Count and his guest

"Go home, Johann — Walpurgis nacht doesn't concern Englishmen."

- The protagonist of Dracula's Guest

There is some fascinating deatels conserning Bram Stoker's novel collection Dracula's Guest and other wierd stories. Firstly, Stoker try (in deep financial distress) even in his sickbed to collect few collections for his best novels. Unfortunately he died before they were published, so his wife finnished them as according his plan.

   Secondly it shows how Stoker master all kind of horror, not just the supernatural one. For instance in Squaw doesn't have any mysterious aspects, but is still quite crusom. It can be guessed, how the story ends, but it makes it even more horrific to read.

   Thirdly the title story of the book, Dracula's Guest, has told to be a part of Dracula, which was cut off before publishing, because of the lenght of the novel. Those, who have read Dracula, can see clear similarities with the novellette and the novel's scene, where Jonathan Harcer arrive to Transylvania. The protagonist of Dracula's Guest aren't never named, but there is all reasons to believe his Jonathan. But it's obvious the scene has been cut off at the early state of writing, because it doesn't fit to the rest of the novel.

In general, Dracula's Guest is a fine peice of Gothic horror stories and Inkeri Koskinen's great translation to Finnish make it even more enjoyable.

Mark: 8