Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin

LITERARY WALKING TOURS OF GOTHIC DUBLIN

by Brian J. Showers
Illustrations by Duane Spurlock
Foreword by Pat Liddy
Cover art by Meggan Kehrli

Nonsuch Ireland, October 2006
ISBN: 1-84588-523-6 (paperback)

DUBLIN HAS SPAWNED three important writers in the nineteenth century gothic tradition: Charles Maturin (1782-1824), Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) and Bram Stoker (1847-1912). These writers contributed memorable and influential stories that were inspired by and often set in their native Dublin. Their fictions, which delve into universal and supernatural themes such as ghosts, vampires and the devil, persist in popularity to this day.

The footprints of these writers and inspirations for their stories can be traced through Dublin's dark alleys, distilled from its public houses and unearthed in its churchyards. These writers, whose lives crossed paths with other notable nineteenth century personalities, were often intertwined with the history of the city itself.

This guidebook reconstructs the lives of Maturin, Le Fanu and Stoker as walking tours with the help of maps, photographs and excerpts from their works. Also reprinted inside are Maturin’s 'Leixlip Castle', Le Fanu's 'Ghost Stories of Chapelizod' and Stoker's 'The Judge's House'; each story illustrated by Duane Spurlock. Cover art is by Meggan Kehrli and a foreword by Pat Liddy.

Ideal for tourists who have come to explore Ireland's 1200 year old capital, native Dubliners who want to learn more about their city's spectral past, and those who just want a mind's eye tour of haunted Dublin. After all, who can resist a good ghost story?

Brian J. Showers is originally from Madison, Wisconsin. He has a degree in English Literature and Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin, and is a frequent contributor to the Ghost Story Society journal, All Hallows. He currently resides somewhere in the ghost-haunted wilderness of Dublin City, where he writes his own strange tales.

"If you are in Dublin and are interested in fantastic fiction, Showers' guide can provide you with the high points of your visit. And if you are not going to Dublin, this book is the next best thing to a visit--perceptive, well researched, nicely written, filled with fascinating data, and well illustrated. I wish that I had it when I visited Dublin a generation ago!"

-Everett F. Bleiler, editor and scholar

"A thoroughly fascinating and evocative guide. Ideal for creep-o-holics, gloom addicts and literary strollers with cloven hooves. On every page unexpected facts jump out at you and go 'Boo!'"

-Stephen Volk, screenwriter of Ghostwatch,
Afterlife & Gothic

"A superb guide to the Dublin of Maturin, Le Fanu and Stoker--the city's oft-neglected Gothic native sons. With a wealth of detail on sites, combined with directions and maps, this book is an indispensable companion for anyone interested in the rich literary heritage of the city."

-Elizabeth Miller, author of Dracula: Sense & Nonsense

"Mr. Showers obviously loves these writers as much as he does the shadowy history and hidden paths of their city. His guide is not only a useful tour, it is a continually entertaining one, filled with anecdotes amusing, chilling, and arcane."

-Jim Rockhill, Editor of Ash-Tree Press's The Collected Supernatural Tales of J.S. Le Fanu