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In search of Dracula;: A true history of Dracula and vampire legends

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Any serious student of vampire legends or of Eastern European medieval history will not want to miss this book. First published over twenty years ago and now reprinted and expanded, this book in my opinion remains, along with Florescu's and McNally's other work on Dracula, "Dracula: Prince of Many Faces: His Life and Times," the standard introduction to Vlad the Impaler and his connection with Bram Stoker's classic Gothic horror novel "Dracula." Writing as historians, McNally and Florescu have been criticised by other authors for what appears to be their grudging admiration for the Impaler's political savvy and military skill; they do not praise him for his many atrocities however, but, like good historians, attempt to remain as dispassionate as possible towards their subject, attemting to understand and explian him. In the appendices they do compare the various medieval Dracula traditions, analysing the various reports of his atrocities by medieval Romanian, German and Russian writers-all of whom wrote from a biased position. Also refreshing to me is the fact that the authors do not share the now prevalent view that Bram Stoker was a sexually repressed Victorian author whose novel is filled with thinly veiled sexual undertones; to me, this is a result of modern authors reading the modern obsession with sex back onto Stoker. (For anyone who is ONLY familiar with the Coppola film-read the novel! Though more faithful to Stoker's original than any production to date (Florescu and McNally give it high marks, and so do I), it nevertheless portrays the novel as essentially a love story, with the Impaler being driven to his acts of cruelty by the death of his wife-in reality he had several wives and mistresses, and was reportedly as cruel to them as his enemies.) Thankfully McNally and Florescu do not waste any time on these theories. The book will be of value to students of Eastern European folklore as well as horror film buffs, as it sets forth much information on vampire lore from Eastern Europe and also contains a detailed film guide to Dracula films-from Murnau's silent classic "Nosferatu" to Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula". There is also much information on Bram Stoker and Dracula and Vampires in literature.

The story of how Vlad Tepes became Dracula is much like the story of how Arturious the Dux Belorum became King Arthur.

Indeed a careful study of both personages reveals much about the mythic processes that underly the retelling of history generally.

In this book, the authors litterally ventured to ancient Wallachia to exhume the roots of the Dracula legend. In doing so they found the now often re-told story of a fifteen century prince Vlad Tepes who attempted through terror to vainly assert his rule over a waning kingdom against the backdrop of a divided Christendom and an overwhelming Moslem force.

In the retelling of his story Tepes' thirst for blood became a litteral one and his presence came to be consigned that night which houses all our fears. Interestingly enough Tepes is reputed to have found final repose on an island monastery.

In this way, Tepes has an Avalon of sorts where locals maintain he will arise again someday to reclaim their birthright of local hegenomy.

As with all mythic process the Dracula story inevitably says more about us, the living, as we tell and re-tell it. Did they forge nations from their strength of will? As with Arthur: do their deeds inspire us still? As with Dracula: do their deeds terrify us still?

Did they play their part in God's passion play...and save us from sin?

To quote Ann Wroe from the concluding lines of her excellent book "Pilate, the Biography of an Invented Man."

"Me? I did that, for you?"

If you have an interest in Vlad the Impaler (or an obsession like myself)read this book! It has all the possible information you could ever want on this guy. From how he was revered in the past to how he is known today in Romania. It has some good vampire info too.