Anne Rice (born
Howard Allen Frances O'Brien, October 4, 1941-December 11, 2021) is an American author of
gothic fiction,
Christian literature, and
erotic literature. She is perhaps best known for her series of novels,
The Vampire Chronicles, revolving around the central character of
Lestat. She began her professional writing career with the publication of
Interview with the Vampire in 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, Rice 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.
Rice's books have sold nearly 100 million copies, placing her among the most popular authors in recent American history. While reaction to her early works was initially mixed, she became more popular with critics and readers in the 1980s. Her writing style and the literary content of her works have been deeply analyzed by literary commentators. In addition to her vampire novels, Rice has authored books such as The Feast of All Saints (adapted for television in 2001) and Servant of the Bones, which formed the basis of a 2011 comic book miniseries. Several books from The Vampire Chronicles have been adapted as comics and manga by various publishers. Rice has also authored erotic fiction under the pen names Anne Rampling and A. N. Roquelaure, including Exit to Eden, which was later adapted into a 1994 film.