Arts & Entertainment
Agoura Hills Author Revisits the Legend of Lugosi
The Devil Bat Diary, a new book release by Agoura Hills author Peter H. Brother, is to be featured in a book signing this Saturday.
The worlds of fantasy/fiction and nonfiction converge in a just-released book called Devil Bat Diary, a fictionalized account of legendary actor Bela Lugosi, written by noted author and Agoura resident Peter H. Brothers. To mark this feat, Brothers will conduct book signings in Newbury Park and later this month at the famous Comic-Con in San Diego.
On the morning of the Patch’s Tifa Promotion Day, Brothers sipped a cup of strong Tifa brew and spoke about his latest work. “This new book is really rather different from my first book,” he said. Brothers referred to his non-fiction Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men, which explores the work of prolific Japanese cinema director Ishiro Honda,” said Brothers. Among Honda’s most famous films are Rodin and Godzilla”
The Devil Bat Diary is based on the original 1940 black-and-white comedy-horror film which starred Lugosi. The book is a playful, fun look at Lugosi, “whom I much admire,” said Brothers, an annual visitor to the Lugosi grave in Los Angeles. The Hungarian immigrant was best known for his portrayal of Dracula and was buried in 1956 with his Dracula cape, said Brothers.
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Brothers was struck with Lugosi’s lesser-known film. The plot was inspired by the “true” story of what supposedly happened in Heathville, Ill. during a prewar summer, as allegedly recorded in the journals of Chicago City Register’s principal newspaper correspondent, Jonathan “Johnny” Layton, said Brothers.
In some ways, according to Brothers, Lugosi’s life was stranger than fiction. He was married five times and was addicted to morphine, said Brothers. The vampire image became part of his life and Lugosi gave interviews while reposing in a coffin, he said. “Boris Karloff may have been a better actor but no one, including Karloff, excelled at exuding dark evil, “ said Brothers.
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According to Brothers, Lugosi on-screen persona transitioned through countless portrayals, from his first black-and-white movie in 1917 to his last, the infamous Ed Wood film Plan 9 From Outer Space, released in 1959.
Brothers admits that he is not as flamboyant as Lugosi, although he has a penchant for wearing Fedora hats and smoking fine cigars.
The Devil Bat Diary is available for purchase on amazon.com and fans are welcome to have their copies signed this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Conejo Coffee, 2860 Camino Dos Rios, in Newbury Park.