John William Polidori,
7th September, 1795
In one of those nice little runs of synergy that history sometimes throws up, it was only a few days ago that it was Mary Shelley’s birthday. I wrote about her if you remember? I wrote about her if you don’t remember, too, and you should hurry over there and read it. The 5th of September was bonkers German director/actor Werner Herzog’s birthday and I nearly wrote about him, being a big fan and all, principally because he’s a mad bastard. In 1979 Werner Herzog made a movie called Nosferatu the Vampyre, which despite its title is not a remake of the 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu (Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens) the greatest vampire movie of all time, starring Max Schreck as the titular monster. Max Schreck’s birthday was the 6th of September and I nearly wrote about him as well because it’s Nosferatu and I’m a horror movie fan. In the end, when I saw it was John William Polidori’s birthday today, the 7th, the vampire dam could be held back no more and here we are.
If you don’t know who John William Polidori is, and what he has to do with vampires, we…. he invented them.
Ok, so he didn’t invent them so much as invent what we think of as the modern, gothic, romantic vampire trope. People might say that it was Bram Stoker with his depiction of Dracula, but Stoker was writing decades after Polidori.
Polidori was one of the people who were in the Villa Diodati, a house Lord Byron rented by Lake Geneva in Switzerland with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, her husband-to-be, Percy Bysshe Shelley and their companion (Mary's stepsister) Claire Clairmont. This was where Mary wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and Percy got drunk and spent all the money. Polidori’s contribution to the ghost story writing competition they held was The Vampyr, a tale containing a character called Lord Ruthven who was a thinly veiled allegory for Lord Byron himself.
Thus, that famous stormy ghost story night saw not only the invention of science-fiction but also the invention of the vampire as a noble, louche, handsome, over-sexed, educated, teenage heartthrob Lothario, just like Byron himself. Before that, vampires had existed but they were ghoulish figures; weird, bug-eyed, cave-dwelling creatures like Nosferatu. The gothic vampire as a sex symbol was the work of Polidori.
The name Ruthven comes from the 1816 Gothic novel Glenarvon by Lady Caroline Lamb, one of Byron’s former lovers. The portrayal of Ruthven in Lady Caroline’s book was far from flattering, but he was not a vampire.
So here we go. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Turn down the lights.
On a dark and stormy night on September 7, 1795, in London, John William Polidori was born. He is best remembered for his groundbreaking work The Vampyre, widely regarded as one of the first pieces of modern vampire fiction. Although he led a short and often troubled life, Polidori's contributions to literature left a lasting impact, particularly through his association with prominent figures like Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. His literary legacy, especially The Vampyre, paved the way for the vampire genre, influencing future writers like Bram Stoker, who would later pen Dracula. But Polidori’s personal life, overshadowed by his connections to Byron and the Romantics, is equally compelling.
Polidori was born into a family of intellectuals. His father, Gaetano Polidori, was an Italian scholar and translator, while his mother, Anna Maria, came from a literary background. John was educated at Ampleforth College, where he excelled in his studies and showed a keen interest in writing and philosophy. He went on to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, becoming a qualified doctor by the age of 19. Despite his achievements in medicine, Polidori was far more drawn to the world of literature and creative writing.
In 1816, Polidori accepted the prestigious position of personal physician to the renowned poet Lord Byron. Byron, already infamous for his scandalous personal life and extraordinary poetry, had recently fled England amid rumors and public outrage over his relationships. Polidori accompanied him on a trip across Europe, a journey that would soon become legendary in literary history. In June of that year, the two found themselves staying at Villa Diodati, near Lake Geneva, along with Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley), and Claire Clairmont.
The weather that summer was unusually cold and stormy due to the eruption of Mount Tambora the previous year, and the group was often confined indoors. To pass the time, Byron suggested that each of them write a ghost story, a challenge that ultimately led to the creation of two landmark works in gothic fiction: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Polidori’s The Vampyre. While Frankenstein went on to be celebrated almost immediately, Polidori’s story followed a more controversial path to recognition.
The idea for The Vampyre grew from Byron’s fragmentary attempt at a vampire story during their stay at Villa Diodati. Byron abandoned the project, but Polidori, inspired by his employer's initial concept, developed it into a full-length novella. Published in 1819, The Vampyre was initially attributed to Byron, as the story was printed with his name, much to Polidori’s frustration. The confusion surrounding the authorship contributed to the novella's early success, as readers eagerly devoured anything with Byron's name attached to it. Eventually, Polidori was able to assert his authorship, though the association with Byron continued to haunt him.
The novella tells the story of Lord Ruthven, a charismatic and mysterious aristocrat who preys upon young women and spreads misfortune wherever he goes. Polidori’s depiction of Lord Ruthven as a predatory, enigmatic figure is often seen as a thinly veiled caricature of Byron himself. Ruthven is manipulative, and seductive, and exudes a dangerous allure, traits that were frequently attributed to Byron by his contemporaries. This connection between Ruthven and Byron is key to understanding the deeper layers of The Vampyre. Polidori, who had grown increasingly resentful of Byron during their time together, infused his creation with elements of his disillusionment and bitterness toward the poet. Byron's behaviour, especially his treatment of Polidori, had left a profound mark on the young doctor, who may have viewed The Vampyre as a means of reclaiming his own voice in the face of Byron's overshadowing presence.
In the story, the protagonist, Aubrey, forms a close friendship with Ruthven, only to discover his dark nature as the plot progresses. Aubrey represents a kind of innocence, eager to learn and explore the world, much like Polidori himself when he first entered Byron’s circle. As Aubrey watches Ruthven destroy lives with impunity, he finds himself powerless to intervene, a reflection of Polidori’s own frustration in his relationship with Byron. Aubrey ultimately succumbs to madness, unable to reconcile his admiration for Ruthven with the horror of his actions.
The Vampyre is notable not just for its plot, but for the way it codified many of the vampire tropes that persist to this day. Polidori’s vampire is an aristocrat, a departure from the folkloric tradition of vampires as grotesque peasants or revenants. Ruthven is also a creature of immense sexual power, preying on young women in a manner that reflects both physical and psychological domination. This portrayal of the vampire as a seductive yet deadly figure would go on to shape the way the vampire mythos developed in literature and popular culture. In many ways, Lord Ruthven is the prototype for later vampires, including Bram Stoker's Count Dracula.
The publication of The Vampyre marked the beginning of Polidori’s brief but impactful literary career. However, the success of the novella did not bring him lasting happiness or professional satisfaction. His relationship with Byron had soured, and his attempts to establish himself as a writer independent of Byron’s influence met with little success. Polidori struggled with financial difficulties, and his medical career also failed to thrive. He was a deeply troubled individual, plagued by feelings of inadequacy and rejection.
In 1821, at the age of 25, John William Polidori died under tragic circumstances. His death was officially recorded as the result of natural causes, but many have speculated that it was a suicide. Polidori had reportedly suffered from depression and an overwhelming sense of failure, unable to escape the long shadow cast by Byron and the rest of the Romantic circle. His legacy, however, would endure through The Vampyre, which helped define the gothic genre and set the stage for the future of vampire fiction.
While Polidori's life was brief and marked by hardship, his work remains significant for the way it redefined the vampire in literature. The dark, brooding figure of Lord Ruthven, with his aristocratic charm and hidden menace, laid the groundwork for the vampire as we know it today. Polidori’s ability to turn his personal grievances into a tale of horror and intrigue centered around the character of Lord Ruthven, speaks to his talent as a writer and his lasting impact on the Gothic tradition.