10. There is no frigate like a book: Which author ushered in the genre of the vampire?
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Answer:
John Polidori
John William Polidori was born in London in 1795. At the age of 19, he graduated from the University of Edinburgh as a doctor of medicine, and in fact was the personal physician for Lord Byron. Taking an idea from a story written by Byron on a trip to Europe, Polidori turned it into a tale of a vampire who 'mixes' with the upper classes. The book, "Vampyre" was the first English tale of its sort; it was initially said to be written by Byron but Byron tried to correct the misconception. Polidori died in London in 1821, at the age of 26, possibly through suicide.
Mungo Park was born in 1771 in Scotland. He also studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He obtained the position of assistant surgeon on a ship to Sumatra, and when he arrived he took up exploring the African continent. His literary work was a description of his travels. He died in 1806, while attempting to travel the length of the Niger River, when his canoe caught in rocks and he could not escape hostile tribesmen.
Elliot Paul was an American author, born in 1891 in Massachusetts. He served in the Great War and his novels often reflected his military experiences. A journalist by trade, he moved to Paris and worked for the International Herald Tribune there while writing novels in his spare time. On return to the US, he took up screenwriting. He died in 1958 in Rhode Island.
Boleslaw Prus (real name Aleksander Glowacki) was a Polish journalist and author, born in 1847. At the age of 16 he was captured in battle with Russia and was held as a prisoner of war for about 3 years. He wrote as a sideline, mostly short stories but also one historical novel, "Pharaoh". He died in 1912.