The great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker is writing the first authorised prequel to Dracula, based on scholarly research into the original, unedited version of Stoker’s 1897 tale of the undead count, as well as Stoker family legends.
Bram Stoker died in 1012. The book itself is thus public domain. There’s no one out there with any legal right to authorise or not.
Blimey, that book’s older than I thought.
How old is the great-grandnephew? He must be of the undead.
… but his undead corpse wrote “Dracula” in the 19th century?
“based on scholarly research into the original, unedited version of Stoker’s 1897 tale of the undead count, as well as Stoker family legends.”
Maybe some of the above in unseen and thus access authorised by the Stoker family? Or maybe the journalist is an idiot.
You know, the thought occurs that maybe it’s an autobiography.
Don’t underestimate the power of getting something “authorised” that doesn’t need to be. People will even pay licence fees for IP rights that are no longer in effect to gain access to know-how (which is what they’re really paying for, together with the goodwill and the ability to shine in the reflection of the originator’s good name).
I’m not sure the original, unedited version is in the public domain. I don’t think that book was ever released. Access to it is, therefore, the same as any other piece of private property – at the owner’s behest.
I’m not particularly hopeful for this- the previous book (Dracula the Undead) was rubbish. And it’s not like it’d be hard to have made a good fist of it.
“the undead count”
How many undead were there? Is this the vampire version of the body count in an action movie?
I’m sure there’s an “undead lives matter” joke in there somewhere.
but anyway it seems pointless to me, the Christian faith that holds the story together is incomprehensible to the modern audience.
And I was always disappointed “The Jewel of the Seven Stars” didn’t get any Hollywood love, extra fingers are easy these days.
Surely ‘died at 1012’?
Not to be confused with the vampire porn producer, Bram Stroker.
Aren’t vampires immortal?
I think being the great-grandnephew qualifies him to authorize his own book.
I think it just means it’s an ‘Official’ Dracula prequel, rather than one written by any old hack.
I think it loses something in the translation from the original Anglo-Saxon.