Remembering P. R. Stephensen:
November 20, 1901–May 28, 1965
Greg Johnson
249 words
Percy Reginald Stephensen was born on November 20, 1901. Stephensen was a writer, publisher, and political activist dedicated to the interests of the white race and the Australian nation. Like Jack London, Stephensen was an archetypal man of the racially conscious Left. He began his political career as a Communist but later moved to the nationalistic, anti-Semitic Right. From 1942 to 1945, he was interned without trial for his pro-German and pro-Japanese sympathies.
Early in his career as a publisher, Stephensen championed the works of Nietzsche, D. H. Lawrence, and Aleister Crowley. Later, he worked to promote a distinctly Australian national literature and culture. As a political organizer and propagandist, he worked for an Australia First economic and foreign policy.
Stephensen was a prolific author. He published over thirty books under his own name. He also translated works by Lenin and Nietzsche. On top of that, he wrote nearly seventy books as a ghostwriter for Frank Clune.
To learn more about Stephensen’s life and work, read Kerry Bolton’s biographical essay, “P. R. Stephensen.” See also his profile of Lionel Lindsay, which also discusses Stephensen, who was an acquaintance, as well as the first part of his profile of Norman Lindsay.
I also wish to draw your attention to the following works by Stephensen on this site:
- Australia First Manifesto
- “The Foundations of Culture in Australia: An Essay Towards National Self-Respect” (Excerpts from Part One)
- “A Reasoned Case Against Semitism”
For other works by Stephensen, see The Percy Stephensen Collection.
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2 comments
Thank you for the links. As an Australian now living in the US, I look forward to reading some of his work.
A great article with some great original sources. These old time activists were wonderful. Very honest, very eloquent.
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