The novel was discovered by Brian Cleary, a fan of Bram Stoker who had considered writing a novel with the famous horror writer as the main character. He went to the national library and searched for Stoker in the archives, when he stumbled upon a mention of "Gibbet Hill".
He did not recognize the title and the work has never been mentioned in any bibliography or biography about Stoker's life and works.
I held my breath and thought "am I the only living person who has read this story?", says Brian Cleary to RTÉ.
"Gibbet Hill" was published in a special Christmas edition of Dublin Daily Express and deals with three strange children who perform bestial rituals against humans in the English countryside. It was written seven years before Bram Stoker's famous novel "Dracula" and bears, according to Stoker experts, many typical formulations and characteristics from the horror writer's later production.
Now "Gibbet Hill" is being published in book form and will be presented at the end of October during the annual Bram Stoker festival in Dublin.
