6 h 28 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A bright day in Munich leads a stubborn traveller toward a lonely tomb—and warnings he refuses to heed.
In Bram Stoker’s short gothic story Dracula’s Guest, an Englishman stops in Munich on his way to Transylvania. Before his carriage drive, hotel manager Herr Delbrück urges him to return before dark. His coachman, Johann, knows the country’s old fears and begs him to stay on the road. But the traveller’s curiosity carries him beyond their warnings.
It is the eve of Walpurgis Night, when old folk belief says spirits and witches walk. Pleasant fields and pine woods give way to cold air and a darkening sky. On foot, the Englishman finds himself caught in thickening snow. Among cypress trees stands the Countess’s marble tomb, its inscription drawing him closer as the storm closes around him.
What you’ll discover
- Warnings brushed aside Feel the tension between a traveller’s confidence and the fears of those who know the country.
- A landscape turning strange Follow a pleasant country drive toward cold, gathering clouds and the white dark of snow.
- Old fears abroad Enter the uneasy atmosphere of Walpurgis Night, shaped by beliefs about wandering spirits and witches.
- The tomb among cypresses Approach a grand, isolated tomb whose inscription catches the curious Englishman’s attention.
- One night of dread Discover a brief, self-contained tale of fear on the road toward Transylvania.
Is it for you?
This is for readers who like gothic atmosphere, old ghost tales and the world around Dracula, and for anyone who wants a fast, eerie read. If you want the Count himself on stage or a full plot, it may feel slight.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A warning in Munich before the drive
- A coachman who will not go on
- A deserted village and a darkening sky
- A tomb in the storm
Who’s who
- The EnglishmanA confident traveller bound for Transylvania, whom many readers link to Jonathan Harker. He is curious and stubborn, and he wants to explore despite every warning.
- Herr DelbrückThe manager of the Munich hotel, who sends the traveller off with a plain and worried warning to be back before dark.
- JohannThe coachman, who knows the old fears of the country and begs the traveller not to leave the road.
- The CountessA dead woman whose tomb stands alone in a hollow among cypress trees, and whose inscription draws the traveller closer.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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L’ospite di Dracula
by Bram Stoker· 1914
An English traveller ignores warnings and ventures into danger.
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Language: Italiano
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
A warning in Munich before the drive
The story opens in Munich on a bright day in early summer. An Englishman is about to take a carriage drive before he continues to Transylvania. He is cheerful and curious, and he trusts his own judgment.
His hotel manager, Herr Delbrück, seems uneasy as they part. He tells the coachman to be back before dark, and he says it with a worried look. The coachman, Johann, is a quiet man who keeps glancing at the sky.
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The author
Bram Stoker
1847–1912 · Irish Gothic novelist
Bram Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, born in Dublin in 1847. He moved to London in 1878 and worked as manager of the Lyceum Theatre. He wrote Dracula (1897), The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911). He died in London in 1912.
“When we started for our drive the sun was shining brightly on Munich, and the air was full of the joyousness of early summer.”
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What is Dracula's Guest about?
It is a short horror story about an Englishman who ignores warnings and walks into the hills near Munich on Walpurgis Eve. He is caught in a storm and finds a strange tomb in the wild.
Is Dracula's Guest a chapter from Dracula?
It is usually described as a chapter Stoker cut from the draft of Dracula. His widow had it printed in 1914 as a separate story in a collection of his weird tales.
What is Walpurgis Night?
Walpurgis Night is the eve of the first of May in German and central European folk belief. It was thought to be a night when witches and spirits were abroad.
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