Stoker Chronology

Bram Stoker Chronology

1847 Born Clontarf, Dublin

1864 Undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin (TCD)

1866 Joins Civil Service in Dublin

1867 Clerk in Petty Sessions court service, Dublin Castle

Sees Henry Irving act for the first time, Theatre Royal, Dublin

1870 Graduates (Bachelor of Arts) TCD

President of TCD Philosophical Society

1871 Drama critic of Dublin Evening Mail

1872 Auditor of TCD Historical Society

Short story, “The Crystal Cup,” published in London Society

1873 Editor of new newspaper, the Irish Echo

Sees Geneviève Ward act for first time, Theatre Royal, Dublin

1874 Steps down as editor of the Irish Echo

1875 Travels in France and Switzerland; visits Geneviève Ward in Paris

Master’s degree (purchase), TCD

1876 Writes to Walt Whitman

Appointed Inspector of Petty Sessions; position involves extensive travel in Ireland

Visits France and Italy

1878 Sees Irving’s Vanderdecken in London

Marries Florence Ann Lemon Balcombe

Joins Irving as Acting Manager of the Lyceum Theatre, London

1879 Birth of son, Irving Noel Thornley (“Noel”) Stoker

1881 Tennyson’s The Cup staged at the Lyceum; Florence Stoker in cast

1882 Attempts to rescue a drowning man from River Thames

Louis Frederick Austin appointed as secretary to Irving and becomes Stoker’s rival

Lord Rossmore (family name, Westenra) leads “The Rosslea Incident” in Ireland

1883/4 First Lyceum tour of USA

1884 Meets Walt Whitman

1884/5 Lyceum tour of USA

1885 Punch publishes an Irish vampire cartoon

Emily Gerard’s “Transylvanian Superstitions” published

Lyceum production of Faust opens

Lecture, “A Glimpse of America,” delivered in London

1886 Prime Minister Gladstone discusses Irish politics with Stoker

Admitted to study for the Bar to qualify as barrister (lawyer)

1886/7 Lyceum tour of USA

1887 Florence and Noel Stoker survive shipwreck off French coast

Lady Wilde’s Ancient Legends … and Superstitions of Ireland published; draws parallels between Irish and Transylvanian legends

1887/8 Florence accompanies Stoker on Lyceum USA tour

1888 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde staged at the Lyceum

Lectures on Abraham Lincoln in London

1889 Walking tour in Ireland inspires first novel, The Snake’s Pass

Partner with William Heinemann in the English Library

1890 Takes holiday at Whitby; learns of the historical Dracula

Earliest extant notes on Dracula written

Qualifies as barrister

1892 Founding member of the Irish Literary Society in London

1893 Lyceum tour of the United States

Suffers financial loss as English Library wound up

Holidays in Cruden Bay, Scotland, for first time

Jules Verne’s Carpathian Castle published

1893/4 Lyceum tour of USA

1895 Irving and Thornley Stoker knighted

1895/6 Lyceum tour of USA

1896 Obtains loan of £600 from Hall Caine

Richard III opens; beginning of decline of Irving/Lyceum

1897 Vampire painting by Philip Burne-Jones exhibited in London

Dramatised performance of Dracula at the Lyceum

Dracula goes on sale

Appears as expert witness on copyright law before Select Parliamentary Committee

1898 Copyright performance of Miss Betty at the Lyceum

Irving’s production of Peter the Great fails

Fire destroys much of the Lyceum scenery

Irving’s production of The Medicine Man fails

Temporary closure of the Lyceum

Irving forms Lyceum Theatre Company without Stoker’s knowledge

Irving struck down with pleurisy and pneumonia

1899 American edition of Dracula published

Excluded by Irving from the arrangements for the Lyceum’s production of Robespierre

Suffers from pneumonia

1899/1900 Lyceum tour of USA

1902 The Mystery of the Sea copyright performance at the Lyceum

1903 Irving stages Dante against Stoker’s advice; costly failure

Irving’s Coriolanus unsuccessful

1903/4 Irving tours USA

1904 Florence Stoker converts to Roman Catholicism

Irving begins series of farewell tours of Britain and USA

1905 Irving dies at Bradford

Excluded from the arrangements for Irving’s funeral

1906 Suffers paralytic stroke

1907 Dispute with George Bernard Shaw over The Times Book Club

1909 Gives evidence before Joint Parliamentary Committee on the censorship of plays

1911 Awarded grant of £100 by the Royal Literary Fund

1912 Dies in London; estate valued at £4,664

1913 Florence Stoker auctions Stoker’s library

Posthumous collection, Dracula’s Guest, published

1922 German film, Nosferatu, based on Dracula

1924 Hamilton Deane acquires the play rights of Dracula

1927 American rights to Dracula play granted

1929 Film rights to Dracula granted

1937 Florence Stoker dies; her estate valued at over £20,000