It looks like you're offline.
Open Library logo
additional options menu
Last edited by bitnapper
November 16, 2025 | History

John William Polidori

Dr. Polidori was Lord Byron's personal physician. Upon accompanying Byron on holiday to Switzerland, he participated in a "ghost story" writing exercise.
His own story was met with scorn, but, inspired by the fragment that Byron wrote, Polidori used this base to write was would become the first modern vampire story in the English language.
His character, Lord Ruthven, an aristocratic bloodsucker based on Byron, would be used in English, French and German novels, operas and plays until the character was eclipsed by Stoker's Count Dracula.
Polidori became depressed and indebted due to gambling. His death at the age of 25 was officially classed as natural causes, but it was likely that Polidori committed suicide. There is strong evidence indicating poisoning with cyanide.
Through his sister, Polidori was the uncle to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

English writer and physician (1795–1821)

Born 7 September 1795
Died 24 August 1821

61 works Add another?

English writer and physician (1795–1821)

Born 7 September 1795
Died 24 August 1821

ID Numbers

Links outside Open Library

No links yet. Add one?

Alternative names

History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
November 16, 2025 Edited by bitnapper Edited without comment.
November 16, 2025 Edited by bitnapper merge authors
August 1, 2025 Edited by WikidataBot [sync_author_identifiers_with_wikidata] add wikidata remote identifiers
September 30, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot add ISNI
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user initial import