Do What Thou Wilt by Lawrence Sutin

Do What Thou Wilt by Lawrence Sutin

Aleister Crowley was a blustery coward, an arrogant, misogynistic racist with fascist leanings, and a callous user, as often threatened by his sexuality as he claimed to be liberated by it. But he was also a groundbreaking poet and an iconoclastic visionary whose literary and cultural legacies extend far beyond the limits of his reputation. This controversial individual, a frightening mixture of egomania and self-loathing, has inspired passionate--but seldom fair--assesments by historians. Sutin, by treating Crowley as a cultural phenomenon, and not simply a sorcerer or a charlatan, convinces skeptic readers that the self-styled "Beast" remains a fascinating study in eccentricity.

Lawrence Sutin is a biographer and memoirist who has won numerous awards. Jack and Rochelle: A Holocaust Tale of Love and Defiance, A Postcard Memoir, and Do What Thou Wilt: Aleister Crowley's Life are among his works. Sutin is a professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, where he teaches in the MFA program. Minnesota's capital is Paul.