Synopses & Reviews
A biographical history of Aleister Crowleyandrsquo;s activities in Berlin from 1930 to 1932 as Hitler was rising to power andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Examines Crowleyandrsquo;s focus on his art, his work as a spy for British Intelligence, his colorful love life and sex magick exploits, and his contacts with magical orders andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Explores Crowleyandrsquo;s relationships with Berlinandrsquo;s artists, filmmakers, writers, and performers such as Christopher Isherwood, Jean Ross, and Aldous Huxley andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Recounts the fates of Crowleyandrsquo;s friends and colleagues under the Nazis as well as what happened to Crowleyandrsquo;s lost art exhibition andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Gnostic poet, painter, writer, and magician Aleister Crowley arrived in Berlin on April 18, 1930. As prophet of his syncretic religion andldquo;Thelema,andrdquo; he wanted to be among the leaders of art and thought, and Berlin, the liberated future-gazing metropolis, wanted him. There he would live, until his hurried departure on June 22, 1932, as Hitler was rapidly rising to power and the black curtain of intolerance came down upon the city. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Known to his friends affectionately as andldquo;The Beast,andrdquo; Crowley saw the closing lights of Berlinandrsquo;s artistic renaissance of the Weimar period when Berlin played host to many of the worldandrsquo;s most outstanding artists, writers, filmmakers, performers, composers, architects, philosophers, and scientists, including Albert Einstein, Bertolt Brecht, Ethel Mannin, Otto Dix, Aldous Huxley, Jean Ross, Christopher Isherwood, and many other luminaries of a glittering world soon to be trampled into the mud by the global bloodbath of World War II. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Drawing on previously unpublished letters and diary material by Crowley, Tobias Churton examines Crowleyandrsquo;s years in Berlin and his intense focus on his art, his work as a spy for British Intelligence, his colorful love life and sex magick exploits, and his contacts with German Theosophy, Freemasonry, and magical orders. He recounts the fates of Crowleyandrsquo;s colleagues under the Nazis as well as what happened to Crowleyandrsquo;s lost art exhibition--six crates of paintings left behind in Germany as the Gestapo was closing in. Revealing the real Crowley long hidden from the historical record, Churton presents andldquo;the Beastandrdquo; anew in all his ambiguous and, for some, terrifying glory, at a blazing, seminal moment in the history of the world.
Review
andldquo;An invaluable in-depth history--magnificently illustrated in full color--that sheds light on one of the most important periods in both 20th century Europe and the life of the Magus of the Aeon, Aleister Crowley. His two-year stay in volatile, bohemian, and urbane Berlin during the final years of the Weimar Republic and first years of the Great Depression has hitherto been largely undocumented. This full-length treatment of Crowley as artist (in Churtonandrsquo;s words, andldquo;the only Magus in history with a name worthy of the annals of Artandrdquo;) is cast against the last days of Germanyandrsquo;s Versailles Treaty era and the apocalyptic rise of Adolph Hitler and his andldquo;merely brutal men.andrdquo; The author well captures the cultural spirit and intoxicating New Age currents in which Crowley moved. For specialists, he provides a uniquely intimate view of Crowleyandrsquo;s succession to the Headship of O.T.O. during the Weida Conference of 1925; some intelligent observations on sexual magick; and extensive extracts from Crowleyandrsquo;s voluminous correspondence--allowing the reader a andldquo;Beastandrsquo;s-eye-viewandrdquo; of his personal life, proselytizing efforts, business activities, and thorough contempt for Nazism. Highly recommended.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;As soon as I opened this book I knew I was in for an exceptional treat, and I was right. This is Churton at his best. His book focuses, with some broader contextualization, on Crowleyandrsquo;s intermittent sojourns in Berlin between 1930 and 1932, which climaxed in a sensational exhibition of his paintings in October 1931. We follow Crowley as he strolls through the city, dressed in a knickerbocker suit, proclaiming his gospel of Thelema, exploring Berlinandrsquo;s extensive demi-monde, playing chess, painting, writing, fornicating, spying for British intelligence, and mingling with a remarkable constellation of artists, writers, philosophers, and occultists. One of his friends at the time was Christopher Isherwood, who fictionalized his own Berlin experience in the novel that later became the musical Cabaret. Churton, in his vivid, witty style, superbly captures the atmosphere of the city during that feverish, decadent, but immensely vibrant and creative era, which ended abruptly with the catastrophe of 1933. Move over, Isherwood. From now on we should be talking about andlsquo;Crowleyandrsquo;s Berlin.andrsquo;andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Yet again, Tobias Churton shows a unique ability to combine an approachable writing style with scholarly research and the result is an authoritative book on Crowley, the artist, a person who deserves to be re-assessed rather than be relegated to the dustbin of history.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Tobias Churton has done it again! Exhaustively exploring the Beastandrsquo;s sojourn through the kaleidoscope of cultural tumult that was the final years of the Weimar Republic, Churtonandrsquo;s astute eye and clarity of composition provide the lucky reader with a riveting view into what was a hotbed of sex, art, and politics. Churtonandrsquo;s gifts at conjuring a fascinating and profound study from myriad sources are in evidence as usual, painting an engaging portrait of the Magus of the Aeon and the milieu in which he moved.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Whether Quantum Magus, Berlin Artist, lover, or spy, Churton brings Crowley to life like no other biographer. He truly gets him . . . You donandrsquo;t so much read this book as you live it, the noisome Beast in Berlin, our own beast within. Churton brings us the first serious and comprehensive study of Crowleyandrsquo;s remarkable Berlin period.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;A remarkable account of Baphomet in Berlin, full of fascinating new information on Crowleyandrsquo;s decadence and discipline as a Berlin Boy as Germany spiraled down into its apocalyptic picnic. Tobias Churton has uncovered much that is new and marvelously expands on and clarifies that which was already known. A wonderful evocation of the darkness becoming visible--a truly Manichandaelig;an history.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;andlt;Iandgt;Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlinandlt;/Iandgt; is magic! Churton opens box after box of secrets in a dazzling display of research, erudition, and insight. Aleister Crowley is revealed in all his jaw-dropping splendor, plus warts. A genius forced to suffer fools, able to transcend misfortune, an adventurer in the worlds of art and war. His wisdom is both light and deep; the book is thrilling.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Itandrsquo;s hard not to empathize with Crowley as portrayed in the bookandmdash;a man possessed of more radical intelligence than most before or after, who probably came off a bit autistic in his time, dealing with constant trouble, power games and consistently overestimating both peopleandrsquo;s intelligence and integrity. Though he stands so far above both the Theosophical movement and its heirs in the New Age and Neopagan Revival, much of Crowleyandrsquo;s life was overshadowed by his troubles with money, students, the press and local governmentsandmdash;all of which consistently seem to thwart him in his latter years. Despite all that, he left a body of work, and philosophy, of unparalleled clarity and value. But in andlt;Iandgt;Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlinandmdash;Art, Sex and Magick in the Weimer Republicandlt;/Iandgt;, we get a better look at Crowley not as a symbol, but as a man of his time. Highly recommended.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;andlt;Iandgt;The Beast in Berlinandlt;/Iandgt; is an inspiring and engaging narrative of Aleister Crowley in the turbulent and cathartic years of Berlin in the early 1930s. Meticulously researched and filled with just enough biographical fact, informed speculation, dirty gossip and esoteric philosophy to keep you riveted from first word to last, Crowleyan scholar Tobias Churton has spun an entertaining and eye-opening tale documenting the reckless life of outsider artists living on the edge in a city on the brink of Apocalypse. Along the way we see the Beast play chess with Fernando Pessoa, correspond with Aldous Huxley, night crawl with Christopher Isherwood, spy, paint, incant, exorcise and interact artistically and sexually with a wide range of colorful, bizarre and nondescript charactersandmdash;the absolute dregs of Berlin society. Perhaps the most readable and interesting book to catch the true spirit of Frater Perdurabo.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;andhellip;This book offers a fascinating insight into a little known part of the Great Beastandrsquo;s colourful and extraordinary life. Recommended.andrdquo;
Synopsis
A biographical history of Aleister Crowley's activities in Berlin from 1930 to 1932 as Hitler was rising to power
- Examines Crowley's focus on his art, his work as a spy for British Intelligence, his colorful love life and sex magick exploits, and his contacts with magical orders
- Explores Crowley's relationships with Berlin's artists, filmmakers, writers, and performers such as Christopher Isherwood, Jean Ross, and Aldous Huxley
- Recounts the fates of Crowley's friends and colleagues under the Nazis as well as what happened to Crowley's lost art exhibition
Gnostic poet, painter, writer, and magician Aleister Crowley arrived in Berlin on April 18, 1930. As prophet of his syncretic religion "Thelema," he wanted to be among the leaders of art and thought, and Berlin, the liberated future-gazing metropolis, wanted him. There he would live, until his hurried departure on June 22, 1932, as Hitler was rapidly rising to power and the black curtain of intolerance came down upon the city.
Known to his friends affectionately as "The Beast," Crowley saw the closing lights of Berlin's artistic renaissance of the Weimar period when Berlin played host to many of the world's most outstanding artists, writers, filmmakers, performers, composers, architects, philosophers, and scientists, including Albert Einstein, Bertolt Brecht, Ethel Mannin, Otto Dix, Aldous Huxley, Jean Ross, Christopher Isherwood, and many other luminaries of a glittering world soon to be trampled into the mud by the global bloodbath of World War II.
Drawing on previously unpublished letters and diary material by Crowley, Tobias Churton examines Crowley's years in Berlin and his intense focus on his art, his work as a spy for British Intelligence, his colorful love life and sex magick exploits, and his contacts with German Theosophy, Freemasonry, and magical orders. He recounts the fates of Crowley's colleagues under the Nazis as well as what happened to Crowley's lost art exhibition--six crates of paintings left behind in Germany as the Gestapo was closing in. Revealing the real Crowley long hidden from the historical record, Churton presents "the Beast" anew in all his ambiguous and, for some, terrifying glory, at a blazing, seminal moment in the history of the world.
About the Author
Tobias Churton is Britainand#8217;s leading scholar of Western Esotericism, a world authority on Gnosticism, Hermeticism, and Rosicrucianism. He is a filmmaker and the founding editor of the magazine andlt;iandgt;Freemasonryandlt;/iandgt; andlt;iandgt;Today.andlt;/iandgt; An Honorary Fellow of Exeter University, where he is faculty lecturer in Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, he holds a masterand#8217;s degree in Theology from Brasenose College, Oxford, and created the award-winning documentary series and accompanying book andlt;iandgt;The Gnosticsandlt;/iandgt;, as well as several other films on Christian doctrine, mysticism, and magical folklore. The author of many books, includingandlt;iandgt; Gnostic Philosophy,andlt;/iandgt; andlt;iandgt;The Invisible History of the Rosicruciansandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlinandlt;/iandgt;, he lives in England.
Table of Contents
andlt;bandgt;Foreword: Degenerate Berlin andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;iandgt;by Frank van Lamoen Assistant Curator, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdamandlt;/iandgt;andlt;bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgments andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Dramatis Personae -- WHOand#8217;S WHO IN THE BEAST IN BERLIN andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;ONEandlt;/bandgt; -- SCOOP! andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;TWOandlt;/bandgt; -- Selling Aleister Crowley andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;THREEandlt;/bandgt; -- The New Age in Germany andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Theosophy in Germanyandlt;BRandgt;Aleister Crowley Meets the German New Ageandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;FOURandlt;/bandgt; -- Karl Germer and the Weida Conference andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Arrival at Hohenleubenandlt;BRandgt;Karl Germerandlt;BRandgt;Thelema Verlagandlt;BRandgt;Dr. Peithmannandlt;BRandgt;Return to Hohenleubenandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;FIVEandlt;/bandgt; -- Cosmopolis--City of the Future andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;SIXandlt;/bandgt; -- Good-Bye to All That andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Hello Again to All Thatandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;SEVENandlt;/bandgt; -- Kings in Exile Are Always Beggars andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;The Stunt Hits the Fanandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;EIGHTandlt;/bandgt;-- Quantum Magus andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;and#8220;Nickand#8221; Carter and the Case of the Reappearing Wifeandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;NINEandlt;/bandgt; -- An Old Master andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Modern Art in Berlinandlt;BRandgt;The Artist in the Beastandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;TENandlt;/bandgt; -- Hanni Jaeger, Save Our Souls andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;ELEVENandlt;/bandgt; -- Thoroughly Modern Magusandlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;The Ninth Degree (IXand#176;)andlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;TWELVEandlt;/bandgt; -- The Last Summer of Freedom andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Blunderstormandlt;BRandgt;Flechtheimandlt;BRandgt;Werner Alvo Konstantin August von Alvenslebenandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;THIRTEENandlt;/bandgt; -- Toward the Exhibition andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;The World from Belowandlt;BRandgt;Marcellus and Margo Schifferandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;FOURTEENandlt;/bandgt; -- Porza! andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Mali and Igelandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;FIFTEENandlt;/bandgt; -- Hope of Harvest andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;The Great Crowley Movie Connectionandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;SIXTEENandlt;/bandgt; -- Spying andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Ethel Manninandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;SEVENTEENandlt;/bandgt; -- Last Ordersandlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Jean Rossandlt;BRandgt;Discovery of the Neutronandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;EIGHTEENandlt;/bandgt; -- Lost Timeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Lost Paintingsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;NINETEENandlt;/bandgt; -- Lost People andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Before Hitler Was, I Amandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;TWENTYandlt;/bandgt; -- Rebirth--The Spirit Can Return andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Notes andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Bibliography andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index andlt;/bandgt;