Gerald Suster
Encyclopedia
Gerald Suster was a British historian, occult
writer, and novelist. He was best known for his biographies of Aleister Crowley
(The Legacy of the Beast) and Israel Regardie
(Crowley's Apprentice).
, Manchuria
on October 17, 1914, grew up in Hamburg
, Germany, and emigrated with his family to the United Kingdom in 1938.
Gerald Suster was married twice, in 1975 to Ann Nash (marriage dissolved) and in 1992 to Michaela Antonina Duncan (1948–2001).
, two of the few remaining occultists who had studied directly under Aleister Crowley. Suster became an ardent Thelemite and would later join Ordo Templi Orientis
upon his return to the UK, where he would become a well-known figure in the London occult scene. In 1989 he became a tutor at Boarzell Tutorial College in Sussex; however his teaching career would come to an abrupt end when he was featured in an expose of his occult activities in the News of the World
newspaper on 16 April 1989. Suster would later take the newspaper to court for damages to his livelihood due to the article, eventually settling for 10,000 UK pounds plus 80,000 pounds costs. From that time on he would focus on being a full-time author, producing books of biography, occultism, and erotica.
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
writer, and novelist. He was best known for his biographies of Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
(The Legacy of the Beast) and Israel Regardie
Israel Regardie
Israel Regardie, born Francis Israel Regudy was an occultist and writer, author of books on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.-Early life:...
(Crowley's Apprentice).
Family life
Suster's father, Ilya Suster, an entrepreneur in the egg products industry, was born Ilya Shusterovich in HarbinHarbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
on October 17, 1914, grew up in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany, and emigrated with his family to the United Kingdom in 1938.
Gerald Suster was married twice, in 1975 to Ann Nash (marriage dissolved) and in 1992 to Michaela Antonina Duncan (1948–2001).
Occult activities
While working in California Gerald Suster met Israel Regardie and Gerald YorkeGerald Yorke
Major Gerald Joseph Yorke was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire. He was born and died in Tewkesbury. Yorke made a single first-class appearance for the team, during the 1925 season, against Glamorgan...
, two of the few remaining occultists who had studied directly under Aleister Crowley. Suster became an ardent Thelemite and would later join Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century...
upon his return to the UK, where he would become a well-known figure in the London occult scene. In 1989 he became a tutor at Boarzell Tutorial College in Sussex; however his teaching career would come to an abrupt end when he was featured in an expose of his occult activities in the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
newspaper on 16 April 1989. Suster would later take the newspaper to court for damages to his livelihood due to the article, eventually settling for 10,000 UK pounds plus 80,000 pounds costs. From that time on he would focus on being a full-time author, producing books of biography, occultism, and erotica.
Fiction
- The Devil's Maze (1979)
- The Elect (1980)
- The Scar (1981)
- The Offering (1982)
- The Block (1983)
- Stryker (1984)
- The Force (1984)
- The Handyman (1985)
- The God Game (1986)
- The Labyrinth of Satan (1997)
Non-fiction
- Hitler and the Age of Horus (1981; in the USA as: Hitler: The Occult Messiah)
- John Dee: Essential Readings (1986)
- Hitler: Black Magician (1987)
- The Legacy of the Beast: The Life, Work, and Influence of Aleister Crowley (1988)
- Crowley's Apprentice: The Life and Ideas of Israel Regardie (1989)
- Champions of the Ring: The Lives and Times of Boxing's Heavyweight Heroes (1992)
- Lightning Strikes: The Lives and Times of Boxing's Lightweight Heroes (1994)
- The Truth About the Tarot: A Manual of Practice and Theory (1996)
- The Generals: The Best and Worst Military Commanders (1997)
- The Hell-Fire Friars: Sex, Politics & Religion (2000)
External links
- Fantastic fiction: Gerald Suster
- Mortimer, George T. gerald suster (1951-2001): a remembrance