Get ready for a chilling literary experience! A lost short story by the legendary Bram Stoker, author of the gothic masterpiece ‘Dracula,’ has been unearthed after over a century of obscurity. This macabre tale, titled ‘Gibbet Hill,’ was discovered by Brian Cleary, an amateur historian, while browsing archives at the National Library of Ireland.
Cleary stumbled upon a reference to the story in an 1890 Christmas supplement of the Dublin Daily Express. The story, published just seven years before ‘Dracula,’ had vanished from public view for over 130 years, never even being mentioned in any Stoker bibliography.
‘Gibbet Hill’ is particularly significant for its insight into Stoker’s early writing style. Biographer Paul Murray explains, “1890 was when he was a young writer and made his first notes for Dracula. It’s a classic Stoker story, the struggle between good and evil, evil which crops up in exotic and unexplained ways.”
The story itself is a chilling account of a sailor murdered by three criminals whose bodies were strung up on a gibbet – a hanging gallows meant to serve as a warning to passing travelers. It’s a perfect read for the Halloween season!
The Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival, recognizing the significance of this rediscovered work, will host the first public reading of ‘Gibbet Hill’ on Saturday, October 26th. The story is being published by the Rotunda Foundation, a fundraising arm of Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital where Cleary formerly worked. Proceeds from the book will be donated to the Charlotte Stoker Fund, dedicated to research on preventable deafness in newborns.
This is a rare opportunity to experience a piece of literary history, a glimpse into the creative process of a master of horror. Mark your calendars for October 26th and join the Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival for a chilling encounter with Bram Stoker’s lost tale, ‘Gibbet Hill’.
