Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean me ...

erotic literature Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (concept), eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically ...

, and

Bible fiction The term Bible fiction refers to works of fiction which use characters, settings and events taken from the Bible. The degree of fictionalization in these works varies and, although they are often written by Christians or Jews, this is not always th ...

. She is best known for writing ''

The Vampire Chronicles ''The Vampire Chronicles'' is a series of Gothic fiction, Gothic vampire literature, vampire novels and a media franchise, created by American writer Anne Rice, that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French noble ...

''. She later adapted the first volume in the series into a commercially successful eponymous film, ''

Interview with the Vampire ''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac ...

'' (1994). Born in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, Rice spent much of her early life in the city before moving to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and later to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. She was raised in an observant

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

family but became an agnostic as a young adult. She began her professional writing career with the publication of ''

'' (1976), while living in California, and began writing sequels to the novel in the 1980s. In the mid-2000s, following a publicized return to Catholicism, she published the novels '' Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'' and '' Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana'', fictionalized accounts of certain incidents in the life of Jesus. Several years later she distanced herself from organized Christianity, while remaining devoted to Jesus. She later considered herself a

secular humanist Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system, or life stance that embraces human reason, logic, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism, while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basi ...

. Rice's books have sold over 100 million copies, making her one of the best-selling authors of modern times. While reaction to her early works was initially mixed, she gained a better reception with critics in the 1980s. Her writing style and the literary content of her works have been analyzed by literary commentators. She was married to poet and painter Stan Rice for 41 years, from 1961 until his death from brain cancer in 2002 at age 60. She and Stan had two children, Michele, who died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

at age five, and

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

, who is also an author. Rice also wrote books such as ''

The Feast of All Saints All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are know ...

'' (adapted for television in 2001) and ''

Servant of the Bones ''Servant of the Bones'' (1996) is a historical horror novel by Anne Rice. Plot introduction ''Servant of the Bones'' is an account of the creation and subsequent existence of a genie, Azriel. It is a story told as a fireside chat and includes ...

'', which formed the basis of a 2011 comic book miniseries. Several books from ''The Vampire Chronicles'' have been adapted as comics and

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

by various publishers. She authored erotic fiction under the

pen names A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

Anne Rampling and A. N. Roquelaure, including ''

Exit to Eden ''Exit to Eden'' is a 1985 novel by Anne Rice, initially published under the pen name Anne Rampling, but subsequently under Rice's own name. The novel explores the subject of BDSM in romance novel form. The novel also brought attention to Rice' ...

'', which was later adapted into a 1994 film.

Early life

New Orleans and Texas

Born in

on October 4, 1941, Howard Allen Frances O'Brien was the second of four daughters of parents of Irish

descent, Howard O'Brien (1917–1991) and Katherine "Kay" Allen O'Brien (1908–1956). Her father, a naval veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and lifelong resident of New Orleans, worked as a personnel executive for the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

and authored one novel, ''The Impulsive Imp'', which was published posthumously. Her older sister,

Alice Borchardt Alice Borchardt ( Alice Allen O'Brien; October 6, 1939 – July 24, 2007) was an American writer of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror. She shared a childhood of storytelling in New Orleans with her sister, the novelist Anne Rice, who ...

, later became an author of fantasy and

historical romance Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Lord Byron, Byron helped popularize in the early 19th century. The genre often takes the form of the novel. Varieties ...

novels." Rice spent most of her youth in New Orleans, which forms the backdrop against which many of her works are set. She and her family lived in the rented home of her maternal grandmother, Alice Allen, known as "Mamma Allen", at 2301 St. Charles Avenue in the Irish Channel, which Rice said was widely considered a "Catholic Ghetto". Allen, who began working as a domestic worker shortly after separating from her alcoholic husband, was an important early influence in Rice's life, keeping the family and household together as Rice's mother sank deeper into

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

. Allen died in 1949, but the O'Briens remained in her home until 1956, when they moved to 2524 St. Charles Avenue, a former rectory, convent, and school owned by the parish, to be closer to both the church and support for Katherine's addiction. As a young child, Rice studied at St. Alphonsus School, a Catholic institution previously attended by her father. About her male given names, Rice said: According to the authorized biography ''Prism of the Night'', by

Katherine Ramsland Katherine Ramsland (born January 2, 1953) is an American non-fiction author and professor of forensic psychology. Ramsland writes in the genres of crime, forensic science, and the supernatural. She is also a professor of forensic psychology and ...

, Rice's father was the source of his daughter's birth name: "Thinking back to the days when his own name had been associated with girls, and perhaps in an effort to give it away, Howard named the little girl Howard Allen Frances O'Brien." Rice became "Anne" on her first day of school, when a nun asked her what her name was. She told the nun "Anne", which she considered a pretty name. Her mother, who was with her, let it go without correcting her, knowing how self-conscious her daughter was of her real name. From that day on, everyone she knew addressed her as "Anne", and her name was legally changed in 1947. Rice was confirmed in the Catholic Church when she was twelve years old and took the full name Howard Allen Frances Alphonsus Liguori O'Brien, adding the names of a saint and of an aunt, who was a nun. She said: "I was honored to have my aunt's name, but it was my burden and joy as a child to have strange names". When Rice was fifteen years old, her mother died as a result of alcoholism. Soon afterward, she and her sisters were placed by their father in St. Joseph Academy. Rice described St. Joseph's as "something out of ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

'' ... a dilapidated, awful, medieval type of place. I really hated it and wanted to leave. I felt betrayed by my father." In November 1957, Rice's father married Dorothy Van Bever. On the subject of the couple's first meeting, Rice recalled, "My father wrote her a formal letter inviting her to lunch which I hand-delivered to her house ... I was so nervous. In the note he enclosed a pin which she was to wear if she accepted the invitation. The next day she had the pin on." In 1958, when Rice was sixteen, her father moved the family to north

, purchasing their first home in Richardson. Rice first met her future husband, Stan Rice, in a journalism class while they were both students at

Richardson High School Richardson High School (RHS) is a magnet high school in Richardson, Texas, United States with approximately 2,770 students and a student/teacher ratio of approximately 15:1 in the 20182019 school year. It is the oldest high school in the Richa ...

San Francisco and Berkeley

Graduating from Richardson High in 1959, Rice completed her first year at

Texas Woman's University Texas Woman's University (TWU) is a Public research university, public coeducational research university in Denton, Texas, with two health science center-focused campuses in Dallas and Houston. While TWU has been fully co-educational since 1994, ...

in Denton and transferred to

North Texas State College The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco. It serves as the flagship of the University of North Texas Syst ...

for her second year. She dropped out when she ran out of money and was unable to find employment. Soon after, she moved to San Francisco and stayed with the family of a friend until she found work as an insurance claims processor. She persuaded her former roommate from Texas Woman's University, Ginny Mathis, to join her, and they found an apartment in the

Haight-Ashbury Haight-Ashbury () is a district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets. It is also called the Haight and the Upper Haight. The neighborhood is known as one of the main centers of the countercultu ...

district. Mathis acquired a job at the same insurance company as Rice. Soon after, they began taking night courses at

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

, an all-male

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

school that allowed women to take classes at night. For Easter vacation Anne returned home to Texas, rekindling her relationship with Stan Rice. After her return to San Francisco, Stan Rice came for a week-long visit during the summer break. He returned to Texas, Rice moved back in with the Percys, and Mathis left San Francisco in August to enroll in a nursing program in Oklahoma. Some time later, Anne received a special delivery letter from Stan Rice asking her to marry him. They married on October 14, 1961, in Denton, Texas, soon after she turned twenty years old, and when he was just weeks from his nineteenth birthday. The Rices moved back to San Francisco in 1962, experiencing the birth of the

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

movement firsthand as they lived in the Haight-Ashbury district,

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

, and later the

Castro District The Castro District, commonly referred to as the Castro, is a neighborhood in Eureka Valley in San Francisco. The Castro was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States. Having transformed from a working-class neighborhood throug ...

. "I'm a totally conservative person", she later told ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'': "In the middle of Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s, I was typing away while everybody was dropping acid and smoking grass. I was known as my own square." Rice attended

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

and obtained a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in 1964. Their daughter Michele, later nicknamed "Mouse", was born to the couple on September 21, 1966, and Rice later interrupted her graduate studies at SFSU to become a PhD candidate at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. She soon became disenchanted with the emphasis on literary criticism and the language requirements. In her words: "I wanted to be a writer, not a literature student." Rice returned to San Francisco State in 1970 to finish her studies in creative writing and graduated with an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1972. Stan Rice became an instructor at San Francisco State shortly after receiving his own M.A. in creative writing from the institution, and later chaired the creative writing department before retiring in 1988. Her daughter was diagnosed with acute

granulocytic leukemia Myeloid leukemia is a type of leukemia affecting myeloid tissue. Types include: * Acute myeloid leukemia: A cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of myeloblasts that build up in the bone marrow and blood and ...

in 1970, while Rice was still in the graduate program. Rice later described having a

prophetic dream Oneiromancy () is a form of divination based upon dreams, and also uses dreams to predict the future. Oneirogen plants may also be used to produce or enhance dream-like states of consciousness. Occasionally, the dreamer feels as if they are transp ...

—months before Michele became ill—that her daughter was dying from "something wrong with her blood". Michele died in 1972, shortly before she would have turned six. Rice's son

was born in Berkeley, California, in 1978; he has become a best-selling author in his own right, publishing his first novel at the age of 22. Rice, an admitted alcoholic, and her husband, Stan Rice, quit drinking in mid-1979 so their son would not have the life that she had as a child. In 2008, Rice posted a YouTube video to celebrate 28 years of her sobriety.

Writing career

Influences

Rice cited

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, the Brontë sisters,

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

H. Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform t ...

, and

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

as influences on her work. She repeatedly returned to King's '' Firestarter'' for inspiration: "I study the novel ''Firestarter'' whenever I'm blocked. Reading the first few pages of ''Firestarter'' helps to get me going."

''Interview with the Vampire''

In 1973, while still grieving the loss of her daughter (1966–1972), Rice took a previously written short story and turned it into her first novel, the bestselling ''

''. She based her vampires on

Gloria Holden Gloria Anna Holden (September 5, 1903 – March 22, 1991) was a British-born American film actress, best known for her role as '' Dracula's Daughter''. She often portrayed cold society women. Early life Holden was born in London, England. She ...

's character in ''

Dracula's Daughter ''Dracula's Daughter'' is a 1936 American vampire horror film produced by Universal Pictures as a sequel to the 1931 film ''Dracula''. Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, the film stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden in ...

'': "It established to me what vampires were—these elegant, tragic, sensitive people. I was really just going with that feeling when writing ''Interview With the Vampire''. I didn't do a lot of research." After completing the novel and following many rejections from publishers, Rice developed

obsessive–compulsive disorder Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts (an ''obsession'') and feels the need to perform certain routines (''Compulsive behavior, compulsions'') repeatedly to relieve the dis ...

(OCD). She became obsessed with germs, thinking that she contaminated everything she touched, engaged in frequent and obsessive hand washing and obsessively checked locks on windows and doors. Of this period, Rice says, "What you see when you're in that state is every single flaw in our hygiene and you can't control it and you go crazy." In August 1974, after a year of therapy for her OCD, Rice attended the Squaw Valley Writer's Conference at Olympic Valley (formerly Squaw Valley), conducted by writer Ray Nelson. While at the conference, Rice met her future literary agent, Phyllis Seidel. In October 1974, Seidel sold the publishing rights to ''Interview with the Vampire'' to

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Blanche Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Sr. in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...

for a $12,000 advance of the hardcover rights, at a time when most new authors were receiving $2,000 advances. ''Interview with the Vampire'' was published in May 1976. In 1977, the Rices traveled to both Europe and Egypt for the first time.

Other works

Following the publication of ''Interview with the Vampire'', while living in California, Rice wrote two historical novels, ''

'' and ''

Cry to Heaven ''Cry to Heaven'' is a novel by American author Anne Rice published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1982. Taking place in eighteenth-century Italy, it follows the paths of two unlikely collaborators: a Venetian noble and a maestro castrato from Cala ...

'', along with three erotic novels ('' The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty'', '' Beauty's Punishment'', and '' Beauty's Release'') under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure, and two more under the pseudonym Anne Rampling (''

'' and ''

Belinda Belinda is a feminine given name of unknown origin, apparently coined from Italian ''bella'', meaning "beautiful". Alternatively it may be derived from the Old High German name ''Betlinde'', which possibly meant "bright serpent" or "bright lind ...

''). Rice then returned to the vampire genre with ''

The Vampire Lestat ''The Vampire Lestat'' (1985) is a Vampire literature, vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the second in her ''The Vampire Chronicles, Vampire Chronicles'', following ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1976). The story is told from the poin ...

'' and ''

The Queen of the Damned ''The Queen of the Damned'' (1988) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the third in her ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series. It follows ''Interview with the Vampire'' and ''The Vampire Lestat''. This novel is a continuation of th ...

'', her bestselling sequels to ''Interview with the Vampire''. Shortly after her June 1988 return to New Orleans, Rice penned '' The Witching Hour'' as an expression of her joy at coming home. Rice also continued her ''

Vampire Chronicles ''The Vampire Chronicles'' is a series of Gothic vampire novels and a media franchise, created by American writer Anne Rice, that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the ...

'' series, which later grew to encompass ten novels, and followed up on ''The Witching Hour'' with ''

Lasher ''Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' is a trilogy of supernatural horror/fantasy novels by American novelist Anne Rice. It centers on a family of witches whose fortunes have been guided for generations by a spirit named Lasher. The series began in ...

'' and '' Taltos'', completing the ''

Lives of the Mayfair Witches ''Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' is a trilogy of supernatural horror/fantasy novels by American novelist Anne Rice. It centers on a family of witches whose fortunes have been guided for generations by a spirit named Lasher. The series began in ...

'' trilogy. She also published ''

Violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

'', a tale of a ghostly haunting, in 1997.Ramsland 1991, pp. 312–317 Rice appeared on an episode of '' The Real World: New Orleans'' that aired in 2000. Rice began another series called '' Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'', published in 2005, chronicling the life of Jesus. After moving to

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is a low-density desert community with resorts, golf courses, and country clubs within the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled along the foothil ...

in 2006, Rice wrote a second volume '' Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana'', published in March 2008, and was working on a third ''Christ the Lord: Kingdom of Heaven'' in November 2008. She also wrote the first two books in her ''Songs of the Seraphim'' series, '' Angel Time'' and '' Of Love and Evil'', and her memoir ''Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession''. On March 9, 2014, Rice announced on her son Christopher's radio show, ''The Dinner Party with Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn'', that she had completed another book in the ''Vampire Chronicles'', titled, ''

Prince Lestat ''Prince Lestat'' is a novel by American writer Anne Rice, the eleventh in ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series, published on October 28, 2014. Rice had originally stated the novel '' Blood Canticle'' was meant to conclude the series, but in March ...

'', a "true sequel" to ''Queen of the Damned''. The book was released on October 28, 2014. In 2015, a sequel to the ''Sleeping Beauty'' trilogy, ''Beauty's Kingdom'', was released.

Reception and analysis

Following its debut in 1976, ''

'' received mixed reviews from critics at this time, causing Rice to retreat temporarily from the supernatural genre. When ''

'' debuted in 1985, reaction—both from critics and from readers—was more positive, and the first hardcover edition of the book sold 75,000 copies. Upon its publication in 1988, ''

'' was given an initial hardcover printing of 405,000 copies. The novel was a main selection of the

Literary Guild The Literary Guild of America is a mail order book sales club, book club selling low-cost editions of selected current books to its members. Established in 1927 to compete with the Book of the Month Club, it is currently owned by Bookspan. It was a ...

of America for 1988, and reached the No. 1 spot on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, staying on the list for more than four months. Rice's novels are well regarded by many members of the

LGBT+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

community, some of whom have perceived her vampire characters as

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

symbols of isolation and social alienation. Similarly, a reviewer writing for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', observed that the vampires of her novels represent "the walking alienated, those of us who, by choice or not, dwell on the fringe".Day 2002, p. 43 On the subject, Rice commented: "From the beginning, I've had gay fans, and gay readers who felt that my works involved a sustained gay allegory ... I didn't set out to do that, but that was what they perceived. So even when Christopher was a little baby, I had gay readers and gay friends and knew gay people, and lived in the Castro district of San Francisco, which was a gay neighborhood." Rice's writings have also been identified as having had a major impact on later developments within the genre of

vampire fiction Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. The literary vampire first appeared in 18th-century poetry, before becoming one of the stock figures of gothic fiction with the publicat ...

. "Rice turns vampire conventions inside out", wrote Susan Ferraro of ''

''. "Because Rice identifies with the vampire instead of the victim (reversing the usual focus), the horror for the reader springs from the realization of the monster within the self. Moreover, Rice's vampires are loquacious philosophers who spend much of eternity debating the nature of good and evil." Rice's writing style has been heavily analyzed. Ferraro, in a statement typical of many reviewers, described her prose as "florid, both lurid and lyrical, and full of sensuous detail". Others have criticized her writing style as both verbose and overly philosophical. Author William Patrick Day comments that her writing is often "long, convoluted, and imprecise". ''The New York Times'' critic

Michiko Kakutani is an American writer and retired literary critic, best known for reviewing books for ''The New York Times'' from 1983 to 2017. In that role, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1998. Early life and family Kakutani, a Japanese Americ ...

wrote: "Anne Rice has what might best be described as a Gothic imagination crossed with a campy taste for the decadent and the bizarre."

Personal life

Back to New Orleans and Catholicism

In June 1988, following the success of ''The Vampire Lestat'' and with ''The Queen of the Damned'' about to be published, the Rices purchased a second home in New Orleans, the Brevard–Rice House, built in 1857 for Albert Hamilton Brevard. Stan took a leave of absence from teaching, and together they moved to New Orleans. Within months, they decided to make it their permanent home. Rice returned to the Catholic Church in 1998 after decades of

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...

. She fell into a coma, later determined to be caused by

diabetic ketoacidosis Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening acute complication of diabetes mellitus. Signs and symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, deep gasping breathing, increased urination, weakness, confusion and occasionally ...

(DKA), on December 14, 1998, and nearly died. She was later diagnosed with

diabetes mellitus type 1 Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone required ...

, and was

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

-dependent. Following the advice of her husband, Rice underwent

gastric bypass surgery Gastric bypass surgery refers to a technique in which the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower "remnant" pouch, where the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Surgeons have developed several differen ...

shortly after his death and shed 103 pounds in 2003. Rice nearly died again from an intestinal blockage or

bowel obstruction Bowel obstruction, also known as intestinal obstruction, is a mechanical or Ileus, functional obstruction of the Gastrointestinal tract#Lower gastrointestinal tract, intestines which prevents the normal movement of the products of digestion. Ei ...

, a common complication of

, in 2004. In 2005, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' reported: "She came close to death last year, when she had surgery for an intestinal blockage, and also back in 1998, when she went into a sudden diabetic coma; that same year she returned to the Roman Catholic Church, which she'd left at 18."Gates, David
"The Gospel According to Anne"
''Newsweek'', October 31, 2005. Retrieved October 29, 2021 Her return did not come with a full embrace of the Church's stances on social issues; Rice remained a vocal supporter of equality for gay men and lesbians (including

marriage rights Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% o ...

), as well as abortion rights and

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

, writing extensively on such issues. While promoting her book '' Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'' in October 2005, Rice announced in ''Newsweek'' that she would now use her life and talent of writing to glorify her belief in God, but she did not renounce her earlier works, citing a connection in her earlier work with the state of her spiritual life. In the Author's Note from ''Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'', Rice states:

I had experienced an old-fashioned, strict Roman Catholic childhood in the 1940s and 1950s … we attended daily Mass and Communion in an enormous and magnificently decorated church. … Stained-glass windows, the Latin Mass, the detailed answers to complex questions on good and evil—these things were imprinted on my soul forever. … I left this church at age 18. … I wanted to know what was happening, why so many seemingly good people didn't believe in any organized religion yet cared passionately about their behavior and value of their lives.... I broke with the church. … I wrote many novels without my being aware that they reflected my quest for meaning in a world without God.

In her memoir ''Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession'', Rice stated:

In the moment of surrender, I let go of all the theological or social questions which had kept me from odfor countless years. I simply let them go. There was the sense, profound and wordless, that if He knew everything I did not have to know everything, and that, in seeking to know everything, I'd been, all of my life, missing the entire point. No social paradox, no historic disaster, no hideous record of injustice or misery should keep me from Him. No question of Scriptural integrity, no torment over the fate of this or that atheist or gay friend, no worry for those condemned and ostracized by my church or any other church should stand between me and Him. The reason? It was magnificently simple: He knew how or why everything happened; He knew the disposition of every single soul. He wasn't going to let anything happen by accident! Nobody was going to go to Hell by mistake.

Leaving New Orleans

Rice announced that she had made plans to leave New Orleans on her website on January 18, 2004. She cited living alone since the death of her husband and her son moving to California as the reasons for her move. Rice put the largest of her three homes up for sale on January 30, 2004, and moved to a gated community in

Kenner, Louisiana Kenner is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the most populous city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish, and is the largest incorporated suburban city of New Orleans. The population was 66,448 at the 2020 United States cen ...

. "Simplifying my life, not owning so much, that's the chief goal", said Rice. "I'll no longer be a citizen of New Orleans in the true sense." She sold two New York City condominiums in March and April 2005. After completing ''Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'', Rice left New Orleans in 2005 shortly before the events of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

in August. None of her former New Orleans properties were flooded, and Rice remained a vocal advocate for the city and related relief projects.

California

After leaving New Orleans, Rice first settled in

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

, California, describing the weather there as "like heaven" in November 2005. She left La Jolla less than a year after moving there, stating in January 2006 that the weather was too cold. She purchased a six-bedroom home in

in late 2005 and moved there in 2006, allowing her to be closer to her son in Los Angeles.Dean, Jennifer (December 12, 2009)
"Q&A with Anne Rice on 'Angel Time'"
''The Press-Enterprise''. Retrieved December 13, 2009. Rice auctioned off her large collection of antique dolls at Thierault's in Chicago on July 18, 2010. Rice also auctioned off her wardrobe, jewelry, household possessions and collectibles featured in her many books on

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

starting in mid-2010 through early 2011. She sold a large portion of her library collection to

Powell's Books Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores, based in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. Their flagship store, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent bookstore, independent new and used bookstore in the world. In addit ...

Distancing from Christianity

Rice publicly announced her disdain for the current state of Christianity on her Facebook page on July 28, 2010:

Today I quit being a Christian. … I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.

Shortly thereafter, she clarified her statement:

My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.

Following her announcement, Rice's critique of Christianity was commented upon by numerous journalists and pundits. In an interview with the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', Rice elaborated on her view regarding being a member of a Christian church: "I feel much more morally comfortable walking away from organized religion. I respect that there are all kinds of denominations and all kinds of churches, but it's the entire controversy, the entire conversation that I need to walk away from right now."Mitchell Landsberg
"Anne Rice discusses her decision to quit Christianity."
Los Angeles Times. August 7, 2010. In response to the question, "How do you follow Christ without a church?" Rice replied: "I think the basic ritual is simply prayer. It's talking to God, putting things in the hands of God, trusting that you're living in God's world and praying for God's guidance. And being absolutely faithful to the core principles of Jesus' teachings." Rice participated in the "

I Am Second I Am Second is a US multimedia movement and not-for-profit organization that is designed to inspire people to "put Jesus Christ first" in their lives. It was founded in 2008 by Norm Miller, the CEO and Chairman of the Interstate Battery System ...

" project in 2010 with a short documentary about her spiritual journey. Rice stated that she was a

in a Facebook post on April 14, 2013. She said that Christ was still central to her life, but not in the way he is presented by organized religion, in a July 28, 2014, Facebook post. In a later interview with Alice Cooper, she stated:

My faith lives in my novels, of course. It lives in every word I write. It lives in my novels about Jesus. Though I’ve moved away from institutional Christianity and organized religion — and all its theological strife — my devotion to Jesus remains fierce. My faith blazes in my vampire novels, and in ''The Witching Hour'' series, and even in the erotica I’ve written. I believe that people are basically good as
Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new li ...
put it; I believe the creation is basically good and beautiful; I believe that sex is beautiful and good. I believe our capacity to love, to know pleasure, to want to live lives of meaning — all this reflects the existence of a loving and personal Creator. I dream of all things human being reconciled in our ethical institutions and moral institutions; I dream of all of us being redeemed in every way. This is why the story of the Incarnation is so important to me, the story of Jesus being born amongst us, growing up amongst us, working and sweating and struggling as we do, and dying amongst us before he rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. I write about outsiders seeking redemption in one form or another and always will.

Death

Rice died from complications of a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

at a hospital in

, on December 11, 2021, at the age of 80. According to a statement from Rice's son

Christopher Rice Christopher Travis Rice (born March 11, 1978) is an American author. Rice made his fiction debut in 2000 with the bestselling ''A Density of Souls'', going on to write many more novels, including ''The Snow Garden'', ''The Heavens Rise'', ''The V ...

, the family planned to inter her at the family mausoleum at

Metairie Cemetery Metairie Cemetery is a historic cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, founded in 1872. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume it is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits ...

in New Orleans. Rice was laid to rest in January 2022. The Rice Family Mausoleum is also the burial site of Rice's husband Stan Rice and daughter Michele. One side of the tomb is stained glass, the other three sides are engraved with Stan Rice's poems from his books "False Prophet" and "Some Lamb". The mausoleum is open to the public during visiting hours.

Bibliography

Novels

The Vampire Chronicles universe

'' series: # ''

'' (1976), # ''

'' (1985), # ''

'' (1988), # ''

The Tale of the Body Thief ''The Tale of the Body Thief'' is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the fourth in her ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series, following ''The Queen of the Damned'' (1988). Published in 1992, it continues the adventures of Lestat, speci ...

'' (1992), # ''

Memnoch the Devil ''Memnoch the Devil'' (1995) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the fifth in her '' Vampire Chronicles'' series, following '' The Tale of the Body Thief''. In this story, Lestat is approached by the Devil and offered a job at hi ...

'' (1995), # ''

The Vampire Armand ''The Vampire Armand'' (1998) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the sixth in her ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series. Plot summary With Lestat de Lioncourt still in slumber since '' Memnoch the Devil'', the vampire coven is reunit ...

'' (1998), # '' Merrick'' (2000) (*), # '' Blood and Gold'' (2001), # ''

Blackwood Farm ''Blackwood Farm'' is a 2002 vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the ninth book in her ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series. The novel includes some characters who cross over from Rice's '' Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' trilogy (1990–199 ...

'' (2002) (*), # ''

Blood Canticle ''Blood Canticle'' is a 2003 vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the tenth book in her ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series. The novel includes some characters who cross over from Rice's '' Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' trilogy (1990–199 ...

'' (2003) (*), # ''

'' (2014), # ''

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis ''Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis'' is a novel by American writer Anne Rice, the twelfth in ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series, published on November 29, 2016. It is written as both a first-person and third-person narrative. Plot summ ...

'' (2016), # '' Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat'' (2018), '' New Tales of the Vampires'' series: # ''

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...

'' (1998), # '' Vittorio the Vampire'' (1999), ''

'' series: # '' The Witching Hour'' (1990), # ''

'' (1993), # '' Taltos'' (1994), (*) ''Merrick'', ''Blackwood Farm'' and ''Blood Canticle'' are crossovers with the ''Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' series

Ramses the Damned

# ''

The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned ''The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned'' is a 1989 horror novel by American writer Anne Rice. Taking place during the early twentieth century, it follows the collision between a British archeologist's family and a resurrected mummy. The novel e ...

'' (1989), # '' Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra'' (2017), with

, # '' Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris'' (2022), with Christopher Rice,

Christ the Lord

# '' Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'' (2005), # '' Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana'' (2008),

Songs of the Seraphim

# '' Angel Time'' (2009), # '' Of Love and Evil'' (2010),

The Wolf Gift Chronicles

# '' The Wolf Gift'' (2012), # '' The Wolves of Midwinter'' (2013),

The Sleeping Beauty Quartet (under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure)

# '' The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty'' (1983), # '' Beauty's Punishment'' (1984), # '' Beauty's Release'' (1985), # '' Beauty's Kingdom'' (2015),

Stand-alones

* ''

'' (1979), * ''

'' (1982), * ''

'' (1996), * ''

'' (1997),

= Erotica under the pseudonym Anne Rampling

= * ''

'' (1985), * ''

'' (1986),

Short stories

* "October 4, 1948", ''Transfer'' 19, 1965. Reprinted in ''The Anne Rice Reader'', Katherine Ramsland, ed., 1997 * "Nicholas and Jean", ''Transfer'' 21, June 1966. Reprinted in ''The Anne Rice Reader'', Katherine Ramsland, ed., 1997 * "The Art of the Vampire at Its Peak in the Year 1876, or, Armand's Lesson" (''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'', January 1979) * "The Master of Rampling Gate", ''

Redbook ''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Communications, Hearst magazine division. It is one of the "Seven Sisters (magazines), Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publicatio ...

'', February 1984

Non-fiction

* ''Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession'' (2008), , autobiography

Awards

Adaptations

Film

The 1994 film ''

,'' based loosely on the book Rice published as Anne Rampling, stars

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...

and

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...

. The work was transformed from a

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...

-themed love story into a police comedy, and was widely considered a box-office failure, receiving near-universal negative reviews. Also in 1994,

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish filmmaker and writer. He first achieved recognition for his short story collection, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia,'' which won the Guardian Fiction Prize in ...

directed a motion picture adaptation of ''Interview with the Vampire'', based on Rice's own screenplay. The movie starred

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

as Lestat,

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

as the guilt-ridden

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

, and a young

Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989) and has since starred in several film and television productions. She has received several awar ...

in her breakout role as the deceitful child vampire Claudia. A second film adaptation of ''The Vampire Chronicles'', ''

Queen of the Damned ''Queen of the Damned'' is a 2002 horror film directed by Michael Rymer from a screenplay by Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni, and based on the 1988 novel ''The Queen of the Damned'' by Anne Rice, the third novel of the book series ''The Vampi ...

,'' was released in February 2002, starring

Stuart Townsend Stuart Townsend (born 15 December 1972) is an Irish actor. He portrayed Lestat de Lioncourt in the film adaptation of Anne Rice's '' Queen of the Damned'' (2002), and Dorian Gray in Alan Moore's '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (20 ...

as the vampire Lestat and singer

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

Akasha Akasha (Sanskrit ' ) means Aether (classical element), aether in traditional Hindu cosmology. The term has also been adopted in Western occultism and spiritualism in the late 19th century CE. In many modern Indo-Aryan languages and Dravidian la ...

. The movie combined plot points from both the novel ''The Queen of the Damned'', as well as from ''The Vampire Lestat''. Produced on a budget of $35 million, the film recouped only $30 million at the U.S. box office. On her Facebook page, Rice distanced herself from the film, and stated that she feels the filmmakers "mutilated" her work in adapting the novel. A film adaptation of '' Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'' was reported to be in the early stages of development in February 2012. It was reported that Chris Columbus had signed on to produce, and that

Cyrus Nowrasteh Cyrus Nowrasteh (Persian language, Persian: سیروس/کوروش نورسته; ; born September 19, 1956) is an American filmmaker. He has worked on numerous television series and Television movie, made-for-TV movies including ''The Day Reagan W ...

had already completed the script. On November 8, 2014, during an interview with her long-time editor, Victoria Wilson, at the Chicago Humanities Festival, Rice revealed that filming had finished on the movie and was going into post-production. The film, titled ''

The Young Messiah ''The Young Messiah'' is a 2016 biblical drama film directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and co-written by Betsy and Cyrus Nowrasteh, based on the novel '' Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'' by Anne Rice. The film stars Adam Greaves-Neal, Sean Bean, David B ...

'', was released in 2016. In August 2014,

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

had acquired the rights to Rice's ''Vampire Chronicles''. In November 2016, when

did not renew the contract, the film and television rights reverted to Rice, who began developing ''

'' into a television series with her son,

Television

In 1997, Rice wrote the story for a television pilot entitled ''Rag and Bone'', featuring elements of both horror and

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

. Screenwriter

James D. Parriott James D. Parriott (born November 14, 1950, in Denver, Colorado) is an American writer, director, and producer, with his own self named production company. Career He created the series: ''Voyagers!'', '' Misfits of Science'', ''Forever Knight'', ' ...

penned the screenplay, and the pilot ultimately aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, starring

Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( né Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not! ...

and

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and authority figures, Patrick is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked his ...

. ''Earth Angels'' was a presentation pilot written by Rice, produced by Imagine Television and

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

, and picked up by NBC. Set in New York City, it followed angels in human form battling against evil. Four parts of Anne Rice's story treatment for the series were published in 1999 as a bonus in the comic book series called ''Anne Rice's Tale of the Body Thief''. ''

'' was made into a

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

original miniseries in 2001, directed by

Peter Medak Péter Medák (born 23 December 1937) is a Hungarians in the United Kingdom, Hungarian-British film and television director. Early life Born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary, he was the son of Elisabeth (née Diamounstein) and Gyula Med ...

and starring

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for black actors in the entertainment industry, Jones is known for his extensive and acclaimed roles on stage and screen. Jones is one of the few perfor ...

and

Gloria Reuben Gloria Elizabeth Reuben (born June 9, 1964) is a Canadian-American actress, producer, and singer. She is well-known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the medical drama '' ER'' (1995–1999, 2008), for which she was twice nominated for an Emmy Aw ...

. As of 2002,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

had plans to adapt Rice's ''Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' trilogy into a miniseries, but the project never entered production. In November 2016, Rice announced on Facebook that the rights to her novels had reverted to her despite earlier plans for other adaptations. Rice said that she and her son, author

, would be developing and executive producing a potential television series based on the novels. In April 2017, they teamed up with

Paramount Television The first incarnation of Paramount Television was operated as the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, until it changed its name to CBS Paramount Television on January 17, 2006. History Desilu Pro ...

and

Anonymous Content Anonymous Content (AC) is an independent global entertainment company founded in 1999 by CEO Steve Golin, Dave Morrison and Gore Verbinski. It is based in Los Angeles with offices in Culver City, New York City and London. History Anonymous Co ...

to develop a series. As of early 2018,

Bryan Fuller Bryan Fuller (born July 27, 1969) is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the television series ''Pushing Daisies'' (2007–2009) and ''Hannibal (TV series), Hannibal'' (2013–2015). Fuller is also known for his work as a writ ...

was involved with the creation of a potential TV series based on the novels. On July 17, 2018, it was announced that the series was in development at streaming service

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

and that Fuller had departed the production. As of December 2019, Hulu's rights had expired and Rice was shopping a package including all film and TV rights to the series. In May 2020, it was announced that

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

had acquired the rights to ''The Vampire Chronicles'' and ''

'' for developing film and television projects. Anne and

were to serve as executive producers on any projects developed. The

Immortal Universe ''Anne Rice's Immortal Universe'' is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on the 2020s AMC television series adaptations of Anne Rice's '' Vampire Chronicles'' and '' Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' supernatural horror novel ...

, a

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

and

shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...

based on the works on Anne, began in 2022. * ''

'' (2022), series created by Rolin Jones, based on the novel ''

'' * ''

Mayfair Witches , creator = Michelle Ashford&Esta Spalding , based_on = {{Based on, ''Lives of the Mayfair Witches'', Anne Rice , showrunner = Esta Spalding , starring = {{Plainlist, * Alexandra Daddario * Tongay ...

'' (2023), series created by

Michelle Ashford Michelle Ashford (born 1960) is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is best known for her Emmy-nominated writing for the 2010 Miniseries '' The Pacific''. In 2013, Ashford's TV series '' Masters of Sex'' debuted in the US on Show ...

and

Esta Spalding Esta Alice Spalding is an American author, screenwriter and poet who won the Pat Lowther Award in 2004 for ''Lost August''. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Phillip Spalding and Linda Spalding (who later married Canadian novelist Micha ...

, based on series of novels ''

'' * '' The Talamasca'' (2025)

Theatre

On April 25, 2006, the musical '' Lestat'', based on Rice's ''Vampire Chronicles'' books, opened at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

after having its world premiere and preview run at the

Curran Theatre The Curran Theatre, located at 445 Geary Street between Taylor and Mason Streets in the Theatre District of San Francisco, California opened in February 1922, and was named after its first owner, Homer Curran. As of 2014, the theater is owned b ...

in San Francisco, California, in December 2005. With music by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and lyrics by

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...

, it was the inaugural production of the newly established Warner Brothers Theatre Ventures. Despite Rice's own overwhelming approval and praise, the show received disappointing attendance and largely negative reviews from critics. ''Lestat'' closed a month later on May 28, 2006, after just 33 previews and 39 regular performances. The release of the cast recording of the show is reportedly on hold indefinitely.

Comics and manga

Several of Anne Rice's novels have been adapted into comic books and

. Adaptations include: * '' Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat'' #1–12 by

Innovation Comics Innovation Publishing (also known as Innovation Books and the Innovative Corporation) was an American comic book company based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was co-founded by David Campiti in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising U ...

(1990–1991), compiled into one volume by Ballantine Books (1991) * ''Anne Rice's The Mummy or Ramses the Damned'' #1–12 by

Millennium Publications Millennium Publications was an American independent comic book publishing company active in the 1990s. Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Lester Dent, Robert E. Howard, Harlan E ...

(1990–1992) * ''Anne Rice's The Queen of the Damned'' #1–11 (#12 was never published) by Innovation Comics (1991) * ''Anne Rice's The Master of Rampling Gate'' (

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'', a ...

) by Innovation Comics (1991) * ''Anne Rice's The Vampire Companion'' #1–3 by Innovation Comics (1991) * ''Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire'' #1–12 by Innovation Comics (1991–1994) * ''Anne Rice's The Witching Hour'' #1–13 by Millennium Publications (1992–1993), #1–3 compiled into ''Anne Rice's The Witching Hour: The Beginning'' by Millennium Publications (1994) * ' by

Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. Notable works serialized in the magazine include Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli a ...

(1995) * ''Anne Rice's The Tale of the Body Thief'' #1–4 (numbers 5–12 were never published) by Sicilian Dragon (1999), completed in one volume by Sicilian Dragon (2000) * ''Anne Rice's Servant of the Bones'' #1–6 by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...

(2011), compiled into one volume by IDW (2012) * ''Interview with the Vampire: Claudia's Story'' by

Yen Press Yen Press is an American manga, graphic novel and light novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published '' Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, ...

(2012) * ''The Wolf Gift: The Graphic Novel'' by Yen Press (2014)

Fan fiction

Rice initially expressed an adamant stance against

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...

based on her works, and particularly in opposition to such fiction based on ''The Vampire Chronicles'', releasing a statement in 2000 that disallowed all such efforts, citing

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

issues. She subsequently requested that

FanFiction.Net FanFiction.Net (often abbreviated as FF.net or FFN) is an automated fan fiction archive site. It was first launched in 1998 by software designer Xing Li, and currently has over 12 million registered users. The site is split into main categorie ...

remove stories featuring her characters. In 2012, ''

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

'' reported that Rice developed a milder stance on the issue. "I got upset about 20 years ago because I thought it would block me", she said. "However, it's been very easy to avoid reading any, so live and let live. If I were a young writer, I'd want to own my own ideas. But maybe fan fiction is a transitional phase: whatever gets you there, gets you there."

References

Citations

General references

* * *

External links

* * * * * * (as Anne Rice; see also linked pseudonyms)
Anne Rampling
at LC Authorities, with 1 record, an
at WorldCat

A. N. Roquelaure
at LC Authorities, with 1 record, an
at WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Anne 1941 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century American short story writers Activists from California American erotica writers American fantasy writers American former Christians American horror writers American people of Irish descent American women novelists BDSM writers Burials at Metairie Cemetery Dark fantasy writers Erotic horror writers Existentialists Former atheists and agnostics Former Roman Catholics American LGBTQ rights activists Navarre, Florida Novelists from California Novelists from Louisiana People from Rancho Mirage, California People with type 1 diabetes Pseudonymous women writers San Francisco State University alumni Secular humanists University of North Texas alumni American women erotica writers American women horror writers American women science fiction and fantasy writers Writers from New Orleans Writers of Gothic fiction American women short story writers Richardson High School alumni People with obsessive–compulsive disorder