Carmilla

“Carmilla” is the 1872 Gothic vampire novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, a leading writer of ghost tales and horror fiction of the Victorian era. His haunting and surprisingly modern “Carmilla” was one of the first works in the vampire fiction genre and was written decades before the publication of Bram Stroker’s “Dracula” in 1897. Le Fanu’s story has been widely influential and is notable for its depiction of homosexual desire between the female vampire and her beautiful, young victims. “Carmilla” is told from the perspective of a case study by Dr. Hesselius, a medical doctor who investigates occult phenomenon. The central character is Laura, a teenager living alone with her retired father in lonely castle in the forests of Austria. Laura longs for a friend her own age and, not coincidentally, a carriage accident brings the lovely and seemingly young Carmilla to Laura’s home. Before long Laura’s health declines and she is haunted by nightmares as she becomes the latest victim of the vampire Carmilla. To save her, Laura’s father must battle the cunning and evil vampire for her life and soul. Frightening, entertaining, and hauntingly romantic, Le Fanu’s Gothic adventure remains a classic of vampire literature. This edition includes a biographical afterword.