Anne Rice

Author:
Anne Rice

Date of birth: 04-Oct-1941
Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana USA

About the author:
Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien, October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was a bestselling American author best known for her influential Vampire Chronicles series, which redefined the modern vampire genre with lush prose, philosophical depth, and dark romanticism.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, a city that would later heavily influence her writing, Rice was raised in a devout Catholic family but later became known for her complex relationship with religion—oscillating between belief, doubt, and eventual return to faith. She studied at San Francisco State University, earning a degree in political science and creative writing.

Rice rose to fame with her debut novel, Interview with the Vampire (1976), a darkly elegant and introspective tale told from the point of view of the vampire Louis. The book introduced the charismatic and tormented vampire Lestat, who would become the central figure in the Vampire Chronicles, a series spanning more than a dozen novels. The series combined Gothic horror with philosophical and theological themes, exploring immortality, morality, and the human condition.

In addition to her vampire novels, Rice wrote on a variety of supernatural subjects, including witches (The Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy), angels, mummies, and even biblical retellings. She also wrote erotic fiction under the pen names A.N. Roquelaure and Anne Rampling.

Her books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide, making her one of the most widely read authors of her time. In 1994, Interview with the Vampire was adapted into a major film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, bringing her work to an even wider audience. A television adaptation of the Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches followed decades later.

Anne Rice passed away on December 11, 2021, at the age of 80, from complications related to a stroke. She was buried in New Orleans alongside her late husband, poet and artist Stan Rice.

Her legacy endures through her unforgettable characters, atmospheric storytelling, and her role in transforming supernatural fiction into a rich and literary genre.