May 26 is celebrated as World Dracula Day, the day that the famous novel Dracula by Bram Stoker was published.
Published in 1897, Dracula tells the story of Jonathan Harker, a businessman taking a trip to Transylvania to visit the mysterious Count Dracula. Harker flees after realizing that Dracula is a vampire, and a ragtag group consisting of Harker’s fiance and a few friends rescue him and kill the Count.
Dracula is not the first vampire in English literature, but he is arguably the most famous. When you hear the name Dracula, you associate it immediately with a vampire. There are many vampire stereotypes, but they are not all Bram Stoker’s creations. While Stoker’s Dracula can transform into a bat, he was also able to walk around in daylight. Many vampire stereotypes draw on folk tales from different cultures, or were simply popularized through modern media.
There are dozens of Dracula movies spanning across multiple decades - you might be familiar with Bram Stoker’s Dracula from 1992 starring Gary Oldman, or maybe even the original 1931 film. There are plenty of Dracula-inspired movies and films to watch on the upcoming holiday weekend.
If you’re looking for a daily dose of literature in your life, check out Dracula Daily. The whole story of Dracula occurs between May 3 and November 7, so you can receive a brief portion of Dracula in your email inbox to read along over the next few months.
Alison Robles is a part-time page at the Crestwood Library. She is an avid reader with a passion for YA lit, historical fiction and fantasy. A Yonkers native, she graduated from Iona University in 2020 with a dual-degree in Marketing and Public Relations. She is pursuing a Masters in Information and Library Science from the University at Buffalo.