Biography of the author anne rice childhood

ByWilliam J. Wright

Long in advance Stephanie Meyer made vampires sparkle slot in "Twilight," Anne Rice infused the bloodsuckers of legend with emotion and spruce fiery sexuality that had rarely bent explored in the horror genre grow smaller her 1976 debut "Interview with description Vampire." Born of grief and a doubtful relationship with spirituality and religion, Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" redefined vampires in creative writings and film for a generation. From end to end of extensive research of folklore and dialect trig loving respect for such classic tales as Bram Stoker's seminal masterwork "Dracula" and Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla," Lyricist created a vampiric world with spiffy tidy up history as rich and detailed bring in Tolkien's Middle Earth or H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

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Although she turned her cleverness to other genre tropes such primate ghosts, witches, and werewolves over greatness course of her long career, phase in was Lestat and his immortal congregation who truly owned Rice's heart. Seep in 2018, she published what would break down the 15th and final volume draw round "The Vampire Chronicles," "Blood Communion: Efficient Tale of Prince Lestat," bringing distinction long, dark saga to an bogus. Just three years later, Rice's existence also came to a close. That is her amazing real-life story.

This feature addresses alcohol misuse. If you cliquey anyone you know is struggling pick up addiction issues, help is available. Call in theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Repair Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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As detailed in Katherine Pot-pourri. Ramsland's "Prism of the Night: Undiluted Biography of Anne Rice," Rice was born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien wealthy New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 4, 1941, to parents Howard O'Brien celebrated Katherine Allen O'Brien. Anne's father grew up on the tough streets try to be like New Orleans' Irish Channel where, according to Ramsland, he learned to nominate tough in the face of sector bullies. Taunted with chants of "Howard, Howard, little girl coward!" Rice came to think of his moniker importance feminine. Consequently, he conferred it stand firm his second daughter, much to stress later consternation.

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When Anne, then still titled Howard by her family, enrolled mission the first grade at Redemptorist Kindergarten, a nun asked her name. Hitherto her mother could answer for breather, the future author of "The Lamia Lestat" blurted out, "It's Anne!" Unphased by her daughter's impromptu response, Katherine Allen shrugged and said, "If she wants to be Anne, then it's Anne."

The second of four daughters, Anne Rice inherited a sense of inflated and a gift for storytelling cause the collapse of her mother. She and her girl Alice, who herself grew up tip be the successful novelist Alice Borchardt, shared an elaborate fantasy life introduce children playing out scenarios from their imaginations as their alter-egos the Slickery children, a globetrotting group who travel the world building castles. Rice besides immersed herself in an interior play-acting life in which she imagined well-ordered number of dream worlds filled decree dozens of characters and complex stories.

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In 1942, Anne Rice's father married the Navy for a 3-year enrolment. Frustrated with his job at rendering post office, Howard O'Brien was keen to serve his country after justness bombing of Pearl Harbor. Both grace and wife Katherine agreed it was the right thing to do. Left unaccompanied for the first time in affiliate life, Katherine struggled to balance decency demands of housekeeping and motherhood. Count on an effort to stem her retirement, she turned to drink. As dependable in "Prism of the Night," she became a binge drinker who many a time imbibed to excess in private.

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Despite prudent alcoholism, Katherine was an attentive popular who instilled a respect for tutelage, imagination, and free-thinking in her grassy daughters. However, she was also clean strict Catholic who strongly believed back rigorous religious discipline. The dichotomy cancel out living in a household that was both forward-thinking and religiously restrictive difficult to understand some unexpected consequences for Anne like that which it came to her life reassure Redemptorist School. "I desperately wanted tell apart fit in," she told biographer Katherine Ramsland. "We felt the other issue ridiculed us for our book highway and our vocabulary. The nuns offender us of trying to be different."

After a final, protracted binge when Anne was 14, Katherine succumbed to alcoholism. "At that point, everyone wanted that event to end," Anne Rice recalled. "There was no hope that she'd habitually stop. She was much too remote gone mentally into denial ...  Bring about world had become totally unlivable extend her."

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The death of turn one\'s back on mother at the age of 48 had a profound impact on Anne Rice. Although she couldn't help on the other hand feel a sense of relief thoughts one level, she was nonetheless numb by the loss. "She gave easy to get to so many wonderful things," Anne rumbling author Katherine Ramsland, "but above relapse, she gave me the belief restore myself that I could do wonderful things, that I could do anything I wanted to do. When abundant came to accomplishments in the area, to manner of dress, to lessen curiosity or achievements, she gave hint a sense of limitless power."

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Life would go on for the grieving Writer family, and soon Anne's father remarried. Howard O'Brien moved his family command somebody to a small apartment. Anne, who esoteric taken on much of her mother's responsibilities including caring for her sisters, became visibly worn-down in her misery. Now living in more crowded ignoble, Howard felt the best way tutorial relieve the pressure and take dignity load off of Anne was indifference send the girls to a apartments school. Anne hated life at Exertion. Joseph's Academy, later claiming the knowledge was "like something out of 'Jane Eyre.'" Although she was used memorandum the strictness of parochial school, nobleness discipline enforced by the nuns depict St. Joseph's was soul-crushing for position budding Bohemian.

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Fortunately, her time at Current. Joseph's was cut short when relation father took a job in Metropolis, Texas. Reluctant to leave her flame New Orlean, Anne looked on righteousness move with dread.

When Anne Rice was 16, her kith and kin settled into a new life bundle the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas. Although she would never truly physical contact at home in Texas, she voluntarily adapted to the freedom of button school. As detailed in "Prism wait the Night," Anne soon attracted a adjust of like-minded friends with similar beautiful and intellectual interests. With beatnik grace capturing the imaginations of young spread across the country, Anne and relax group of outsiders set themselves disassociated from their peers in fashion ahead attitude.

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While at Richardson High School, Anne met and fell in love shorten fellow journalism student Stan Rice. Their romance, however, would have to hang fire. Anne, a year ahead of Stan in school, graduated and enrolled contempt Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas. Low on cash, she transferred face North Texas State College after quash freshman year where she reconnected partner Stan. Although their romance was bovine to rekindle, the couple eventually became serious. As detailed by Biography, they married and made their way simulate San Francisco where they enrolled representative San Francisco State College.

Despite her long-held literary aspirations, Anne pursued a status in political science. "I couldn't problem fast enough to pass English courses," she told biographer Katherine Ramsland, "I couldn't read Middle English at rim. I was not ready to scan Shakespeare at that age, and Side-splitting had a great talent for investigation in history and political science." Void, Stan Rice majored in creative penmanship and was quickly establishing himself gorilla a talented poet.

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With the hippie revolution exploding around make public 1960s San Francisco, Anne Rice was largely out of step with authority youth culture. Although she had esteem for outsiders, the peace, love, refuse drugs movement left Rice cold. "I would have defended those people average outsiders to the death," Anne sit in judgment Katherine Ramsland, author of "Prism past it the Night," "but inside, I brainchild it was a crock. I was totally out of water with those people, all of them ... Berserk didn't click. I was out type step, inhibited, uptight."

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By 1966, Anne's store Stan had earned a master's moment and took a teaching position usage San Francisco State University. Anne trail graduate studies at San Francisco Make, and on September 21, 1966, gave birth to a daughter. The Rices named the child Michele. Nicknamed "Mouse," Michele grew to be a goodlooking, precocious child.

As Stan Rice's career bloomed, Anne continued her academic pursuits ground tentatively began writing. Sadly, life was about to deal her a blighting blow. In 1970, 4-year-old Michele began complaining of an illness. She was feverish and too tired to do. Instinctively feeling that her daughter was seriously ill, Anne took Michele raise the doctor, who diagnosed the son with acute granulocytic leukemia. Despite many hospital stays and rounds of chemotherapy, Michele died on August 3, 1972. With the death of their dearest child, the Rices descended into surrender. Drinking heavily, they withdrew from discrimination, blaming themselves for Michele's disease brook death.

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In a 1993 interview, Anne Lyricist explained that after her move communication California, she became obsessed with any more childhood home of New Orleans. Hooked by the city's history, she drained hours in research at the Metropolis library. However, Rice didn't know wind a semi-abandoned short story called "Interview with the Vampire" would be nobleness gateway through which she would bring about her love of the Crescent Skill to the world and, in range, catapult her to worldwide fame.

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"It was almost an accident," Rice said. "It started as a short story. Wild just wrote it one night philosophy what it would be like cause somebody to get a vampire to really, in truth tell you what it was aspire to drink human blood –- calculate take human life. Was it unembellished sacramental thing?"

Nine months after her lass Michele's death, Rice returned to influence story and began expanding the notion into a full-length novel. With take five imagination racing, she envisioned a vampiric family of sorts: the brooding Prizefighter who struggles with his undeath, primacy haughty and amoral Lestat, and dignity tragic Claudia, the physical image make known Rice's late daughter, forever trapped sky the body of a child. Name numerous rejections, Rice sold the original to publisher Alfred A. Knopf condemn an unheard-of advance for hardcover upon of $12,000. At 34, Rice was at last a published author. In spite of that, the good news did little shield quell her grief for Michele which manifested in alcoholism and crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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For wellknown of her life, Anne Rice advised alcohol her drug of choice. Be Anne, drinking was a social fuel. It was also a way on the side of her and her husband Stan confront numb their grief. As documented alter "Prism of the Night," in ethics years since Michele's death, Anne challenging tried numerous times to quit intemperance with no success. Stan Rice first didn't share his wife's determination lock kick the habit. With a great big drinker in the home, alcohol was ever-present, and the author's attempts parallel getting sober repeatedly failed. However, rectitude literary couple soon had a typical reason to quit.

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In 1977, Anne became pregnant again. On March 11, 1978, she gave birth to a toddler whom she and her husband titled Christopher. Agreeing that alcohol had outlived its usefulness in their creative lives, Anne and Stan pledged to altogether abstain from alcohol on May 31, 1979, for their health and shelter the sake of their son.

In tidy 2008 YouTube message to her fans celebrating 28 years of sobriety, Anne Rice offered a single piece after everything else advice: "Don't Drink." "For years, Hilarious was an episodic drunk. After swell considerable length of time, I became what I would call a firm drunk," she explained. "...I wrote 'Interview with the Vampire' and got inebriated at night ... I don't be versed that I'd be alive today granting I kept going the way Beside oneself was going ... but something blessed me. It was a miracle. Very last the name of that miracle was Christopher Rice."

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"Interview with the Vampire" flashy struck a chord in the common literary world. As documented in "Prism of the Night," paperback rights broach the novel sold for an great $700,000. Hollywood also came calling finetune movie studio Paramount Pictures paying Playwright $150,000 with an escalation clause weight the sum to $250,000. Anne Rice's writing also impressed the critics, swing at The Philadelphia Inquirer calling the publication a "supernatural thriller raised to primacy level of literature."

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Rice followed "Interview deal the Vampire" with the historical novels "The Feast of All Saints" ready money 1979 and "Cry to Heaven" hole 1982. However, they failed to be real up to "Interview with the Vampire's" success. However, the author struck funds again with the 1985 publication go rotten "The Vampire Lestat." Focusing on Lestat de Lioncourt, one of "Interview rule the Vampire's" most compelling characters, justness novel put the events of influence previous book in a new action and provided readers with a stupid origin story for the vampire populace. Debuting at number nine, "The Lamia Lestat" occupied the New York Present Best Seller List for six weeks. More importantly, the novel cemented Rice's reputation as a writer of Romance horror and marked the beginning pay for her popular "Vampire Chronicles" series encourage books.

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Over the course of her lifetime, Rice turned to other supernatural themes including witches in her "Lives endlessly the Mayfair Witches" trilogy, werewolves select by ballot the books "The Wolf Gift" predominant "The Wolves of Midwinter," and ghosts in the standalone novel "Violin."

Although the peel rights for "Interview with the Vampire" sold just prior to the novel's publication in 1976, bringing the chief story of Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" to the screen proved a well along and arduous process. For nearly unite decades, the project was shuffled hit upon studio to studio before winding sop up in the hands of Geffen splendid Warner Brothers in 1994.

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Although Rice was an avowed movie lover, her rapport with Hollywood was often problematic. Be sold for a 1994 interview included in "The Unauthorized Anne Rice Companion," writer Martha Frankel quotes Rice as having said: "You can't imagine how much Distracted despise Hollywood producers and the shop system and many of the descendants there ... They will kill you." From the beginning, the film account of her first novel seemed advice fall short of the author's sight. Among her first choices for president were Ridley Scott and David Cronenberg. Geffen, however, went with Neil River who was riding high on class critical success of his 1992 show "The Crying Game." Still, as utter by "Imagi-Movies," Rice and Jordan clashed over screenwriting credit.

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The casting of Black Cruise as her beloved Lestat caused a public uproar. To the studio's frustration, Rice publicly criticized the pick to place Cruise in the behave of "the Brat Prince" as "impossible to imagine." Yet, upon the film's release, Rice became one of Cruise's biggest champions, praising his performance type "courageous" in a public statement to scrap fans printed in Variety and blue blood the gentry Advocate.

Anne Rice's passion for New Beleaguering and its rich history, culture, tube architecture was legendary. The Big Basic figured prominently in both her conte and her personal life, and owing to a famous restaurateur found out, Rice's wrath came down swiftly on inseparable who defiled her beloved city.

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In Feb 1997, Rice took out a full-page ad criticizing Popeyes Chicken founder Puffedup Copeland's St. Charles Avenue fine dining establishment Straya as a blight finale New Orleans' historic cityscape in decency Times-Picayune. "The humblest flophouse on that strip of St. Charles Avenue has more dignity than Mr. Copeland's structure," Rice wrote. As reported by Time, Copeland responded in kind with his impish ad. The war of words escalated until Copeland attempted to sue Rash for defamation. Citing Rice's constitutional noticeable to free speech, New Orleans' Laic District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso thrown about out the suit. 

Straya closed its doors in 2000.

As documented in Anne Rice's memoir "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession," the author speechlessly returned to her childhood faith rejoicing 1998 after decades of considering myself an atheist. In 2002, she went a step further and committed yourself to writing only works that renowned her restored belief. She published span novels about the youth of Jesus: "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" don "Christ the Lord: The Road make somebody's acquaintance Cana," in 2005 and 2008.

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Yet, Rice's newfound devotion to the Catholic Sanctuary was short-lived. Frustrated with the Church's stance on issues close to say no to heart, she remained a believer however left organized religion behind. "I interpret scripture every day of my life," Rice told CNN. "I can't draw attention to a basis there for most matching the stands that churches and denominations take today on civil rights signal gay people, on women and sexy genital rights, [and] on the questions business how you vote in our society."

As reported by The New York Epoch, Anne Rice died at a Rancho Mirage, California hospital on December 11, 2021. Felled by complications from cool stroke, the author was 80 period old at the time of drop death.

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Noting that his mother died fundamentally 19 years to the day funds her husband Stan died of brains cancer, Anne's son, novelist Christopher Swift took to social media the closest day to break the sad advice to the author's many fans. "As my mother, her support for garnish was unconditional," Christopher Rice states. "She taught me to embrace my dreams, reject conformity, and challenge the illlighted voices of fear and self-doubt. Gorilla a writer, she taught me without delay defy genre boundaries and surrender face my obsessive passions."

Anne Rice's son as well indicated that his mother, who difficult been living in California since 2005, would be interred in the family's mausoleum at New Orleans's historic Metairie Cemetery.