Dracula in Whitby Blog

I’ve just finished reading "Dracula, Prince of Many Faces" by Radu R. Florescu and Raymond T. McNally.

I thought I knew a lot about the historical Dracula, but I was wrong!

The book reveals the extraordinary life and times of the infamous Vlad Dracula of Romania (1431-1476), nicknamed the Impaler.

This colourful character was dreaded by his enemies, emulated by later rulers such as Ivan the Terrible and is honoured by his countrymen even to this day.

Vlad Dracula also served as the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale. However, as this biography proves, "the real Dracula is far more interesting than the fictional vampire created by Bram Stoker".

The book covers Vlad Dracula’s entire life and subsequent legend.

It also includes an intriguing chapter on the mystery of Dracula’s empty grave!

Florescu and McNally are both professors of history at Boston College and they certainly know their stuff.

As a lifelong fan of Stoker’s creation (hence the website!) I was amazed at the real character behind the myth. The atrocious acts of cruelty never cease to amaze me and yet Vlad was also a defender of Christianity at a time when the Turks were hammering on the borders of Eastern Europe.

There is no ‘black and white’ with this character but many shades of gray.

I can thoroughly recommend this book if you are at all interested in learning the true story about this legendary figure from history.

Alan

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