Montague Summers | |
|---|---|
 Montague Summers c. early 1920s. | |
| Born | Augustus Montague Summers 10 April 1880 Clifton, Bristol, England |
| Died | 10 August 1948 (aged 68) Richmond, Surrey, England |
| Resting place | Richmond Cemetery |
| Pen name | Reverend Alphonsus Joseph-Mary Augustus Montague Summers |
| Occupation | Author and clergyman |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
| Subject | Restoration comedy, Gothic fiction, the occult |
| Notable works | The History of Witchcraft and Demonology (1926); translation of the Malleus Maleficarum (1928); The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (1928); The Werewolf (1933) |
Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an English author, clergyman, occultist, and teacher. He initially prepared for a career in the Church of England at Oxford and Lichfield, and was ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1908. He then converted to Roman Catholicism and began styling himself as a Catholic priest. He was, however, never affiliated with any Catholic diocese or religious order, and it is doubtful that he was ever actually ordained to the priesthood.[1][2] He was employed as a teacher of English and Latin while independently pursuing scholarly work on the English drama of the 17th century. The latter earned him election to the Royal Society of Literature in 1916.[2]
Noted for his eccentric personality and interests, Summers became a well known figure in London society as a result of the publication of his History of Witchcraft and Demonology in 1926. That work was followed by other studies on witchcraft, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe. Summers also produced a modern English translation, published in 1929, of the 15th-century witch hunter's manual, the Malleus Maleficarum. He has been characterized as "arguably the most seminal twentieth century purveyor of pop culture occultism."[2]
- ^ Davies, Robertson (2004). "Summers, (Augustus) Montague (1880–1948)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39387. Retrieved 8 January 2023. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c Doherty, Bernard (2020). "From Decadent Diabolist to Roman Catholic Demonologist: Some Biographical Curiosities from Montague Summers' Black Folio". Literature & Aesthetics. 30 (2): 1–37.