LETTERS OF NOTE: The Poet and the Vampire

The first of two Letters of Notes posts concerns two of the most influential authors of the 19th century: the American poet Walt Whitman and the Irish novelist Bram Stoker, creator of Dracula.

Back in 1876, when Stoker was still an undistinguished government clerk, he wrote to Whitman expressing his admiration for his recently published volume of poetry Leaves of Green. Stoker had intended to write to Whitman four years earlier, having drafted an even more honest and heartfelt letter but neglected to send it. The two men subsequently became friends and met on three occasions before Whitman's death in 1892.

You can read both of Stoker's letters here, along with Whitman's reply. If you need more horror-related matter afterwards, check out my brace of WhatCulture! articles on Hammer, which you can find here and here.

Daniel