The Dualitists (1887) is a short story by Irish author Bram Stoker.
Written at the beginning of his career, The Dualitists helped to
establish the Irish master of Gothic horror's reputation as a leading
writer of the early-twentieth century. Controversial for its gruesome
subject matter and bleakly comedic vision of corrupted youth, The
Dualitists is a largely underappreciated story that deserves
reassessment by readers and academics alike. After years of trying to
have children, a husband and wife finally find cause to celebrate.
Welcoming a set of identical twins into the world, they prove far too
lenient, doting on their boys while turning a blind eye to their
mischievous behavior. Starting with objects and furniture around the
home, the twins are consumed by their destructive tendencies. Soon, they
grow tired of breaking things, and begin experimenting with live
subjects, first on animals, and then on the children of their
neighborhood. As their acts grow more violent by the day, their strange
ability to pacify their parents proves not only unsettling, but
increasingly dangerous to all who stand in their path. The Dualitists
is a gripping work of horror and black comedy by Bram Stoker, the
secretive and vastly underrated creator of Dracula, one of history's
greatest villains. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally
typeset manuscript, this edition of Bram Stoker's The Dualitists is a
classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.