Saturday, October 13, 2012

Wham, Bram, Thank You Ma’am

The Bram Stoker Festival takes place in Dublin from October 26th to 28th, featuring all things Dracula-related. One of the highlights will undoubtedly be the appearance of Patricia Cornwell, who will argue that the serial killer is literature’s contemporary take on the vampire. To wit:
Patricia Cornwell, whose bestselling novels have elevated her to the highest rank of international crime writing, will discuss ways in which the serial killer has become, in some sense, a modern-day equivalent of the vampire. Fear is the currency of the contemporary crime writer just as it was for the writers of Victorian gothic fiction. Bram Stoker’s DRACULA exploited the Victorians’ dread of the supernatural just as the crime thriller excites our fear of sudden murderous violence. By comparing characters, plots and stories to her own Scarpetta books, the author will illuminate those dark corners of the human psyche which, regardless of time and place, harbour and nourish our deepest human fears. Patricia Cornwell’s latest novel in the Scarpetta series, BONE BED, is published in October and she will be signing copies of the book after the event.
  That event takes place on Friday 26th October at the Edmund Burke Theatre, Trinity College, at 7.30pm. For all the details on how to book tickets, and the rest of the events planned for the Bram Stoker Festival, clickety-click here

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Declan Burke has published a number of novels, the most recent of which is ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL. As a journalist and critic, he writes and broadcasts on books and film for a variety of media outlets, including the Irish Times, RTE, the Irish Examiner and the Sunday Independent. He has an unfortunate habit of speaking about himself in the third person. All views expressed here are his own and are very likely to be contrary.