Sheridan Le Fanu

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (; 28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873), popularly known as J. S. Le Fanu, was an Irish writer of Gothic literature, mystery novels, and horror fiction. Considered by critics to be one of the greatest ghost story writers of the Victorian era, his works were central to the development of the genre during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for the locked-room mystery ''Uncle Silas'' (1864), the historical novel ''The House by the Churchyard'' (1863), and the collection of five stories ''In a Glass Darkly'' (1872), which includes ''Carmilla'' (1872), one of the earliest works of vampire fiction and a landmark novella in the lesbian vampire genre.

Le Fanu was a key figure in the dark romanticism movement during the 19th century, and had a major influence on later vampire fictions such as Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897). M. R. James described him as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories".

Although he wrote dozens of short stories, fictional novels and horror pieces, he remains a central figure in vampire fiction largely due to the popularity of ''Carmilla''. Since his death, the novella has become one of the most famous works of vampire literature, and influenced many horror writers of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The novella has been adapted extensively for films, movies, operas, video games, comics, songs, cartoons, television, and other media. Provided by Wikipedia