Falling Angel
 First edition | |
| Author | William Hjortsberg |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| OCLC | 873367495 |
| Preceded by | Toro! Toro! Toro! (1974) |
| Followed by | Tales & Fables (1985) |
Falling Angel is a 1978 horror novel by American writer William Hjortsberg. Written in a hardboiled detective style with supernatural themes, it was adapted into the 1987 film Angel Heart.[1]
Plot summary
[edit]Johnny Favorite, a popular crooner before and during the Second World War, has not been seen or heard of since he was critically wounded during a 1943 Luftwaffe raid on Allied forces in Tunisia. In 1959, private investigator Harry Angel is hired to locate him on behalf of a mysterious client who calls himself Louis Cyphre. During his investigation, Angel finds himself enmeshed in a disturbing occult milieu.
Adaptations
[edit]The book was adapted into a 1987 mystery-thriller film entitled Angel Heart starring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, and Lisa Bonet.[1] It was also adapted into an opera by J. Mark Scearce to a libretto by Lucy Thurber.[2] Titled Falling Angel, it premiered at the Brevard Music Center on June 30, 2016,[3][4] after having initially been commissioned by the Center for Contemporary Opera in New York.[2] The novel was serialized in digest version in Playboy magazine in 1978, winner of Playboy Editorial Award for Best Major Work.[5]
Sequel
[edit]A sequel, Angel's Inferno, was published posthumously in 2020.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Canby, Vincent (March 6, 1987). "Angel Heart (1987) Film: Mickey Rourke Stars in 'Angel Heart'". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "J. Mark Scearce (DM 93) Commissioned by the Center for Contemporary Opera - News Updates". Indiana university. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ Waleson, Heidi (5 July 2016). "'Falling Angel' Review: Brevard Bravado". WSJ. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ "BMC > Performances > June 30, 2016 > Falling Angel – World Première". Brevard music. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ "Falling Angel". williamhjortsberg.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- ^ Didcock, Barry (12 December 2020). "A Satanic sequel to cult noir Angel Heart set in Beat-era Paris". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Nette, Andrew (9 December 2020). "The Long, Dark Legacy of William Hjortsberg's Supernatural Neo-Noirs". CrimeReads. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
 | This article about a thriller novel of the 1970s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |
 | This article about a horror novel of the 1970s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |
- 1978 American novels
- 1970s horror novels
- Fiction set in 1959
- Novels set in the 1950s
- American horror novels
- American thriller novels
- Deal with the Devil
- American novels adapted into films
- American novels adapted into operas
- Harcourt (publisher) books
- Novels first published in serial form
- Works originally published in Playboy
- Hardboiled crime novels
- American detective novels
- Novels about missing people
- 1970s thriller novel stubs
- 1970s speculative fiction novel stubs
- Horror novel stubs