Long-lost Bram Stoker story newly unearthed in shock discovery

Stephen Porzio

It will be published this week for the first time in over 130 years.

A long-lost short story by Dracula author Bram Stoker was recently unearthed in a shock discovery and will soon be published.

Titled Gibbet Hill, the tale was first released in an 1890 Christmas supplement of the Daily Express Dublin Edition.

Somehow, however, the story fell into complete obscurity – being unknown even to Stoker biographers and literary scholars for over 130 years.

That was before it was uncovered last year by Rotunda Hospital worker, Stoker enthusiast and dedicated amateur researcher Brian Cleary – who stumbled upon it in the collections of the National Library of Ireland (NLI).

The plot synopsis for Gibbet Hill reads:

“A man escaping the confines of London walks on Gibbet Hill in Surrey, drinking in the lush scenery, taking a breath from his busy life, when from this idyllic landscape emerges something out of place: a tombstone, and beside it three children, striking in their youth, yet with a presence that feels almost as old as the hills themselves.”

In a statement, the NLI says that Cleary was spending time in the library researching Stoker’s work after suffering sudden hearing loss and undergoing cochlear implant surgery.

Dr. Audrey Whitty, Director of the NLI, said about the discovery: “A special memory is Brian’s recent call saying: ‘I’ve found something extraordinary in your newspaper archives — you won’t believe it.’

“The National Library of Ireland’s unique collections, safeguarding over 12 million items, are at the heart of everything we do. There are truly world-important discoveries waiting to be found through accessing our vast collections, and Brian’s astonishing amateur detective work is a perfect example.”

Cleary’s discovery will now take centre stage at this week’s Bram Stoker Festival, with the world premiere public reading of Gibbet Hill happening on Saturday (26 October) at 1pm in the Pillar Room at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.

The newly discovered tale will be published that day as a book too, which will also include a forward by Roddy Doyle, the extraordinary story of its discovery by Cleary, a piece by Stoker biographer Paul Murray, as well as prints of artist Paul McKinley’s paintings inspired by the 1890 work.

All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Rotunda Foundation’s Charlotte Stoker Fund for research on the prevention of acquired deafness in vulnerable newborn babies.

For information about Gibbet Hill, visit the Bram Stoker Festival’s website right here.

Images via the NLI

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