Lost story by Dracula author found after over 130 years

dublin - A lost short story by Bram Stoker, the world-famous author of Dracula, has been discovered in the archive of the library in Dublin.

A short story by Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, has been found in the archives of the library in Dublin, more than 130 years after its creation.

The story was discovered by Brian Cleary, an amateur historian and a big fan of Stoker. Cleary stumbled upon the forgotten work in October 2023 at the National Library of Ireland. "I was stunned in the library, amazed that I might be looking at a lost ghost story by Stoker, especially one from the time he was writing Dracula, with elements of Dracula in it," said Cleary. "I stared at the screen and wondered: am I the only living person who has read this? Followed by: what on earth should I do with this?"

To verify the finding, Cleary conducted research and consulted Stoker expert and biographer Paul Murray. Murray confirmed that the story was unknown, lost, and buried in the archives for over 130 years. According to Murray, Gibbet Hill was "very important" for Stoker's development as a writer. "1890 was the time when he was a young writer and made his first notes for Dracula. It is a stop on his way to publishing Dracula."

The Gibbet Hill story revolves around a sailor who is murdered by three criminals. As a ghostly warning to passersby, their bodies are hung on a gallows on a hill. In celebration of the discovery of the story, a book has now been made. Irish artist Paul McKinley created illustrations for the cover inspired by Gibbet Hill. The proceeds from the book, according to the BBC, will go to the Charlotte Stoker Fund, a charity named after Bram Stoker's mother.