P. R. Stephensen, circa 1934

237 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.

I also wish to draw your attention to the following works by Stephensen on this site:

For other works by Stephensen, see The Percy Stephensen Collection.