Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814–1873) was a highly influential Irish author, born in Dublin, whose work spread across the English-speaking world, where his impression can be found in the stories of Wilkie Collins, M.R. James, Bram Stoker and many others. Although trained as a lawyer, he became a writer of sensational literature, exploring the dark and fantastic, becoming one of the foundational purveyors of classic horror ghost stories, including his famous early work of vampire fiction Carmilla.