John Polidori

British writer and physician

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July 20, 2026

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John Polidori was a British writer and physician, best known for his association with the Romantic poet Lord Byron. In the summer of 1816, Polidori accompanied Byron to Switzerland, where they stayed near Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley). During this period, Byron proposed a ghost story contest, which led to Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein and Polidori writing "The Vampyre".1

"The Vampyre," published in 1819, is a significant work in vampire literature. It features an aristocratic vampire named Lord Ruthven, who bears a resemblance to Lord Byron. This story is considered a precursor to Bram Stoker's iconic novel Dracula. Polidori's work helped establish the archetype of the sophisticated, aristocratic vampire.12

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Lord Byron
Creative productivity during the haunted summer of 1816
With his personal physician, John Polidori, Byron traveled to Switzerland and settled at Geneva, near Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Godwin (soon to be Mary Shelley), who had run off together (Percy Shelley was married to another woman at the time) and were living with Claire Clairmont, Godwin’s stepsister.…
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With his personal physician, John Polidori, Byron traveled to Switzerland and settled at Geneva, near Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Godwin (soon to be Mary Shelley), who had run off together (Percy Shelley was married to another woman at the time) and were living with Claire Clairmont, Godwin’s stepsister.…
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Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
It all began with a dream: Writing Frankenstein
Byron’s physician John Polidori attained some success with “The Vampyre,” which he produced during his stay in Villa Diodati; it later influenced Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
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Byron’s physician John Polidori attained some success with “The Vampyre,” which he produced during his stay in Villa Diodati; it later influenced Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
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Haunted Summer of 1816
The group in Cologny
Accompanying Byron was his physician, John Polidori, the 20-year-old handsome but drifting son of Tuscan-born publisher and teacher Gaetano Polidori. Before finishing his studies in medicine, John had been interested in entering a religious order, then in joining the army, but both ideas were quashed by his father. In the…
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Accompanying Byron was his physician, John Polidori, the 20-year-old handsome but drifting son of Tuscan-born publisher and teacher Gaetano Polidori. Before finishing his studies in medicine, John had been interested in entering a religious order, then in joining the army, but both ideas were quashed by his father. In the…
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