As a young man, Stoker grew stronger. He studied at Trinity College where he excelled in math, and also did well in sports. After graduating in 1867, he, like his father, became a civil servant. On the side, he worked as a freelance journalist and drama critic. During that time, he met actor Henry Irving, and agreed to become his personal secretary. In 1878, he moved with Irving to London, England. In London, he met Francis Balcombe, a young aspiring actress, who had once been the lady friend of another famous Trinity personage, Oscar Wilde. Stoker married her that same year, and in 1879, their one son, Noel, was born.
Stoker eventually took over management of the Lyceum, the successful theater in London where Henry Irving acted. The success of the theater has been as much attributed to Stoker's careful management, as to the acting brilliance of Irving. Bram Stoker died in 1912, apparently of exhaustion. Although best known for writing the gothic horror, Dracula, published in 1897, Stoker authored 18 books, a number of short stories, and several non-fiction pieces.
Dracula, with its shocking horror, became the pattern for stories of the "undead," or vampires. It is believed that Stoker got the initial idea for his tale while vacationing in Whitby on England's Yorkshire coast. He could well have been influenced by the abbey ruins there, as well as the tales of local fisherman. He also witnessed the horrifying sinking of a Russian schooner, the "Dimitri," during one of these visits. All of these together might have contributed to the writing of Dracula.
Some critics disagree, but many believe the inspiration for Count Dracula was a Romanian war lord, Vlad Dracula.
In 1431, Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, bestowed rulership of Wallachia to Vlad, Vlad Dracula's father. The emperor made Vlad Sr. a member of the order of the dragon, an order of knights whose main function was to protect the emperor and his family, and ultimately, the church and Christianity against invading Turks. Sigismund gave Vlad a medallion with a dragon emblem. Vlad moved his family to Transylvania, and there set up a mint where he used the dragon emblem on his coins. He also took on the nickname of Dracul, a derivation of the Romanian word for dragon, draco. Because of his position as knight of the holy order, this nickname was an honor.
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