' by Irish author Joseph Sheridan LeFanu (1814-1873) was first published in 1872. LeFanu was a leading writer of ghost stories in the 19th Century. 'The Vampyre' by English writer and physician John William Polidori (1795-1821) was first published in 1819.

2 Classic Vampire Stories

Carmilla and the Vampyre

Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by 26 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue (1871-72), the story is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be Mircalla, Countess Karnstein (Carmilla is an anagram of Mircalla). The story is often anthologized and has been adapted many times in film and other media.

Joseph LeFanu

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