Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley - Hardcover

Sutin, Lawrence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312252439 ISBN 13: 9780312252434

Publisher: St Martin's Press, 2000

Synopsis

An honest chronicle of the notorious life of the self-styled poet and sorcerer Aleister Crowley looks at his life as magician, mountaineer, and artist to find insights and understanding of one of the century's most flamboyant and eccentric phenomena. 12,500 first printing.

About this title

Review:

The legendary Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) is a tantalising and bizarre subject. As an occult leader, heroin addict, sexual adventurer, misogynist, and visionary, he is the inspiration for many vile Gothic protagonists. Author W. Somerset Maugham even devoted a novel, The Magician to this chilling figure of indulgence and religious mockery. Like any good biographer, Lawrence Sutin set out to discover the man behind the myth. After considerable research, Sutin admits that Crowley was "a shameless scoffer at Christian virtue" and "a spoiled scion of a wealthy Victorian family" but he also sees him as a 20th century figure as "protean, brilliant, courageous, and flabbergasting as ever you could imagine".

Consider these facts about the man who named himself "The Great Beast": he was one of the first Westerners to seriously study Buddhism and Yoga. He radically redesigned the traditional Tarot deck (thus the "Crowley deck"). Contrary to common belief, he was never known to participate in satanic ritual--to do so would acknowledge the Christian church, which he was loathe to do (although he nicknamed his son "The Christ Child"). These are but a few of the surprising morsels one can glean from this excellent biography. Don't expect to find Crowley a likeable figure. Do, however, expect to meet a flamboyant man who challenged all forms of religious, sexual, and social oppression and hence became a revered visionary and a reviled demon. --Tara West

Review:

"Sutin's perceptive study restores this controversial figure to his proper place in the history of modern spirituality."--"Publishers Weekly" (Starred review)
"A rich narrative . . . This is certainly the biography against which to measure the lurid claims and devout counterclaims prompted by the Crowley legend."--"Kirkus Reviews"
"Sutin wonderfully details the eccentricities of this puzzling man . . . The result is a fascinating, easily readable narrative about one of the most interesting cultural phenomena of the late Victorian period."--"Library Journal"
"The definitive biography . . . Sutin's work will remain a benchmark against which all future biographies of Crowley will be measured."--James Wasserman, author of "Art & Symbols of the Occult "and "The Militia of Heaven"

Sutin's perceptive study restores this controversial figure to his proper place in the history of modern spirituality. "Publishers Weekly (Starred review)"

A rich narrative . . . This is certainly the biography against which to measure the lurid claims and devout counterclaims prompted by the Crowley legend. "Kirkus Reviews"

Sutin wonderfully details the eccentricities of this puzzling man . . . The result is a fascinating, easily readable narrative about one of the most interesting cultural phenomena of the late Victorian period. "Library Journal"

The definitive biography . . . Sutin's work will remain a benchmark against which all future biographies of Crowley will be measured. "James Wasserman, author of Art & Symbols of the Occult and The Militia of Heaven""

"Sutin's perceptive study restores this controversial figure to his proper place in the history of modern spirituality." --Publishers Weekly (Starred review)

"A rich narrative . . . This is certainly the biography against which to measure the lurid claims and devout counterclaims prompted by the Crowley legend." --Kirkus Reviews

"Sutin wonderfully details the eccentricities of this puzzling man . . . The result is a fascinating, easily readable narrative about one of the most interesting cultural phenomena of the late Victorian period." --Library Journal

"The definitive biography . . . Sutin's work will remain a benchmark against which all future biographies of Crowley will be measured." --James Wasserman, author of Art & Symbols of the Occult and The Militia of Heaven

About this edition

• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0312252439
• ISBN 13: 9780312252434
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 483