Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was an Irish theater critic and writer who became friends with Sir Henry Irving (1838-1905), one of Britain’s leading stage actors of the late 19th century. A favorable review of Irving in Hamlet led to the friendship between the two men and eventually Stoker becoming business manager of Irving’s Lyceum Theatre in London’s West End.
It was Irving who suggested that Stoker and his family visit Cruden Bay in Scotland, which Stoker would use as the setting for two novels (and eventually architectural inspiration for Dracula). Irving also suggested a visit to Whitby, on the coast of northeastern England, the port from which Captain James Cook set forth on his worldwide voyage and the site of St. Mary’s Church and the ruins of Whitby Abbey. The church and abbey, despoiled by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries, become one the significant settings in Dracula.
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
Some Tuesday Readings
Revelation Must be Terrible – poem by David Whyte.
City of Ashes, City of Ghosts – poem by Paul Wittenberger.
Nothing – poem and artwork by Sonja Benskin Mesher.
The Darkling Thrush – poem by Thomas Hardy via Malcolm Guite.
Sound Over All Waters – poem by John Greenleaf Whittier at Kingdom Poets (D.S. Martin)
Reading Resolution for the New Year? – Joel Miller at Miller’s Book Review.
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