Bram Stoker Festival
So this past weekend was the Bram Stoker Festival weekend giving honour to the great man himself. I found out about it too late to get there but I will be sure to not miss out in the future.
There were tours of all Bram Stoker's hangouts like Trinity Collage.. other tours showing where he lived.. From the pictures that I have seen it was quite the magical event .Some of the talks that were given were in the crypt in Christ's Church in Dublin, how cool is that!
His most well known book Dracula has never been out of print and is now translated into every language. That was quite an achievement!!
I first read the book when I was in my early teens, it was recommended to me, and many years later I am still reading it.
The book begins with Jonathan Harker's journey.We start off on the journey with him as he leaves Munich..the book really captures his travels very well, and it almost feels like you are seeing it through his eyes(as all good books make you feel).
Jonathan is a solicitor who is on his way to meet Count Dracula in Transylvania to help him with the paperwork for the places that the Count has just bought in England.
The entire book is atmospheric , the writing so modest yet rich in its settings, characters and places..
The book is told in journal and letter form and it is very effective, and very enjoyable.
The story builds tension from the very start on Jonathon's journey through distant foreign lands where everything is new and exciting, food new and interesting, landscape memorable and people very different to back home.
As the story progresses it gets darker and darker building tension and fear and holding it right to the bitter bloody end.
You can easily see why this book has been so popular with readers from the very beginning. Although it was published so long ago it loses nothing with age.
When you think of Ireland in Bram Stoker's time, it was a fairly gutsy move to try and publish a book about Vampires.. I wonder did he even know just how successful it could possibly end up becoming.
https://twitter.com/bramstokerdub ( for pics of the event)
http://www.bramstokerfestival.com/ ( for info about the event)
No comments:
Post a Comment