October 20th 2024.
Brian Cleary, a passionate amateur historian, was going through old archives at a library in Dublin when something caught his eye. It was a short story written by none other than Bram Stoker, the famous author of Dracula. The story, titled "Gibbert Hill", had been published in a Christmas supplement of the Dublin edition of the Daily Mail back in 1890, a staggering 130 years ago.
What made this discovery even more intriguing was the fact that the story had never been mentioned in any of Stoker's bibliographies or biographies. It seemed to have been completely forgotten until Brian stumbled upon it. As a big fan of Stoker's work, Brian was ecstatic to have found this hidden gem.
The story itself was written seven years before Dracula was published and was a clear indication of Stoker's talent even in his younger years. It tells the tale of a sailor who is brutally murdered by three criminals and his ghostly presence is used to warn travelers passing by. According to one of Stoker's biographers, Paul Murray, "Gibbert Hill" offers a glimpse into Stoker's development as a writer and foreshadows elements of his later masterpiece, Dracula.
Brian, who had always been fascinated by historical literature and Stoker's works, had never heard of this story before. It wasn't until he visited the National Library of Ireland in October 2023, during his leave to retrain his hearing after a cochlear implant surgery, that he came across it. He was in awe and disbelief as he read the story on his computer screen, wondering if he was the only living person who had ever read it.
After doing some research, Brian reached out to Paul, who confirmed that the story was indeed unknown. To celebrate this rare find, they decided to publish a book featuring "Gibbert Hill" with illustrations by Irish artist Paul McKinley. Paul was inspired by the story and created eerie and sometimes sinister illustrations that perfectly captured the essence of the tale.
One of the illustrations, a painting of worms, was inspired by a young character in the story who carries a handful of earthworms. Paul described it as "juicy, wet, and oily", adding to the overall eerie atmosphere of the story. He also mentioned that creating new images for an old story that had been buried for so long was a "fascinating challenge" for him as an artist.
As the rare find goes on display in Dublin, where Stoker was from, Brian reflected on his journey of finding "Gibbert Hill". He explained that it all began in 2021 when he was diagnosed with sudden deafness, which changed his life. Little did he know that this unexpected turn of events would lead him to discover a lost ghost story by one of the most renowned authors of all time.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
