The Vampyre

Unleash the origins of modern vampire fiction with The Vampyre by John William Polidori — the first published prose vampire story in English literature. Written in 1819, this gothic tale introduced the aristocratic, seductive vampire archetype that would go on to influence Bram Stoker’s Dracula and shape vampire mythology for centuries.

Inspired during the same ghost-story contest that led to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Polidori’s narrative follows the mysterious and sinister Lord Ruthven, a nobleman whose presence brings death and destruction. With its themes of horror, desire, and dark romance, The Vampyre remains a seminal work in gothic and supernatural fiction.