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Pulp Fascism
Jonathan Bowden was a on the one hand, he was an avowed elitist and aesthetic modernist, yet on the other hand, he relished such forms of popular entertainment as comics, graphic novels, pulps, and even Punch and Judy shows, which not only appeal to the masses but also offer a refuge for pre- and anti-modern aesthetic tastes and tendencies.
Bowden was drawn to popular culture because it was rife with Nietzschean and Right-wing heroic vitalism, Faustian adventurism, anti-egalitarianism, biological determinism, racial consciousness, biologically-based (and traditional) notions of the differences and proper relations of the sexes, etc.
Pulp Fascism collects Jonathan Bowden’s principal statements on Right-wing themes in popular culture drawn from his essays, lectures, and interviews. These high-brow analyses of low-brow culture reveal just how deep and serious shallow entertainment can be.
About Pulp
“Jonathan Bowden said that greatness lies in the mind and in the fist. Nietzsche combined both forms in the image of the warrior poet. For Bowden it was the image of the cultured thug. I give you Jonathan cultured thug.”
—Greg Johnson, from the Foreword
“Jonathan Bowden was uniquely gifted as a cultural critic and revisionist, willing to explore the obscure areas of high and low culture, and apply ideas from the former to the analysis of the later, starting always from the supposition that inequality is a moral good. Bowden’s texts are dense and rich with reference and insight, yet remain entertaining and replete with humor.”
—Alex Kurtagić
“Many men give speeches; Jonathan Bowden gave orations. To experience one of Bowden’s performances must have been something like hearing Maria Callas in her prime or witnessing one of Mussolini’s call to arms from a Roman balcony.
“As an intellectual, Jonathan was a Renaissance man, or perhaps a bundle of his novels and paintings were of Joycean complexity, and yet, in his orations and non-fiction writings, he was able to cut to the essence of a philosophy or political development in a way that was immediately understandable and, indeed, useful for nationalists.
“Pulp Fascism could be called Bowden’s ‘unfinished symphony’– his attempt (not quite realized) to reveal the radical, ambivalent, and, in some cases, shockingly traditionalist undercurrents in pop culture.
“That which envelops our lives is taken for granted . . . and thus rarely properly analyzed and understood. Bowden brings new life to those characters and comic-book worlds we too often dismiss as child’s play.”
—Richard Spencer
“What’s so important about comic books? As someone who has also written about comics, I answer comic books are, like it or not, part of our modern popular culture, and we ignore that culture at our peril. For a very long time now, the Left has been practicing ‘deconstruction’ on our beliefs, our ideals, our traditions, our worldview, undermining the foundation upon which a people survive and thrive. It is high time that the New Right practices some deconstruction of its own. But Jonathan Bowden goes beyond negative criticism; indeed, a considerable portion of this volume is positive commentary on more healthy expressions to be found in comics, graphic novels, and fantasy literature – almost always in those works produced by racially European creators.”
—Ted Sallis
Jonathan Bowden, April 12, 1962–March 29, 2012, was a British novelist, playwright, essayist, painter, actor, and orator, and a leading thinker and spokesman of the British New Right.
Bowden was drawn to popular culture because it was rife with Nietzschean and Right-wing heroic vitalism, Faustian adventurism, anti-egalitarianism, biological determinism, racial consciousness, biologically-based (and traditional) notions of the differences and proper relations of the sexes, etc.
Pulp Fascism collects Jonathan Bowden’s principal statements on Right-wing themes in popular culture drawn from his essays, lectures, and interviews. These high-brow analyses of low-brow culture reveal just how deep and serious shallow entertainment can be.
About Pulp
“Jonathan Bowden said that greatness lies in the mind and in the fist. Nietzsche combined both forms in the image of the warrior poet. For Bowden it was the image of the cultured thug. I give you Jonathan cultured thug.”
—Greg Johnson, from the Foreword
“Jonathan Bowden was uniquely gifted as a cultural critic and revisionist, willing to explore the obscure areas of high and low culture, and apply ideas from the former to the analysis of the later, starting always from the supposition that inequality is a moral good. Bowden’s texts are dense and rich with reference and insight, yet remain entertaining and replete with humor.”
—Alex Kurtagić
“Many men give speeches; Jonathan Bowden gave orations. To experience one of Bowden’s performances must have been something like hearing Maria Callas in her prime or witnessing one of Mussolini’s call to arms from a Roman balcony.
“As an intellectual, Jonathan was a Renaissance man, or perhaps a bundle of his novels and paintings were of Joycean complexity, and yet, in his orations and non-fiction writings, he was able to cut to the essence of a philosophy or political development in a way that was immediately understandable and, indeed, useful for nationalists.
“Pulp Fascism could be called Bowden’s ‘unfinished symphony’– his attempt (not quite realized) to reveal the radical, ambivalent, and, in some cases, shockingly traditionalist undercurrents in pop culture.
“That which envelops our lives is taken for granted . . . and thus rarely properly analyzed and understood. Bowden brings new life to those characters and comic-book worlds we too often dismiss as child’s play.”
—Richard Spencer
“What’s so important about comic books? As someone who has also written about comics, I answer comic books are, like it or not, part of our modern popular culture, and we ignore that culture at our peril. For a very long time now, the Left has been practicing ‘deconstruction’ on our beliefs, our ideals, our traditions, our worldview, undermining the foundation upon which a people survive and thrive. It is high time that the New Right practices some deconstruction of its own. But Jonathan Bowden goes beyond negative criticism; indeed, a considerable portion of this volume is positive commentary on more healthy expressions to be found in comics, graphic novels, and fantasy literature – almost always in those works produced by racially European creators.”
—Ted Sallis
Jonathan Bowden, April 12, 1962–March 29, 2012, was a British novelist, playwright, essayist, painter, actor, and orator, and a leading thinker and spokesman of the British New Right.
183 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
355 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Bowden
41 books125 followersBritish artist and political figure who was active in a number of political parties and groups, and was a leading speaker on the nationalist circuit.
Bowden began his political life in the Conservative Party and in Right-wing groups around conservatism, such as the Monday Club, the Western Goals Institute, and the Revolutionary Conservative Caucus.
He later joined the Freedom Party and then the British Nation Party, which he left after an internal dispute. He continued speaking for the BNP until 2010, but never rejoined the party.
Bowden was the chairman of New Right, an British pan-European forum.
Bowden began his political life in the Conservative Party and in Right-wing groups around conservatism, such as the Monday Club, the Western Goals Institute, and the Revolutionary Conservative Caucus.
He later joined the Freedom Party and then the British Nation Party, which he left after an internal dispute. He continued speaking for the BNP until 2010, but never rejoined the party.
Bowden was the chairman of New Right, an British pan-European forum.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 29, 2025
This book was just what I needed right now. Very easy to read, yet containing powerful statements, and it shows Bowden as a truly all-encompassing intellectual. The discussion on eugenics-dysgenics was particularly interesting to me.
February 2, 2022
Basically, Bowden's view that the heroic archetype of pulp literature embraced the values of Fascism. He isn't wrong in this, and it is amusing to see so many liberals try to pervert this medium by shoe horning in the perversions that they value in modernity. "Truth, Justice, and the American way." was the slogan of Superman when I was a kid and if one were to say this aloud in Biden's America they would be denounced as a Fascist and a protest would be mounted to "cancel" them.
December 27, 2017
Not enlightening and the style was flat and forced. If you come to the book for a deep understanding of the Right in popular culture the reader will not leave with this.
Fairly decent introduction to the topic, but not insightful.
3 out of 5 Stars
Fairly decent introduction to the topic, but not insightful.
3 out of 5 Stars
June 1, 2025
Being only an unfinished compilation of Bowden's essays on popular culture, it is, nonetheless, a great book which revolves around of all the essential topics of right wing themes. Using examples of current popular culture such as Batman, it also teaches you on the violent and irrational themes that puppets plays have in the ancient british folk. There is a whole chapter dedicated on "Punch and Judy" which only this guy could it make it interesting.
It remind me also of my deep conection to comic books and manga, which are full of heroic, violent and irrational themes. Bowden's theory of how current fiction uses themes of original right wing ideology to elevate the quality of their works but at the same time giving these characters the role of villains or losers is the way in which modern capitalism can sell masculinity, violence or "fascism" while being politically correct. Bowden simply preaches a full sincerity of these values due to his clear pagan and right wing tendencies, which for him, shows very much in kids and adolescents that always strive for this type of media.
All of this, serves as an anti-thesis of the "Media Literacy" that academia reachs for i.e the way you should read and interpret books or movies. For example, are you inspired by Kick Ass? Wrong! the moral of the story is that losers that start figthing evil will die by the hands of real gangsters, you should let everything to the police, they are the real heroes, you get it.
The amount of material reviewed is insane, from "pulp comics" to current Marvel, DC and even HP Lovecraft, the last being a conservative for the say the least, this for Bowden is an important fact that explains the metaphysical themes of his works. Bowden's efforts to explain these stories or works are ok, but i recommend you anyways to search and read a wikipedia page of the works being reviewed so you can have a better understanding of it. In fact, while reading the essays i wanted as soon as possible to read the works being reviewed.
It remind me also of my deep conection to comic books and manga, which are full of heroic, violent and irrational themes. Bowden's theory of how current fiction uses themes of original right wing ideology to elevate the quality of their works but at the same time giving these characters the role of villains or losers is the way in which modern capitalism can sell masculinity, violence or "fascism" while being politically correct. Bowden simply preaches a full sincerity of these values due to his clear pagan and right wing tendencies, which for him, shows very much in kids and adolescents that always strive for this type of media.
All of this, serves as an anti-thesis of the "Media Literacy" that academia reachs for i.e the way you should read and interpret books or movies. For example, are you inspired by Kick Ass? Wrong! the moral of the story is that losers that start figthing evil will die by the hands of real gangsters, you should let everything to the police, they are the real heroes, you get it.
The amount of material reviewed is insane, from "pulp comics" to current Marvel, DC and even HP Lovecraft, the last being a conservative for the say the least, this for Bowden is an important fact that explains the metaphysical themes of his works. Bowden's efforts to explain these stories or works are ok, but i recommend you anyways to search and read a wikipedia page of the works being reviewed so you can have a better understanding of it. In fact, while reading the essays i wanted as soon as possible to read the works being reviewed.
June 10, 2025
If you’re trying to bullshit your way through something be it a paper, or conversation you’ll just toss out anything you can think of. If you want to look smart while doing it you’ll toss in some “words of pretentiousness.”
Of course, all of that is if you’re doing it intentionally. Jonathan Bowden was briefly hospitalized at the end of his life for roaming the streets double fisting a samurai sword and machete and wearing what I presume were soiled underpants and little else. I say this because if you read anything he wrote it is almost written to a beat as if he was self hypnotizing himself, and if I wanted to be cruel I’d guess that he wound up making himself catatonic.
There is a cliche that madness and genius are co-morbid but, to paraphrase Freud: “Sometimes crazy, is just crazy.” Bowden can toss out a lot of references to things, but his analysis is superficial at best: ‘Superman is ripped which makes him a prime example of a Nietzschean ubermenschen,’ “‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way!’ would get him cancelled today!”
There is something to be said about superheroes resembling far-right politics in form if not also in style but, there’s a lot of meat to be had there that Bowden doesn’t touch in favor of just licking the skin.
“Half-assed and ass-out” would be a fitting biography for Bowden somehow more substantial an epitaph than he deserves.
Of course, all of that is if you’re doing it intentionally. Jonathan Bowden was briefly hospitalized at the end of his life for roaming the streets double fisting a samurai sword and machete and wearing what I presume were soiled underpants and little else. I say this because if you read anything he wrote it is almost written to a beat as if he was self hypnotizing himself, and if I wanted to be cruel I’d guess that he wound up making himself catatonic.
There is a cliche that madness and genius are co-morbid but, to paraphrase Freud: “Sometimes crazy, is just crazy.” Bowden can toss out a lot of references to things, but his analysis is superficial at best: ‘Superman is ripped which makes him a prime example of a Nietzschean ubermenschen,’ “‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way!’ would get him cancelled today!”
There is something to be said about superheroes resembling far-right politics in form if not also in style but, there’s a lot of meat to be had there that Bowden doesn’t touch in favor of just licking the skin.
“Half-assed and ass-out” would be a fitting biography for Bowden somehow more substantial an epitaph than he deserves.
January 24, 2021
Eu não entendi direito o propósito deste livro e dos textos compilados no mesmo. Se o autor estava tentando fazer uma crítica à direita (que é o que parece no texto), por que eles foram impressos anteriormente em uma publicação chamada North American New Right? De toda forma, se era uma crítica da direita ou contra a direita às formas de entretenimento popular, existem outros livros que as traduzem de forma mais interessante e com um texto mais bem construído. Entre as críticas feitas pelo autor estão como alvo, os Quadrinhos de Super-Heróis e as Graphic Novels, as obras do criador de Conan, Robert E. Howard e os demais produtos originados nas publicações pulps, livros de literatura sobre distopias e o fenômeno cultural inglês do teatro de bonecos de Punch & Judy. Um livro rápido de ler, que tem algumas coisas válidas e diferentes aqui e ali, mas que, na minha opinião já foram ditas de melhor forma por outros analistas da cultura pop.
August 15, 2022
Jonathan Bowden era um gigante intelectual daquilo que se pode considerar uma direita profundamente iliberal. Interessado em análise cultural e temas perenes do heroísmo (ver Carlyle), Bowden encontra a Ilíada em Conan o Bárbaro e no "lixo" cultural do filisteu popularucho. Numa aliança entre o aristocrata e as bases de uma sociedade temos o arquétipo de Bowden, o "cultured thug" - vale a pena ler se não se for um intelectual flácido.
March 26, 2025
It's a good one. Bowden is showing how "fascism" is an intrinsic characteristic of western civilisation. It's "shadow", cult of violence, certainty, stoicism, and heroism are the essential part of who we are from the beginning, and they haven't ended with 45 but were subdued. Modern fascism incarnates itself in pop culture as a sterile and domesticated form of heroism. It's important, especially today, as the modern social-democratic states are going to war, they're digging up fascist aesthetics. Modern fascists are dogs on the leash of their states like AZOV and UE/NATO in Ukraine.
October 31, 2019
The book is mainly a compilation of Jonathan Bowden's articles posted on the Counter-Currents website, but it does contain a few transcripts of a few of Bowden's speeches from the mid/late 2000s, most notably his oration about the cultural significance of Punch & Judy. Reasonably good, but a little disappointing compared to other titles.
August 4, 2022
Provided me an introduction to the wonderful Robert E Howard. To read this great patriot's words makes you part of history, not just a victim of it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews