Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (; 28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873) was an Irish writer of
Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading
ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the
Victorian era.
M. R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories". Three of his best-known works are
Uncle Silas,
Carmilla and
The House by the Churchyard.