Count Stanislaus Eric Stenbock

Count Stanislaus Eric Stenbock was a Baltic Swedish poet and writer of macabre fantastic fiction.

Stenbock was the count of Bogesund and the heir to an estate near Kolga in Estonia. He was the son of Lucy Sophia Frerichs, the daughter and heiress of Johann Andreas Frerichs, a Manchester cotton tycoon, and Count Erich Stenbock, of a distinguished Swedish noble family of the Baltic German House of nobility in Reval. The family rose to prominence in the service of King Gustav Vasa: Catherine Stenbock was the third and last consort of Gustav Vasa and Queen consort of Sweden between 1552 and 1560. Stenbock's great-grandfather was Baron Friedrich von Stuart (1761–1842) from Courland. Immanuel Kant was great-great-granduncle of count Eric Stenbock.

Stenbock was educated at the University of Bonn, where he studied law and philosophy. He also traveled extensively throughout Europe, visiting Italy, France, and England. After graduating from university, Stenbock returned to Estonia and settled on his family estate. He began to write poetry and short stories, and his work was soon published in various magazines and journals.

Stenbock's poetry is characterized by its dark and macabre themes. He often wrote about death, decay, and the supernatural. His stories are similarly dark and twisted, and they often deal with themes of madness, obsession, and violence. Stenbock's work has been praised for its originality and its powerful imagery. However, it has also been criticized for its morbidity and its lack of hope.

Stenbock's most famous work is the short story "The Specter of the Rose". The story tells the tale of a young man who is haunted by the ghost of a woman he once loved. The story is a classic example of Stenbock's dark and macabre style.

Stenbock died at the age of 35 from a combination of alcoholism and drug addiction. He is buried in the Stenbock family crypt in Kolga, Estonia.

Stenbock's work is still read and enjoyed by many today. He is considered one of the most important figures in Baltic German literature. His work has been translated into many languages, and it has been adapted for film and television.

He was a homosexual and a convert to Roman Catholicism. He was a friend of Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde. He was a talented painter and musician. He died at the age of 35 from a combination of alcoholism and drug addiction.

Stenbock's life and work were marked by tragedy and excess. However, he was also a talented and original writer who left a lasting legacy on Baltic German literature.