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Nosferatu
A New York Times Notable The richly imagined fictional life of one of cinema’s founding fathers from National Book Award finalist Jim Shepard
In 1907, while waiting for a train that would take him from his quiet rural hometown to university in cosmopolitan Berlin, Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe met Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele, the great passion of his life. Hans was the catalyst for Plumpe’s transformation into F. W. Murnau, the filmmaker best known for directing Nosferatu—the iconic silent film adaption of Bram Stoker’s Dracula—as well as The Last Laugh, Sunrise, and Tabu. As we follow Murnau from the airfields of the Great War to the cafés and clubs of Weimar Berlin to the virtual invention of filmmaking, and from there to the South Seas, we chart the progress of a man desperate to open himself to others but nonetheless continually “at home in no house and in no country.” While devoted to those he loved, Murnau remained hamstrung by self-loathing and, like his vampiric creation, afraid of his own “terrible inhumanness.”
In his fascinating fictionalized biography of Murnau, Jim Shepard, author of the critically acclaimed The Book of Aron, brings both Weimar-era Germany and the early days of film to life in roaring, irresistible detail, delving into the heart and mind of a troubled genius and uncovering the inner turmoil of a reclusive and enigmatic cinema pioneer.
In 1907, while waiting for a train that would take him from his quiet rural hometown to university in cosmopolitan Berlin, Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe met Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele, the great passion of his life. Hans was the catalyst for Plumpe’s transformation into F. W. Murnau, the filmmaker best known for directing Nosferatu—the iconic silent film adaption of Bram Stoker’s Dracula—as well as The Last Laugh, Sunrise, and Tabu. As we follow Murnau from the airfields of the Great War to the cafés and clubs of Weimar Berlin to the virtual invention of filmmaking, and from there to the South Seas, we chart the progress of a man desperate to open himself to others but nonetheless continually “at home in no house and in no country.” While devoted to those he loved, Murnau remained hamstrung by self-loathing and, like his vampiric creation, afraid of his own “terrible inhumanness.”
In his fascinating fictionalized biography of Murnau, Jim Shepard, author of the critically acclaimed The Book of Aron, brings both Weimar-era Germany and the early days of film to life in roaring, irresistible detail, delving into the heart and mind of a troubled genius and uncovering the inner turmoil of a reclusive and enigmatic cinema pioneer.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 1998
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477 people want to read
About the author
Jim Shepard
81 books303 followersJim Shepard is the author of seven novels, including most recently The Book of Aron, which won the Sophie Brody Medal for Achievement in Jewish Literature from the American Library Association and the PEN/New England Award for fiction, and five story collections, including his new collection, The World To Come. Five of his short stories have been chosen for the Best American Short Stories, two for the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, and one for a Pushcart Prize. He teaches at Williams College.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 16, 2015
I was very lucky to have read two books last year that surprised and delighted me. And by coincidence, or maybe not, they both involve vampires in their own way. This was one of them. A slim volume, this is fictional biography of the great director FW Murnau.
I could say that the book had me at its title or its cover photo but as we all know we can't judge a vampire by it's reflection... or lack there of.
I was enchanted by the first sentence and my interest and joy in reading only grew. We first learn about Murnau in his youth, his family life and his first love affair with the boy who would be the love of his life, his own personal vampire that would haunt him until his death.
There's no great insight into what made Murnau such a transcendent film director. In fact he mainly seems unsure of himself and nervous. He gives most of the credit to his crew and his cinematographer, the famous, and notorious, Karl Freund.
What we see is a view of the great artists of the time, such as Murnau's mentor, the visionary theater director Max Reinhardt. We see the painters, the writers, the poets, and the actors-most notably the transcendent Conrad Viedt. We see the young man whose lives were changed, ruined, and many that were ended by the first world war. And we see FW Murnau, the World War I fighter pilot whose films still reach out to us. Because this biography is fictional we see all of this through a window of unclear, and perhaps unclean glass. It makes no matter, vampires are never viewed clearly but they are all the more powerful for that, as is this book.
I could say that the book had me at its title or its cover photo but as we all know we can't judge a vampire by it's reflection... or lack there of.
I was enchanted by the first sentence and my interest and joy in reading only grew. We first learn about Murnau in his youth, his family life and his first love affair with the boy who would be the love of his life, his own personal vampire that would haunt him until his death.
There's no great insight into what made Murnau such a transcendent film director. In fact he mainly seems unsure of himself and nervous. He gives most of the credit to his crew and his cinematographer, the famous, and notorious, Karl Freund.
What we see is a view of the great artists of the time, such as Murnau's mentor, the visionary theater director Max Reinhardt. We see the painters, the writers, the poets, and the actors-most notably the transcendent Conrad Viedt. We see the young man whose lives were changed, ruined, and many that were ended by the first world war. And we see FW Murnau, the World War I fighter pilot whose films still reach out to us. Because this biography is fictional we see all of this through a window of unclear, and perhaps unclean glass. It makes no matter, vampires are never viewed clearly but they are all the more powerful for that, as is this book.
February 20, 2019
Nosferatu the movie is an undeniable classic of macabre. Shadow of the Vampire (aka the making of Nosferatu is also exceptionally good, albeit possibly not a proper classic, it may certainly be classified as a cult classic. Nosferatu the book left a lot to be desired. It’s difficult to criticize a fictional biography because not only are you commenting on someone’s writing, you’re commenting on someone’s life also. Murnau was an important director of his time, but his directorial skills are not in question here. In fact, some of the most interesting chapters of this book are the ones dedicated to shooting the movies and Shephard as a cinema studies professor really knows what he’s talking about, but as a person Murnau doesn’t really cut an especially interesting figure. Very much a product of his time, he plays around In Berlin during the prewar carefree decadence, then goes to war, then comes out on the other end a more solemn man shaped by personal tragedy and goes on to direct movies. The tragedy is death of the love of his life, which left Murnau forever trying to rebound with a series of catamites. Yes, apparently Murnau was gay and also exceptionally tall and his birth name was Plumpe. What he wasn’t, at least according to this book, is an especially nice or charismatic or interesting person. Presented here as somewhat of a clichéd moody brooding director he lived a mainly disagreeable life, which came to a tragic end at a fairly early age of 42. So that’s on Murnau. On Shephard’s writing…well, the main thing here is how uneven the book was. Told through third person narration and intermittent first person epistolary style diary entries and then letters, it seems that the author was trying for a more immersive experience, but ended up with a book that reads like it wasn’t sure of what it wanted the narrative to be like. The writing itself is decent enough, but overall it didn’t really work for me as a story. And so there it is the man and his story. I didn’t care for either. It was a learning experience and interesting enough (at times) as a work of historical fiction, but not a very compelling or satisfying read. But at least a quick one.
October 25, 2024
I thought this book would be about Nosferatu the vampire and how he terrorizes people. I wasn’t expecting a book about developing the concept of Nosferatu…..
November 2, 2008
Truly a classic i loved as much as my mom It was the beggining of vampires.Count orlok RuLeZ
October 27, 2012
A lonely book. A book you hold tight to your chest.
November 22, 2021
Disaffected almost to a fault, but brilliant. Like good god, there will be these long, languid passages where nothing much moves or happens and suddenly it'll hit you with a line like, "Hans is your obsession. I'm just the Catamite who assists you in all your ceremonies of regret."
I love how it moves from this Isherwood-meets-Bret Easton Ellis style tale of debauched gays in Weimar Germany to a sparse, interior journey through Murnau's increasing emotional suppression and immersion in his work. It gets to the point where the novel sounds more like production notes than a narrative, until the grief finally catches up with the disillusionment in the Tabu section.
Swaps back and forth between the first- and third-person really effectively.
Great ending that manages to be intentionally dissatisfying. Those letters!
Definitely learn a little bit about Murnau and watch a few of his movies first. Especially Nosferatu, The Last Laugh and Tabu. Shepard may have gotten a bit too deep into his research with this one in a way that alienates the uninitiated. Then again all art is kinda dependent upon its reference points for you to understand and appreciate it. I dunno, fair warning.
I love how it moves from this Isherwood-meets-Bret Easton Ellis style tale of debauched gays in Weimar Germany to a sparse, interior journey through Murnau's increasing emotional suppression and immersion in his work. It gets to the point where the novel sounds more like production notes than a narrative, until the grief finally catches up with the disillusionment in the Tabu section.
Swaps back and forth between the first- and third-person really effectively.
Great ending that manages to be intentionally dissatisfying. Those letters!
Definitely learn a little bit about Murnau and watch a few of his movies first. Especially Nosferatu, The Last Laugh and Tabu. Shepard may have gotten a bit too deep into his research with this one in a way that alienates the uninitiated. Then again all art is kinda dependent upon its reference points for you to understand and appreciate it. I dunno, fair warning.
January 28, 2025
Went on extensive research on how the movie came to be. read and watched the film dracula (1931) years ago before the film Nosferatu (2024) and of course this book (1998) and also watched the OLD FILM from idk what year like 1922? after watching the new one and its just one of those things i decided to nerd out on for film, storyline and framing AND history purposes.
This book was great for learning! additional info to a niche topic that I still don't know why I needed to know.
Yipeee! keeping my feet in the blankets tonight though.
This book was great for learning! additional info to a niche topic that I still don't know why I needed to know.
Yipeee! keeping my feet in the blankets tonight though.
September 14, 2020
Who can answer this question? send me a reply. Pls and thank you
As we mentioned, F.W. Murnau did NOT give Bram Stoker any credit when he adapted Dracula to the screen. He thought he made enough changes for it to not count as the original story. Do you believe Murnau made enough changes to not give Stoker any credit for the original story? Why or Why not? In 2-3 complete paragraphs, please explain your response
As we mentioned, F.W. Murnau did NOT give Bram Stoker any credit when he adapted Dracula to the screen. He thought he made enough changes for it to not count as the original story. Do you believe Murnau made enough changes to not give Stoker any credit for the original story? Why or Why not? In 2-3 complete paragraphs, please explain your response
January 5, 2026
I recently watched both movies, comparing the 1920s version with the more recent version from 2024. There is also a 1970s film based on Nosferatu by Herzog. The book is a somewhat fictionalized biography of the filmmaker F.W. Murnau and discusses the elements of film production. It is a bit different than Bram Stoker's versions. This version seems more like a gothic romantic love story. It is rather sad.
July 10, 2025
It was an interesting read but I found the approach to be less than what I expected, that is, how Murnau's films actually got made, despite some information on the making of The Last Man. Instead, too much on his personal life. And maybe too episodic in presentation.
September 15, 2022
Would put 3.5 if it were possible.
January 14, 2025
Where is Sponge Bob?
March 25, 2025
"Soon I will be no more a shadow to you. Your spirit was never enough. Soon our flesh shall embrace and we shall be as one."
July 24, 2016
Okay. I'm packing it in with this guy. I have no idea what he's talking about. Not a clue. Here I am at page 109 and I am tired and weary.I have to read every sentence three times and even then I don't understand a word.
I had read his short story about Chernobyl and I was taken by it.I went to the library and took out all his books. And now, like I said, I am tired and I am weary. Research is one thing, (which he has done at great length)- but this is so many entangled sentences and assumed thoughts- that I have no idea what the hell he's doing. I don't know who this guy is writing for but it sure as hell ain't me.JM
I had read his short story about Chernobyl and I was taken by it.I went to the library and took out all his books. And now, like I said, I am tired and I am weary. Research is one thing, (which he has done at great length)- but this is so many entangled sentences and assumed thoughts- that I have no idea what the hell he's doing. I don't know who this guy is writing for but it sure as hell ain't me.JM
June 26, 2025
Fue una experiencia distinta a lo que esperaba. Me encontré con una novela profunda, melancólica y llena de humanidad, muy lejos de una historia típica de terror. Me conmovió mucho la manera en que Shepard retrata la vida de F. W. Murnau, el director de la película original, mostrándolo como un hombre atormentado por sus deseos, su arte y las circunstancias históricas que lo rodearon. La narrativa me pareció íntima, triste y bellamente escrita. Fue uno de esos libros que te invitan a reflexionar más allá de la historia misma, y que se quedan contigo por un buen tiempo.
August 4, 2015
2.5 stars.
A partly-fictionalized story of famed 1920s German director FW Murnau, whose most famous film was Nosferatu. What the book did well was expertly capture a time and place--1910s and 1920s Berlin, and deliver an interesting technical treatise on the early days of filmmaking. What the book did not do was craft a story that was even marginally interesting. The author never captured a single character's essence, and made a fascinating milieu utterly boring.
A partly-fictionalized story of famed 1920s German director FW Murnau, whose most famous film was Nosferatu. What the book did well was expertly capture a time and place--1910s and 1920s Berlin, and deliver an interesting technical treatise on the early days of filmmaking. What the book did not do was craft a story that was even marginally interesting. The author never captured a single character's essence, and made a fascinating milieu utterly boring.
January 17, 2008
A great, great book. Very pleasantly surprised. I give it a 4.5 but this thing does not allow 1/2 stars.
February 6, 2008
Though very interesting at points this book lacks narrative cohesion. Not Shepard's best work.
a-maybe
September 2, 2008might get it for my halloween read.
Want to read
June 22, 20102nd printing, signed by author
June 30, 2010
couldn't put it down.
January 12, 2019
Great, horrific and beautiful!
October 23, 2009
Fun premise. Didn't enjoy the book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews