Emily Gerard
Encyclopedia
Emily Gerard (7 May 1849, Scotland
– 11 January 1905) was a nineteenth century author best known for the influence her collections of Transylvania
n folklore had on Bram Stoker
's Dracula
. She is sometimes referred to as Emily Gerard, Mrs de Laszowska, Emily Laszowska, Emily Gerard, or Emily de Laszowska Gerard, after her husband, Chevalier Miecislas de Laszowski, an Austro-Hungarian cavalry officer. Her familiarity with Transylvanian folklore came about as a result of his stationing in the town of Hermannstadt (now known by its Romanian name of Sibiu
) which is now located in the Romania
n province of Transylvania, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before 1918.
Additionally, she reviewed German literature for the Times
, having been educated in Tyrol
. She spent much of her life in Austria, where she met and befriended Mark Twain
(Eccles 1899), to whom The Extermination of Love (1901) is dedicated.
Emily Gerard was the daughter of Archibald Gerard and Euphemia Erskine Robison. Her sister Dorothea (Gerard) Longard de Longgarde (1855–1915), who was arguably the more successful and certainly the more prolific novelist, also married an Austro-Hungarian officer and spent much of her life in Austria. Their novels were often set in Eastern Europe. The Gerard family also included at least two brothers, the Jesuit provincial
Father John Gerard (1840–1912) and General Sir Montagu Gilbert Gerard (1843–1905), who made minor contributions to the siblings' collective literary output that eventually totaled nearly 60 books and novels. Both brothers were considered sufficiently noteworthy to be listed alongside Emily Gerard in Black's Who Was Who, 1897-1916 (1953).
(these first three novels are all under the name "E.D. Gerard" - a collaborative pen name of Emily and her sister Dorothea Gerard)
Aside from the collaborations, she was most commonly identified as "E. Gerard" on the title pages of these works.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
– 11 January 1905) was a nineteenth century author best known for the influence her collections of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n folklore had on Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
's Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
. She is sometimes referred to as Emily Gerard, Mrs de Laszowska, Emily Laszowska, Emily Gerard, or Emily de Laszowska Gerard, after her husband, Chevalier Miecislas de Laszowski, an Austro-Hungarian cavalry officer. Her familiarity with Transylvanian folklore came about as a result of his stationing in the town of Hermannstadt (now known by its Romanian name of Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
) which is now located in the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n province of Transylvania, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before 1918.
Additionally, she reviewed German literature for the Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, having been educated in Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. She spent much of her life in Austria, where she met and befriended Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
(Eccles 1899), to whom The Extermination of Love (1901) is dedicated.
Emily Gerard was the daughter of Archibald Gerard and Euphemia Erskine Robison. Her sister Dorothea (Gerard) Longard de Longgarde (1855–1915), who was arguably the more successful and certainly the more prolific novelist, also married an Austro-Hungarian officer and spent much of her life in Austria. Their novels were often set in Eastern Europe. The Gerard family also included at least two brothers, the Jesuit provincial
Provincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
Father John Gerard (1840–1912) and General Sir Montagu Gilbert Gerard (1843–1905), who made minor contributions to the siblings' collective literary output that eventually totaled nearly 60 books and novels. Both brothers were considered sufficiently noteworthy to be listed alongside Emily Gerard in Black's Who Was Who, 1897-1916 (1953).
Works
- Reata; or What's in a Name, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1880.
- Beggar My Neighbor, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1882.
- The Waters of Hercules, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1885.
(these first three novels are all under the name "E.D. Gerard" - a collaborative pen name of Emily and her sister Dorothea Gerard)
- "Transylvanian Superstitions." The Nineteenth CenturyNineteenth Century (periodical)The Nineteenth Century was a British monthly literary magazine founded in 1877 by Sir James Knowles. Many of the early contributors to The Nineteenth Century were members of the Metaphysical Society. The journal was intended to publish debate by leading intellectuals.In 1900, the title was changed...
, 1885, p. 128-144. - The Land Beyond the Forest: Facts, Figures, and Fancies from Transylvania, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1888.
- Bis, 1890.
- A Secret Mission, 1891.
- A Sensitive Plant, 1891. (as "E.D. Gerard" in collaboration with Dorothea Gerard.)
- The Voice of a Flower, 1893.
- A Foreigner, 1896.
- An Electric Shock, 1897.
- Tragedy of a Nose, 1898.
- The Extermination of Love: A fragmentary study in erotics, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1901.
- The Heron's Tower, 1904.
- Honour's Glassy Bubble, A Story of Three Generations, 1906. (Posthumously published.)
Aside from the collaborations, she was most commonly identified as "E. Gerard" on the title pages of these works.