Dracula este titlul unui roman scris n anul 1897 de autorul irlandez Bram Stoker. Personajul principal al romanului este contele Dracula (Graf Dracula), devenit unul dintre cei mai renumii vampiri din literatur. Bram Stoker l-a folosit pe Vlad epe ca surs de inspiraie pentru romanul Dracula. Tot Bram Stoker a avut ideea s asocieze legenda domnitorului muntean cu liliacul hematofag (Desmodus rotundus) numit i Vampir. Romanul a fost de mai multe ori transpus pe ecran, iar rolul contelui jucat de actori ca: Max Schreck, Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Klaus Kinski i Gary Oldman.
Aciunea romanului se petrece la sfritul secolului XIX n Transilvania care pe atunci fcea parte din Austro-Ungaria, azi regiunea aparine de Romnia. Avocatul englez Jonathan Harker vine din Londra ca s cumpere castelul lui Dracula, dar nici un localnic nu are curaj s se apropie de casa contelui. O femeie i d un crucifix lui Harker, pentru a-l apra de rele. Avocatul va fi adus de birjarul contelui. In primele zile a vizitei nu se ntmpl nimic deosebit n castel, Haker fiind rugat s nu intre n cteva ncperi. Ciudat ns i se pare englezului faptul c chipul contelui nu apare deloc n oglind i lcomia acestuia cnd vede sngele avocatului care s-a rnit la brbierit. Acum remarc Haker dinii lungi, ascuii, buzele roii ale contelui, ca i atenionarea de a nu dormi dect n camera care este rezervat lui. Uitnd de sfatul contelui adoarme ntr-o odaie strin i va fi trezit de trei femei frumoase cu buze roii i dini ascuii, care sunt mpiedicate de conte s-l mute. Contele d de neles femeilor gonindu-le, c englezul i aparine lui. Avocatul remarc cu groaz primejdia care-l pate. In cele din urm englezul reuete s scape cu via fugind din castel.
Intre 1879 si 1898, Stoker a fost directorul comercial al Lyceum Theatre din Londra, unde isi suplimeta veniturile scriind novele senzationale, cea mai cunoscuta fiind povestea vampirului Dracula, publicata pe date de 26 mai 1897. O parte din actiune se desfasoara in orasul Whitby, unde obisnuia sa isi petreaca vacanta de vara. Intre anii 80 si 90 ai secolului XIX, autori precum H. Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Luis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, si H. G. Wells au sris multe povesti in care creaturi fantastice amenintau Imperiul Britanic. Literatura de invazie isi atinsese varful, iar in anul 1897, formula lui Stoker de invazie a Angliei prin influente din Europa continentala era familiara cititorilor de romane fantastice de aventura. Cititorii erei Victoriene au savurat-o ca o aventura, dar si-a atins statutul legendar dor in secolul XX, cand au aparut ecranizarile. Inainte de a scrie Dracula, Stoker a petrecut sapte ani cercetand folclorul european si povestile despre vampiri, fiind cel mai mult influentat de lucrarea "Transylvanian Superstitions" (Superstitii Transilvanene) a lui Emily Gerard din 1885. Desi este cel mai cunoscut roman despre vampiri, Dracula nu a fost primul. A fost precedat si inspirat de romanul "Camilla" scris de Sheridan Le Fanu in 1871, despre o o femeie vampir si lesbiana, care prada femei tinere si singure, si de romanul lung si senzational numit "Varney the Vampire" (Vampirul Varney) a lui James Malcolm Rymer. Imaginea unui aristocrat infatisand un vampir, precum Dracula, a fost creata de John Polidori in "The Vampyre" (Vampirul) din 1819, in vera anului, petrecuta alaturi de Mary Shelley, scriitoarea lui "Frankenstein", sotul acesteia, poetul Percy Bysshe Shelley si Lordul Byron. Lyceum Theatre, unde a lucrat Stoker intre anii 1878 si 1898, era condus de managerul si actorul Henry Irving, sursa de inspiratie a manierelor personajului Dracula, si care spera Stoker ca il va interpreta pe scena. Desi Irving nu a fost niciodata de acord sa il joace pe scena, gesturile dramatice si maniera de gentelman a lui Dracula isi au originea de le Irving. Titlul original al romanului Dracula a fost "The Dead Un-Dead" (Mortul Nemort), iar pana cu cateva saptamani inaintea publicarii, manuscrisul s-a numit "The Un-Dead" (Nemortul). Notitele lui Stoker arata ca numele initial al personajului era "Count Wampyr" (Contele Wampyr), dar in urma unor cercetari a fost intrigat de numele Dracula, dupa ce a citit cartea lui William Wilkinson numita Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia with Political Observations Related to Them (London 1820)" (Prezentarea Principatelor Tarii Romanesti si Moldovei, si Observatiile Politice Legate de Acestea), gasita in biblioteca din Whitby in anii 1890. Numele de Dracula a fost patronimul (Draculea) descendentilor lui Vlad II, Domnitorul Tarii Romanesti, numit Dracul dupa ce a fost investit in Ordinul Dragonilor in 1431. Romanul a facut parte din domeniul public in Statele Unite inca de la publicare datorita unor vicii de procedura a dreptului de autor a lui Stoker. In Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii si alte tari europene care respectau Conventia de la Berna asupra dreptului de autor, romanul a fost sub drept de autor pana in Aprilie 1962, 50 de ani de la moartea lui Stoker. Odata cu aparitia adaptarii neautorizate a filmului Nosferatu de F. W. Murnau, popularitatea romanului a crescut considerabil, datorita careia vaduva lui Stoker a incercat retragerea filmului din circulatia publica.
Cand a fost publicat pentru prima data, in 1897, Dracula nu a fost un bestseller, desi criticii erau generosi in laude. Ziarul contemporan Daily Mail a clasificat puterile lui Stoker deasupra lui Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe Si Emily Bronte. Potrivit istoricilor literari Nina Auerbach si David Skal, romanul a fost mai important pentru cititorii moderni decat pentru cei contemporani epocii victoriene, cei mai multi dintre ei citind-o ca pe o aventura; a dobandit statutul legendar in secolul XX, odata cu aparitia versiunilor ecranizate. Totusi, unii victorieni l-au descris ca fiind "senzatia sezonului" si "cea mai infioratoare novela a secolului paralizat". Autorul lui Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle i-a scris in srisoarea adresata lui Stoker: "Iti scriu ca sa iti spun cat de mult mi-a placut sa citesc Dracula. Cred ca este cel mai bun roman cu vampiri pe care l-am citit in ultimii ani". Cronica din Daily Mail din data de 1 Iunie 1897 a numit romanul un clasic de groaza, "In cautarea unei asemanari cu aceeasta poveste ciudata, de graoza si puternica, mintea noastra se intoarce catre povesti precum "The Mysteries of Udolpho",(Misterele lui Udolpho), "Frankenstein, "The Fall of the House of Usher" (Prabusirea Casei Usher)... dar Dracula este mai sumbru decat oricare din acestea." Critici asemanatoare au aparut si in Statele Unite, odata cu publicarea cartii in 1899. Prima editie americana a fost publicata de Doubleday si McClure in New York.
Mitul lui Dracula a continuat s fascineze, iar la doi ani de la moartea sa, Florence Stoker cea care i-a fost soie, a publicat o colecie de poveti intitulat Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories.
Desi lucrarea Dracula este fictiva, aceasta contine anumite referinte istorice. Legatura dintre roman si cat stia Stoker din istorie sunt ipoteze si dezbateri. In urma publicarii "In Search of Dracula" (In Cautarea lui Dracula) de Radu Florescu si Raymond McNally in 1972, presupusa legatura dintre Vlad Tepes personajul fictiv Dracula a lui Stoker a atras atentia populara. In timpul domniei principale (1456-1462), se presupune ca Vlad Tepes a omorat intre 40.000 si 100.000 de europeni (rivali politici, criminali sau pe oricine considera "nefolositor umanitatii"), in principal folosind metoda favorita de a trage in teapa. Principalele relatari provin de la sasii care locuiau in Transilvania, care aveau confruntari dese cu Vlad III. Vlad III este considerat erou popular de catre romani, in special pentru indepartarea invadatorilor turci. Se spune ca ar fi tras in teapa peste 100.000 de turci, probabil un numar exagerat. Pe plan istoric, Dracula deriva din Ordinul Cavaleresc numit Ordinul Dragonului, inffintat de Sigismund de Luxemburg (pe atunci Regele Ungariei, mai tarziu Imparat al sfantului Imperiu Roman), pentru a sustine crestinatatea si a apara Imperiul de otomani. Vlad II Dracul, tatal lui Vlad III, a fost acceptat in ordin in jurul anului 1431 datorita curajului cu care lupta impotriva turcilor. Incepand cu 1431, Vlad II a purtat emblema ordinului, iar mai tarziu, in calitate de domnitor al Tarii Romanesti, si monezile sale aveau simbolul dragonului. Numele dracula inseamna "Fiul Dracului". Stoker a intalnit numele Dracula dupa ce a citit istoria Romaniei, si a ales sa schimbe numele initial dat personajului principal (Contele Wampyr). Totusi, unii discipoli ai lui Dracula, condusi de Elizabeth Miller, au pus la indoiala legatura. Ei sustin ca Stoker stia putin despre personajul istoric Vlad Tepes cu exceptia numelui "Dracula". Exista paragrafe din roman in care Dracula se refera la trecutul sau, ceea ce demonstreaza ca Stoker avea cunostinte despre istoria romaneasca. Stoker mentioneaza ca Dracula s-a infruntat cu turcii, si ca a fost tradat de fratele sau, date istorice care il descriu fara indoiala pe Vlad III:
n 1922 a aprut prima ecranizare a romanului, regizorul Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau a prezentat Nosferatu Simfonia groazei, cu Max Schreck n rolul Contelui Orlok. Adaptarea a fost ns una neautorizat, astfel c numele personajelor i alte detalii au fost schimbate. Vduva lui Stoker, Florence, i-a dat n judecat pe realizatorii filmului i a avut ctig de cauz, solicitnd distrugerea tuturor copiilor. Totui, unele dintre acestea au fost salvate.
Prima adaptare cinematografic autorizat a romanului Dracula a aprut n 1931, fiind realizat de Universal Studios, n regia lui Tod Browning i cu Bela Lugosi, un actor maghiar nscut la Lugo, n rolul principal.
Romanul lui Stoker a fost ecranizat i adaptat muzical n mai multe rnduri, dar cel mai mare succes la public l-a avut filmul regizat de Francis Ford Coppola n 1992, intitulat Dracula, care i-a avut n distribuie pe Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder i Anthony Hopkins.
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Dracula (roman) - Wikipedia
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Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero