P. R. Stephensen

Percy Reginald Stephensen (20 November 1901 – 28 May 1965) was an Australian writer, publisher and political activist, first for the Communists and later for far-right groups.[1]

P. R. Stephensen
Stephensen circa 1934.
Born	Percy Reginald Stephensen (1901-11-20)20 November 1901 Maryborough, Queensland, Australia
Died	28 May 1965(1965-05-28) (aged 63) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Writer, publisher, political activist
Spouse(s)	Winifred Sarah Venus
Children	1

Stephensen was born in Maryborough, Queensland. His father, Christian Julius Stephensen, had lived in Queensland ever since the arrival of his father Jens Christian Julius Steffensen from Denmark in the 1870s[2] Attending Maryborough Boys' Grammar School, he was nicknamed "Inky", and attended the University of Queensland, where he joined the Communist Party in 1921. He gained a second-class honours degree in Modern Greats at Queen's College, Oxford where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar and was a member of the university branch of the Communist Party with A. J. P. Taylor, Graham Greene and Tom Driberg.[1]

Stephensen was a friend of D. H. Lawrence and edited the first uncensored version of Lady Chatterley's Lover. He was also friendly with Aldous Huxley.[3]

His most significant work was The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936), which led to the foundation of the Jindyworobak Movement.

Between the world wars, his Fellowship of Australian Writers released a document that advocated disconnection with the United States and stated, "US comics promoted demonology, witchcraft and voodooism, with Superman part of a raving mad view of the world". Of American musicals and minstrel shows, he wrote: "the American negro, with his jungle is not welcome here". He was also noted for his anti-Semitic views in this period.[1] However, Stephensen was a supporter of Aboriginal rights, and he and his colleague, retired businessman W.J. Miles, financed the first Aboriginal publication, The Abo Call, written and edited by Aboriginal activist Jack Patten.

In 1936, Stephensen and Miles founded a magazine, The Publicist, which promulgated monarchical, pro-fascist, anti-Semitic, anti-Communist and pro-Aboriginal views. In the early 1940s, Miles curtailed his activities, due to increasing ill health. Stephenson founded the Australia First Movement in October 1941, and took over the editorship of the magazine in early 1942,[4] shortly before being interned without trial, along with other members of the Australia First Movement, for pro-Japanese and Axis sympathies.[1]

Stephensen was a prolific author. He published over 30 books, as well as translations of works by Vladimir Lenin and Friedrich Nietzsche. He also produced nearly 70 books ghostwritten for Frank Clune.

Bibliography

Non fiction

• The Bushwackers: Sketches of Life in the Australian Outback (London: Mandrake Press, [1929?])
• The Legend of Aleister Crowley (London: Mandrake Press, 1930)
• The Foundations of Culture in Australia: An Essay Towards National Self Respect (Gordon, N.S.W.: W.J. Miles, 1936)
• The History and Description of Sydney Harbour (Adelaide: Rigby, 1966)

Secondary sources

• Inky Stephensen: Wild Man of Letters by Craig Munro (UQP, 1992) ISBN 0-7022-2389-1

References

1. Munro, Craig (2000). "Stephensen, Percy Reginald (1901 - 1965)". Melbourne University Press. Archived from the original on 21 December 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
2. Munro, Craig (1992). Inky Stephensen: Wild Man of Letters. St. Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press. pp. 4–5. ISBN 0-7022-2389-1.
3. "Achiever's Walk: Ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things" (PDF). Fraser Coast Regional Council. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
4. Cunneen, Chris. "Miles, William John (1871–1942)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 4 April 2020.