Sheridan Le Fanu

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (August 28, 1814 – February 7, 1873) was an Irish writer of short stories and mystery novels. His ghost stories are an early example of the genre of horror fiction in its modern form, in which (as in the famous tale "Schalken the Painter"), virtue does not always triumph and easy explanations for supernatural occurrences are not always forthcoming.

Related Topics:
August 28 - 1814 - February 7 - 1873 - Irish - Short stories - Horror fiction

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Sheridan Le Fanu was born in Dublin to a noble family. His grandmother Alice Sheridan Le Fanu and her brother, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (J. Sheridan Le Fanu's great-uncle), were both playwrights. His niece, Rhoda Broughton, would become a very successful novelist.

Related Topics:
Dublin - Alice Sheridan Le Fanu - Richard Brinsley Sheridan - Rhoda Broughton

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Le Fanu studied law at Trinity College in Dublin, where he was elected Auditor of the College Historical Society, and passed the bar 1839. But Le Fanu did not take up the legal profession, instead becoming a journalist. Thenceforth until his death he published stories. From 1861--1869, he edited Dublin University Magazine, which also published many of his works in serial form. He owned several periodicals (including the Dublin University Magazine and the Dublin Evening Mail) in his late life. He died in his native Dublin on February 7, 1873.

Related Topics:
Law - Trinity College - College Historical Society - 1839 - 1861 - 1869 - February 7 - 1873

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