Anne Rice - Horror Author
Mar 4th, 2007 by Bookworm
Anne Rice
Horror novels are a very popular genre and often transform into movies. We all love to be frightened out of our wits but in a safe environment. Anne Rice is one of the most successful writers of horror and fantasy, best known for her Vampire Chronicles.
Her tales are best sellers and have received mixed reviews, some critics admiring her as a literary writer and others dismissing her works as pulp. She was born in 1941 in New Orleans, the city that is the background for the majority of the stories.
The reading public lapped up the subject matter of the books, which explore the great themes of immortality, death and love. They often refer to real historical events and the characters share an ambiguous sexuality. She has also published other fiction under the pseudonym of Anne Rampling.
The very first published novel, which forms the first part of the Vampire Chronicles series, launched Anne Rice to fame and fortune. It was Interview with the Vampire, published in 1976. It brought her even more success when the movie version came out in 1994. Director Neil Jordan worked faithfully from Rice’s own screenplay and it starred Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and an emerging Kirsten Dunst.
The Vampire Chronicles did result in a flop however, in 2006. A stage musical version of the books only lasted a month on Broadway, despite it being written by the hit songwriting partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Called Lestat, most of the critics panned it and attendance was poor. Other Anne Rice stories have been successfully adapted. One of her Anne Rampling novels was turned into a movie called Exit to Eden and featured Rosie O’Donnell and Dan Aykroyd in 1994. In 2001, The Feast of All Saints was produced as a TV mini series.
A recent development in her life has left the loyal band of Anne Rice fans rather bewildered. Having been born into a Catholic family, she turned away from organized religion and was an atheist for much of her life. However, she has now re-joined the Catholic Church and this decision has impacted on her writing career. She has stated that she will not write on the theme of vampires in the future and that period of her life is firmly in the past. Horror fans are naturally disappointed at this announcement.
Her new endeavor will, no doubt, bring her a new batch of enthusiasts but from a very different literary tradition. She has recently published Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, the first volume in a trilogy that explores the life of Christ. Anne Rice has begun the next chapter of her personal and professional life and it will be interesting to observe how this will develop further.
