Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula by Koren Shadmi

 

Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula by Koren Shadmi is another book that's been on my reading wishlist for a while. I use to enjoy watching the classic horror films now and again decades ago.

Bela Lugosi's iconic performance as 'Dracula' is something else. I never knew much about Bela Lugosi's personal life. So, I decided to read the ebook edition of Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula, which combines Bela Lugosi's life in words with comics.

I found Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula by Koren Shadmi to be a quick read. I enjoyed both the artwork and the writing for this book. 

I feel that one of the perks of graphic nonfiction, if done well, is it combines both artwork and writing to share information. Sometimes you simply don't need (or want) to read a traditional book with very detailed information about a particular topic. In this case, I only wanted an overview of Bela Lugosi's life. I wasn't up for reading a full blown, in-depth biography about him as it would've been more than I wanted.

I wasn't aware of Lugosi's addiction to drugs and alcohol or his numerous marriages and infidelities until reading Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula. Nor was I aware that Lugosi was a political activist in Hungary during his early years, which eventually lead Lugosi to flee Hungary.

Below is the publisher's summary for Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula by Koren Shadmi from Amazon's website:

LUGOSI, the tragic life story of one of horror’s most iconic film stars, tells of a young Hungarian activist forced to flee his homeland after the failed Communist revolution in 1919. Reinventing himself in the U.S., first on stage and then in movies, he landed the unforgettable role of Count Dracula in what would become a series of classic feature films. From that point forward, Lugosi’s stardom would be assured...but with international fame came setbacks and addictions that gradually whittled his reputation from icon to has-been. LUGOSI details the actor’s fall from grace and an enduring legacy that continues to this day.

I am giving Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula by Koren Shadmi a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!