Interview with the Vampire
First edition cover
Author	Anne Rice
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Vampire Chronicles
Subject(s)	Vampires
Genre(s)	Horror fiction
Publisher	Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date	April 12, 1976
Pages	340
ISBN	0394498216
Followed by	The Vampire Lestat

Interview with the Vampire is a vampire novel by Anne Rice written in 1973 and published in 1976. Anne Rice (born Howard Allen O'Brien on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American Author of gothic and religious-themed The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Vampire Chronicles is a series of Novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the Fictional character Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Alfred A Knopf Inc is a New York publishing house founded by Alfred A Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Vampire Lestat (1985 is a Novel by Anne Rice, and the second in her Vampire Chronicles, following Interview with the Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Anne Rice (born Howard Allen O'Brien on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American Author of gothic and religious-themed Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The novel, the first to feature the enigmatic vampire anti-hero Lestat, was followed by several sequels, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles. Lestat de Lioncourt is a Fictional character appearing in several Novels by Anne Rice, A sequel is a work in Literature, Film, or other media that portrays events following those of a previous work The Vampire Chronicles is a series of Novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the Fictional character A film version, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, was released in 1994 starring Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas and Tom Cruise. Interview with the Vampire The Vampire Chronicles is a 1994 film based on the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys Kirsten Caroline Dunst (born April 30 1982 is an American actress and singer José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born August 10, 1960) better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film Actor and Singer Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer

Publication and critical reaction

Published in 1976, Interview with the Vampire quickly became a cult success, and a prominent influence on present Goth culture. This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice The goth subculture is a contemporary Subculture found in many countries The novel was set apart from its predecessors of the vampire genre by its confessional tone from the vampire's perspective, touching on existential despair and the sheer boredom of lifeless immortality. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living A confessional is a small enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called Confession, or Reconciliation Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives and that this essence follows from their existence Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of living in physical or spiritual form for an Infinite length of Time.

Rice reported in her biography that the themes of vampirism and the tone of the book echoed the loss of her daughter Michele from leukemia in 1972. Leukemia or leukaemia (Greek leukos λευκός, "white" aima αίμα, "blood" is a Cancer of the Blood Interview is distinct from its sequels in its sombre tone, and subsequently the perspective shifts to that of the vivacious Lestat. Nevertheless, it remains the best-selling and best-received of Rice's books.

Plot summary

In San Francisco, a vampire named Louis tells his 200-year-long life story to an interviewer (Daniel Molloy, although only referred to as "the boy" in the novel). The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Louis de Pointe du Lac is a Fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles novels written by Anne Rice. Daniel Molloy is a fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles universe created by Anne Rice.

In 1791, Louis was a young plantation owner living south of New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Distraught and suicidal over the death of his brother (his wife and daughter in the movie), which he blames himself for, Louis is approached by a vampire named Lestat, who desires his plantation. Lestat de Lioncourt is a Fictional character appearing in several Novels by Anne Rice, Lestat turns Louis into a vampire (although initially Louis merely begs to be killed) and the two become immortal companions. Lestat spends some time feeding off the local plantation slaves while Louis, who finds it morally impossible for him to murder humans to survive, feeds from animals.

Louis and Lestat are forced to leave when Louis' slaves begin to fear the monsters with which they live and instigate an uprising. Louis sets his own plantation aflame; he and Lestat exterminate the plantation slaves to keep word from spreading about vampires living in Louisiana. Gradually, Louis bends under Lestat's influence and begins feeding from humans. He slowly comes to terms with his vampire nature but also becomes increasingly repulsed by what he perceives as Lestat's total lack of compassion for the humans he preys upon.

Escaping to New Orleans proper, Louis feeds off a plague-ridden young girl one night, whom he finds next to the corpse of her mother. As the girl reaches the point of death, Lestat then turns her into a vampire "daughter" for them, naming her "Claudia" in the process (her real name is never revealed).

Louis is horrified that Lestat has turned a child into a vampire, but instantly falls in love with Claudia and cares for her tenderly and dotingly. She takes to killing easily, but Claudia begins to hate Lestat as she realizes she can never grow up; although her mind matures into that of an intelligent, assertive and seductive woman, her body remains that of a five-year-old girl. After 65 years of living together, Claudia hatches a plot to dispose of Lestat by poisoning him and cutting his throat. Claudia and Louis then dump his body into a nearby swamp. After realizing that they seem to now be the only vampires living in America, Claudia desires to travel to Europe with Louis and seek out "Old World" vampires.

As Louis and Claudia prepare to flee to Europe, Lestat appears, having survived and recovered from Claudia's attack, and attacks them in turn. Louis sets fire to their home and barely escapes with Claudia, leaving a furious Lestat to be consumed by the flames.

Arriving in Europe, Louis and Claudia seek out more of their kind. They travel throughout eastern Europe first and do indeed encounter vampires, but these vampires appear to be nothing more than animated corpses, mindless and unintelligible. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. It is only when they reach Paris that they encounter vampires like themselves - specifically, the 400-year-old vampire Armand and his coven, the Théâtre des Vampires. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Armand is a fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles novels written by Anne Rice. Théâtre des Vampires is the home of a Parisian Vampire Coven from the earlier books in Anne Rice 's The Vampire Chronicles series Inhabiting an ancient theater, Armand and his vampire coven disguise themselves as humans and feed on live, terrified humans in mock-plays before a live human audience (who think the killings are merely a very realistic performance). Claudia is repulsed by these vampires and what she considers to be their cheap theatrics, but Louis quickly falls under Armand's spell and becomes very attracted to him.

Fearing that Louis will leave her for Armand, Claudia demands that Louis turn a human Parisian dollmaker, Madeleine, into a vampire to serve as both a mother figure and a replacement for Louis. Louis at first refuses but, after realizing Claudia's plight, gives in and makes Madeleine into a vampire. Louis, Madeleine and Claudia live together for a brief time but all three are abducted one night by the Theatre vampires. Lestat has arrived - having survived the fire and attempted murder in New Orleans - and his accusations against Louis and Claudia result in Louis being locked in a coffin, while Claudia and Madeleine are thrown into a cell with an open roof. Louis survives, but Madeleine and Claudia are burned to death by the rising sun. Armand arrives and releases Louis from the coffin. Louis finds the ashen remains of Claudia and Madeleine and is devastated. He later returns to the Theatre late the following night, burning it to the ground as the sun rises and killing all the vampires inside, and leaves with Armand.

Louis and Armand then travel across Europe together for several years, but Louis never fully recovers from Claudia's death and, eventually, he and Armand drift apart and go their separate ways. Tired of the Old World, Louis eventually returns to America and New Orleans in the early 20th century, living as a loner; he feeds off any humans that cross his path but lives in the shadows and never creates another companion for himself. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on

Telling the boy of one last (either fictitious or simply neglected by Lestat in later books) encounter with Lestat in New Orleans, Louis ends his tale; after 200 years, he is weary of immortality as a vampire and all the pain and suffering to which he has had to bear witness. The boy, however, seeing only the great powers granted to a vampire, begs to be made into a vampire himself. Infuriated that his interviewer learned nothing from his story, Louis refuses, attacks him, and vanishes without a trace.

Recovering from the attack, the boy notes the address of the house where Louis last saw Lestat in New Orleans, and then leaves to track down Lestat - and the "Dark Gift " - for himself.

Film adaptation

Main article: Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles

Before the novel's publication, Anne Rice had sold the film rights to Interview with the Vampire to Paramount Pictures, who did nothing with the property for the ten years of their contract. Interview with the Vampire The Vampire Chronicles is a 1994 film based on the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. With Paramount's option expired, Rice moved the film rights to Lorimar Productions, which was taken over by Warner Bros. in 1988. Lorimar was an American Television production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Producer David Geffen purchased the rights for $500,000, and director Neil Jordan co-wrote the script with Rice, with her receiving the sole credit. David Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American Record executive, Film producer, Theatrical producer and philanthropist Neil Jordan (born February 25, 1950) is an Academy Award -winning Irish filmmaker and Novelist He received the Academy Award The film was released in 1994 with Tom Cruise as Lestat, Brad Pitt as Louis, Christian Slater as the interviewer (a role he received after the death of the originally cast River Phoenix), Antonio Banderas as Armand, and a young Kirsten Dunst as the child vampire Claudia. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys Christian Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American Actor who has starred in films such as Heathers, River Jude Phoenix ( August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American Film Actor. José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born August 10, 1960) better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film Actor and Singer Kirsten Caroline Dunst (born April 30 1982 is an American actress and singer

The film was a major success, causing a resurgence of interest in the book and sending it back onto the bestseller lists. Rice initially voiced her objections to the casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat (her original choice was Rutger Hauer) but, after seeing the finished film, she paid $7,740 for a two-page ad in Daily Variety praising his performance and apologizing for her previous doubts about the film. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (rʏtxər ulsən hʌuər born January 23, 1944) is a Golden Globe -winning Dutch Film Actor. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman ^[1]

Manga adaptation

A Japanese manga adaptation of the book was published in 1994 by Tokuma Shoten. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly is a publisher in Japan, established in 1954 The company was one of the largest entertainment publishers until the 1990s It was also serialized in both Animage and Chara Comics magazines. is a Japanese Anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. The manga is by Udou Shinohara. ^[2]

References