Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s magnetic and sinuous 1871 novella introduced one of the iconic antiheroines of gothic fiction, pioneered depictions of queer longing in European writing, and would go on to inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula. Today, Carmilla is considered a landmark work recognized for its major contributions to vampire fiction and queer gothic literature. Rosemary Valero-O’Connell contributes a tender and menacing portfolio of original illustrations that tangles with the complex legacy of a landmark piece of horror fiction suffused with unfulfilled yearning between two young women. This startling new vision of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1871 classic, featuring an exclusive introduction by the acclaimed novelist Poppy Z. Brite (Exquisite Corpse) joins Beehive’s ongoing Illuminated Editions series of oversized slipcase art book reinventions of classic literary works.
