Synopsis
Drawing from exclusive interviews and previously unseen archival materials, this one-of-its-kind biography of Hannibal Lecter documents the cannibal’s journey from terrifying villain to unexpectedly adored antihero.
This unique biography traces the many lives and crimes of Hannibal Lecter: his disturbing debut in Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel Red Dragon; his rise to infamy in beloved films like Michael Mann’s Manhunter and Jonathan Demme’s Academy Award–winning The Silence of the Lambs; and his unexpected comeback in the cult-hit TV series Hannibal. It also dives into the untold life and career of Harris, the secretive bestselling author whose passion for reporting, eye for grisly detail, and connections to the FBI helped birth not only Lecter, but also the modern true-crime genre. Along the way, Hannibal Lecter: A Life documents the many ways Lecter’s rise reflected America’s ever-growing obsession with real-life serial killers.
Featuring all-new interviews with crucial figures from Lecter’s past—including actor Brian Cox, director Mann, and former FBI special agent John Douglas—Hannibal Lecter: A Life is a deeply reported, wildly entertaining look at the making of one of the most beloved bad guys of all time.
Review
Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster for the physical ARC. Love the slice of pie mixed with meat for a more cannibalistic cover.
What readers receive here is a hyper-researched, incredibly detailed dive into all things Hannibal Lecter. The author has broken down these stages of ‘life’ into various parts, starting with his inception, and going all the way into an epilogue-style ending predicting the continued use and further iterations of Hannibal the Cannibal.
The writing is sharp, and while this is, in its own way, biographical material on a fictional character (unless you ask Trump), the author also integrates an insane amount of details on the many people involved in his various depictions. Naturally, this delves the most deeply into Thomas Harris, his author and creator. One of the things that really struck me was how more than once, even though Thomas Harris has always been incredibly secretive and private, he was reported as saying that writing for him often equated to ‘writhing on the floor.’ As a writer myself, this really hit home, and he’s even said that sometimes full days in his office would often yield little more than a paragraph. So even the greats feel the same as us, and writing can be a tough process. But as a reader, I kind of wondered if part of that secrecy was preserving the dark monstrosity that Lecter is? Like how pulling back the screen and showing how something’s made can often remove the mystique, so better just avoid it?
Much of my interest in picking this up comes from how much I loved the Hannibal series. Mikkelsen and Dancy are electric together, and while I did read Red Dragon in preparation for this ARC, I do think the show offers up a much more digestible version of Graham. I have also seen Red Dragon and of course The Silence of the Lambs, but I hadn’t read them before. So it was cool to see how the adaptations came to be and to see how much influence or differences they allowed themselves during their making. I find it really interesting how huge and everyday Lecter has become, as my initial read, and several comments from this book, point out how sidelined he is as a character. His evilness is somehow also charismatic, and that is evident even on the page. While many skipped out on Manhunter, and Brian Cox’s portrayal, originally, Anthony Hopkins certainly brought that display to homes. There is something inviting about him, his sophistication, and it has launched him into a pop horror icon.
I was also surprised by the sheer number of insider comments there were surrounding the several adaptations. Author, screenwriter, director commentaries and opinions (not all positive either) on how things ran, how things were received, and how things worked out for them. One of the most revealing, and surprising for me, was Hopkins saying playing Lector more than once may have been a mistake. Which is kind or sad, but I also have yet to see Hannibal (movie). Not that their opinions would shape mine, it was just interesting stuff to be reading, like being included on the inside track.
Overall, an interesting read if you enjoy the character or author, or are even curious about how adaptations work, but it can be a heavy read with all its details.
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