Unearthing a Lost Tale by Bram Stoker
A long-lost short story by Bram Stoker, the celebrated author of the iconic gothic novel Dracula, has recently been rediscovered by an amateur historian in Dublin. Brian Cleary stumbled upon this intriguing work while exploring the archives at the National Library of Ireland. The story, titled “Gibbet Hill”, was referenced in a Christmas supplement of the Dublin Daily Express from 1890, revealing its existence to the world after more than a century of obscurity.
Cleary’s discovery came about last year, following a sudden onset of deafness in 2021 that prompted him to take time off work. In his quest for knowledge and exploration, he found the forgotten tale, which had remained undocumented for over 130 years. Remarkably, “Gibbet Hill” had never been mentioned in any Stoker bibliography, making its unearthing all the more significant.
Upon making this exciting find, Cleary reached out to Stoker’s biographer, Paul Murray, who confirmed the story’s long absence from literary records. Murray remarked, “Gibbet Hill is incredibly significant in terms of Stoker’s development as a writer. In 1890, he was a budding author who had just begun to draft notes for what would become Dracula.” He further noted that the story embodies a classic Stoker narrative, exploring the eternal struggle between good and evil, with malevolent forces appearing in exotic and mysterious forms.
The macabre storyline of “Gibbet Hill” recounts the tale of a sailor who meets a tragic fate at the hands of three ruthless criminals. These villains face justice as their lifeless bodies are displayed on a gibbetāa grim form of hanging gallowsāserving as a stark warning to unsuspecting travelers passing by.
As Halloween approaches, the Dublin City Council’s Bram Stoker Festival is keenly aware of the story’s eerie allure. “Gibbet Hill” is set to be published by the Rotunda Foundation, the fundraising arm of Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital, where Cleary has worked. The first public reading of the story will occur at this year’s festival on Saturday, October 26. Proceeds from the publication will contribute to the newly-established Charlotte Stoker Fund at the Rotunda Foundation, aimed at financing research on preventable deafness in vulnerable newborns.
- Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival takes place from 25-28 October.