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Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey
Francis Parker Yockey, herald of Western resurgence, sought to apply the philosophy of Oswald Spengler to the problems of post-1945 Europe. Yockey’s ‘Cultural Vitalism’ provides an organic and enduring method of analysis for the life-course of Civilizations.
A Fascist Odyssey is the first sympathetic, full-length biography of this enigmatic figure. It analyses Yockey in his historical a post-war Europe divided between American plutocracy and Russian Bolshevism; the Europe of scaffolds, ruined cities, and Cold War confrontations.
Drawing on FBI and other state files, hitherto unpublished archives, and numerous personal interviews with those involved, this biography introduces a wealth of new material. The Allied ‘war crimes trials’ and the Communist Prague trials, both of which Yockey personally observed; opinions on Yockey by Sir Oswald Mosley, Ivor Benson, Adrien Arcand, and other important thinkers; the founding and activities of Yockey’s European Liberation Front; the genesis and impact of Yockey’s greatest writings; profiles on Yockey’s colleagues and followers; the use of psychiatry as a political weapon against dissident Rightists; the background to Yockey’s arrest, trial, and suicide — these subjects, and many more, receive unique treatment in this comprehensive biography of a political visionary.
A Fascist Odyssey is the first sympathetic, full-length biography of this enigmatic figure. It analyses Yockey in his historical a post-war Europe divided between American plutocracy and Russian Bolshevism; the Europe of scaffolds, ruined cities, and Cold War confrontations.
Drawing on FBI and other state files, hitherto unpublished archives, and numerous personal interviews with those involved, this biography introduces a wealth of new material. The Allied ‘war crimes trials’ and the Communist Prague trials, both of which Yockey personally observed; opinions on Yockey by Sir Oswald Mosley, Ivor Benson, Adrien Arcand, and other important thinkers; the founding and activities of Yockey’s European Liberation Front; the genesis and impact of Yockey’s greatest writings; profiles on Yockey’s colleagues and followers; the use of psychiatry as a political weapon against dissident Rightists; the background to Yockey’s arrest, trial, and suicide — these subjects, and many more, receive unique treatment in this comprehensive biography of a political visionary.
2520 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 21, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 29, 2018
While I still recommend that those interested in Yockey also read leftist Coogan's bio DREAMER OF THE DAY so that they get a more 'balanced' view of the genius behind the glorious tome IMPERIUM, Bolton's book is indubitably the definitive Yockey bio and an imperative work of 'neo-fascist' thought and history. Although Yockey will undoubtedly always remain a somewhat enigmatic figure, Bolton's unequivocal magnum opus, which is fittingly around the same length as IMPERIUM at about 600 pages, reveals pretty much anything that someone can hope to learn about Yockey, his life, and intellectual/metapolitical influence.
November 21, 2024
Francis Parker Yockey 1917-1960
This was quite a tome, considering that FPY was only 43 when he died. But then, Yockey packed a great deal into his life.. A fascinating and gifted individual, this book, as perhaps its title suggests, concentrates more on his philosophy and legacy than on the man himself.
Born and brought up in the USA, his European ancestry probably defined him and his destiny. On his death he was a pariah figure, certainly as far as the U.S. establishment was concerned. It regarded him as a traitor and it suited its purposes to do so. The last 10 years or so of his life he spent trying to evade the Authorities which he did readily.
Trained as a lawyer, he was one of the war crimes' investigators at Nuremberg. He found many injustices in the trials and examples of wrongful convictions. In addition to the retribution meted out to the German people, Yockey felt that the USA’s intervention in Europe in the post war period was deeply harmful to Europe’s interests. He argued that the USSR was a lesser threat to Europe than his own government, though he was an “ethical socialist” (his words) rather than a communist. He saw the USA as a “culture distorter” and therefore a malign influence on European culture and heritage. He reasoned that this was due to the fact that the government’s agenda was controlled by big business /Israel.
Yockey was a disciple of Spengler and the latter’s teachings formed the basis of his political, philosophical and cultural beliefs. He (FPY) considered himself to be an “Imperialist” rather than a fascist. The US government followed a policy which aimed to bring about the dissolution of such Empires (eg The British Empire). Yockey looked to see a European ‘imperial’ expansion along cultural lines. Like Spengler before him, he did not exclude ethnic minorities, per se, provided they embraced, almost spiritually, a common creed and culture. Yockey and Spengler therefore found themselves at odds with the more materialistic Darwinian school. The latter, at its more extreme edges (ie Hitlerite), saw natural selection based upon race-biological factors rather than the race-soul of Yockey and Spengler.
Was he a traitor to his country? That’s a very big and difficult question to answer and depends upon which camp the questioner is standing in. He answered this, I suppose, in ‘Imperium’ when he wrote “the American Nation is not sovereign but is literally a Zionist dependency”. He thus ranked ‘International Zionism’ alongside the other two super powers – the USSR (as it then was) and China. In Yockey’s view this had resulted in the U.S. Government becoming “alien and hostile to the majority of Americans”. There is ample evidence that Yockey sought to work with the USSR, Cuba, Egypt and other Arab countries in ways which would damage such a policy.
The American Authorities got him in the end and sought to silence him, preferably by having him certified as insane. Yockey mounted a robust challenge and meanwhile he continued to be imprisoned in very unpleasant conditions, to say the least, if Bolton’s research is correct. Did he quit the fight and take a cyanide pill or was he murdered? Perhaps we will never know.
This is long and a struggle at times. I read it on Kindle, not ideal. I found the infighting within the rightist movements rather tedious and hard to understand. But I found Yockey a fascinating character. I must at some point read his magnum opus Imperium and the Coogan and Goodrick – Clarke biography of FPY.
This was quite a tome, considering that FPY was only 43 when he died. But then, Yockey packed a great deal into his life.. A fascinating and gifted individual, this book, as perhaps its title suggests, concentrates more on his philosophy and legacy than on the man himself.
Born and brought up in the USA, his European ancestry probably defined him and his destiny. On his death he was a pariah figure, certainly as far as the U.S. establishment was concerned. It regarded him as a traitor and it suited its purposes to do so. The last 10 years or so of his life he spent trying to evade the Authorities which he did readily.
Trained as a lawyer, he was one of the war crimes' investigators at Nuremberg. He found many injustices in the trials and examples of wrongful convictions. In addition to the retribution meted out to the German people, Yockey felt that the USA’s intervention in Europe in the post war period was deeply harmful to Europe’s interests. He argued that the USSR was a lesser threat to Europe than his own government, though he was an “ethical socialist” (his words) rather than a communist. He saw the USA as a “culture distorter” and therefore a malign influence on European culture and heritage. He reasoned that this was due to the fact that the government’s agenda was controlled by big business /Israel.
Yockey was a disciple of Spengler and the latter’s teachings formed the basis of his political, philosophical and cultural beliefs. He (FPY) considered himself to be an “Imperialist” rather than a fascist. The US government followed a policy which aimed to bring about the dissolution of such Empires (eg The British Empire). Yockey looked to see a European ‘imperial’ expansion along cultural lines. Like Spengler before him, he did not exclude ethnic minorities, per se, provided they embraced, almost spiritually, a common creed and culture. Yockey and Spengler therefore found themselves at odds with the more materialistic Darwinian school. The latter, at its more extreme edges (ie Hitlerite), saw natural selection based upon race-biological factors rather than the race-soul of Yockey and Spengler.
Was he a traitor to his country? That’s a very big and difficult question to answer and depends upon which camp the questioner is standing in. He answered this, I suppose, in ‘Imperium’ when he wrote “the American Nation is not sovereign but is literally a Zionist dependency”. He thus ranked ‘International Zionism’ alongside the other two super powers – the USSR (as it then was) and China. In Yockey’s view this had resulted in the U.S. Government becoming “alien and hostile to the majority of Americans”. There is ample evidence that Yockey sought to work with the USSR, Cuba, Egypt and other Arab countries in ways which would damage such a policy.
The American Authorities got him in the end and sought to silence him, preferably by having him certified as insane. Yockey mounted a robust challenge and meanwhile he continued to be imprisoned in very unpleasant conditions, to say the least, if Bolton’s research is correct. Did he quit the fight and take a cyanide pill or was he murdered? Perhaps we will never know.
This is long and a struggle at times. I read it on Kindle, not ideal. I found the infighting within the rightist movements rather tedious and hard to understand. But I found Yockey a fascinating character. I must at some point read his magnum opus Imperium and the Coogan and Goodrick – Clarke biography of FPY.
January 11, 2020
Insane amount of information. Helps clarify both Yockey and Spengler's ideas as well as a few others. Some typos, but they didn't impair understanding. Could be shortened as each chapter seems written independent and repeats information already brought in in previous chapters.
November 12, 2018
Kerry Bolton’s book opens a window into an obscure world: that of post-World War II neofascist intellectuals. Francis Parker Yockey was more than just a theorist. He worked and conspired to promote a revival of the movement defeated in 1945. Bolton can show some of Yockey’s activities in the shadows, but much of what he was up to remains mysterious. What exactly was his relationship with the Soviet Union?
Much of the book is devoted to Yockey’s magnum opus, Imperium and its antecedents and influence. FPY acknowledged his great debt to Spengler, but not his cribbing from Schmitt. Yockey’s influence can be seen in someone like the AltRight’s Richard Spencer, with his support for a united Europe and a corresponding contempt for “petty nationalism”.
Bolton is of the Right politically. His sympathy for Yockey is evident. A biographer should have some sympathy, or at least empathy, with his subject. Otherwise, a “warts and all portrait” becomes all warts.
The Kindle edition has some typos, but they’re not too distracting. The footnote function works well.
Much of the book is devoted to Yockey’s magnum opus, Imperium and its antecedents and influence. FPY acknowledged his great debt to Spengler, but not his cribbing from Schmitt. Yockey’s influence can be seen in someone like the AltRight’s Richard Spencer, with his support for a united Europe and a corresponding contempt for “petty nationalism”.
Bolton is of the Right politically. His sympathy for Yockey is evident. A biographer should have some sympathy, or at least empathy, with his subject. Otherwise, a “warts and all portrait” becomes all warts.
The Kindle edition has some typos, but they’re not too distracting. The footnote function works well.
December 12, 2024
Kerry Bolton’s Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey (2018) is a comprehensive and controversial biography of Francis Parker Yockey (1917–1960), a far-right political theorist best known for his magnum opus, Imperium: The Philosophy of History and Politics. Yockey’s enigmatic life and his vision of a post-World War II global fascist revival have long been the subject of fascination and contention. Bolton’s book situates Yockey’s life, ideas, and political activities within the broader context of 20th-century geopolitics and ideological movements.
The book is divided into three main sections: Yockey’s intellectual development and early life, his political activism, and his influence on post-war far-right movements. Bolton provides an extensive account of Yockey’s early career as a lawyer and his disillusionment with liberal democracy. Yockey’s fervent anti-communism and anti-liberalism, along with his admiration for Spenglerian cyclical theories of history, emerge as central themes.
Bolton meticulously reconstructs Yockey’s involvement with various far-right organizations, his collaboration with German and European exiles, and his attempts to forge alliances with anti-American and anti-Zionist regimes during the Cold War. Particularly striking is Bolton’s account of Yockey’s clandestine activities, including his espionage for Soviet intelligence—an ideological paradox given his fascist convictions.
The book also examines Yockey’s intellectual legacy, focusing on Imperium and its advocacy for a pan-European, anti-American, and anti-Semitic worldview. Bolton explores how Yockey’s work resonated with neo-fascist movements, influencing figures like Willis Carto in the United States and Jean-François Thiriart in Europe.
One of the book’s strengths is its depth of research. Bolton draws on a wide range of sources, including archival materials, FBI files, and personal correspondence, to provide a detailed and nuanced portrait of Yockey’s life and ideas. This approach allows Bolton to shed light on the often-shadowy world of post-war far-right politics and Yockey’s role within it.
Bolton’s analysis of Yockey’s intellectual debts to thinkers such as Oswald Spengler, Carl Schmitt, and Friedrich Nietzsche is particularly valuable. He situates Yockey within the broader tradition of fascist and anti-liberal thought, highlighting the philosophical dimensions of his work alongside its political implications.
Despite its scholarly rigor, Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey is not without its shortcomings. Bolton’s sympathetic tone towards Yockey and his ideas raises questions about the book’s objectivity. While Bolton acknowledges the destructive and exclusionary aspects of Yockey’s ideology, his critique often lacks the moral clarity one might expect in a study of a figure whose worldview was rooted in anti-Semitism, racialism, and authoritarianism.
Moreover, the book occasionally overstates Yockey’s influence on post-war far-right movements. While Yockey’s Imperium undoubtedly became a touchstone for certain fascist circles, its reach and impact were relatively limited compared to other far-right thinkers like Julius Evola or Alain de Benoist. Bolton’s insistence on Yockey’s centrality may not be fully justified.
Another limitation is the lack of a broader critique of Yockey’s ideas in relation to contemporary political theory. While Bolton provides a detailed account of Yockey’s vision, he does not sufficiently engage with the challenges or contradictions inherent in his worldview, particularly the tension between his admiration for European culture and his alliances with non-European regimes.
Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey is a significant contribution to the study of far-right intellectual history. It offers valuable insights into a figure whose life and work have been underexplored, especially in comparison to more prominent far-right ideologues. For scholars of fascism, geopolitics, and Cold War history, the book provides a detailed case study of how far-right ideas evolved and adapted in the post-war period.
However, the book’s sympathetic framing and occasional lack of critical distance may limit its usefulness for readers seeking a more balanced or critical analysis. While Bolton’s work is an important resource for understanding Yockey and his milieu, it is best read alongside other studies that situate his ideas within the broader history of fascism and its intellectual challenges.
Kerry Bolton’s Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey is a meticulously researched and thought-provoking biography of one of the 20th century’s most enigmatic far-right thinkers. While its sympathetic tone and occasional overstatement of Yockey’s influence are points of contention, the book remains a valuable resource for scholars interested in the history and evolution of fascist ideology. It serves as both a detailed account of Yockey’s life and an exploration of the broader dynamics of post-war far-right politics.
GPT
The book is divided into three main sections: Yockey’s intellectual development and early life, his political activism, and his influence on post-war far-right movements. Bolton provides an extensive account of Yockey’s early career as a lawyer and his disillusionment with liberal democracy. Yockey’s fervent anti-communism and anti-liberalism, along with his admiration for Spenglerian cyclical theories of history, emerge as central themes.
Bolton meticulously reconstructs Yockey’s involvement with various far-right organizations, his collaboration with German and European exiles, and his attempts to forge alliances with anti-American and anti-Zionist regimes during the Cold War. Particularly striking is Bolton’s account of Yockey’s clandestine activities, including his espionage for Soviet intelligence—an ideological paradox given his fascist convictions.
The book also examines Yockey’s intellectual legacy, focusing on Imperium and its advocacy for a pan-European, anti-American, and anti-Semitic worldview. Bolton explores how Yockey’s work resonated with neo-fascist movements, influencing figures like Willis Carto in the United States and Jean-François Thiriart in Europe.
One of the book’s strengths is its depth of research. Bolton draws on a wide range of sources, including archival materials, FBI files, and personal correspondence, to provide a detailed and nuanced portrait of Yockey’s life and ideas. This approach allows Bolton to shed light on the often-shadowy world of post-war far-right politics and Yockey’s role within it.
Bolton’s analysis of Yockey’s intellectual debts to thinkers such as Oswald Spengler, Carl Schmitt, and Friedrich Nietzsche is particularly valuable. He situates Yockey within the broader tradition of fascist and anti-liberal thought, highlighting the philosophical dimensions of his work alongside its political implications.
Despite its scholarly rigor, Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey is not without its shortcomings. Bolton’s sympathetic tone towards Yockey and his ideas raises questions about the book’s objectivity. While Bolton acknowledges the destructive and exclusionary aspects of Yockey’s ideology, his critique often lacks the moral clarity one might expect in a study of a figure whose worldview was rooted in anti-Semitism, racialism, and authoritarianism.
Moreover, the book occasionally overstates Yockey’s influence on post-war far-right movements. While Yockey’s Imperium undoubtedly became a touchstone for certain fascist circles, its reach and impact were relatively limited compared to other far-right thinkers like Julius Evola or Alain de Benoist. Bolton’s insistence on Yockey’s centrality may not be fully justified.
Another limitation is the lack of a broader critique of Yockey’s ideas in relation to contemporary political theory. While Bolton provides a detailed account of Yockey’s vision, he does not sufficiently engage with the challenges or contradictions inherent in his worldview, particularly the tension between his admiration for European culture and his alliances with non-European regimes.
Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey is a significant contribution to the study of far-right intellectual history. It offers valuable insights into a figure whose life and work have been underexplored, especially in comparison to more prominent far-right ideologues. For scholars of fascism, geopolitics, and Cold War history, the book provides a detailed case study of how far-right ideas evolved and adapted in the post-war period.
However, the book’s sympathetic framing and occasional lack of critical distance may limit its usefulness for readers seeking a more balanced or critical analysis. While Bolton’s work is an important resource for understanding Yockey and his milieu, it is best read alongside other studies that situate his ideas within the broader history of fascism and its intellectual challenges.
Kerry Bolton’s Yockey: A Fascist Odyssey is a meticulously researched and thought-provoking biography of one of the 20th century’s most enigmatic far-right thinkers. While its sympathetic tone and occasional overstatement of Yockey’s influence are points of contention, the book remains a valuable resource for scholars interested in the history and evolution of fascist ideology. It serves as both a detailed account of Yockey’s life and an exploration of the broader dynamics of post-war far-right politics.
GPT
May 4, 2024
A Fascist odyssey indeed. Thou the figure of Yockey still remains elusive, it clarifies what happened after the war and the few brave who were still willing to write and fight. Yockey had a Faustian energy and moved around the world trying to unite movements of oposition to the new lords. The inner squables of the rebels and the petty views made things difficult, but the seeds were sown and now eighty years later we are lucky to be able to read and discover what really happened. The book can become a bit repetitive but has been thorougly researched and has a wealth of knowledge about the time, the thoughts and the men. A sad lonely death for Yockey, let it not be in vain.
July 6, 2025
Both a biography of Yockey and a history of his work. 617 pages and then a plethora of notes.
November 17, 2024
Kisses Yockey's ass a bit too much for my liking but overall a well-researched book about a subject who's always fun to read about. I still think the Coogan book is better, though.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews