author
William Dudley Pelley
1890–1965
A novelist and screenwriter who moved from popular fiction into fringe spirituality and extremist politics, he became one of the most notorious American fascist figures of the 1930s. His life traces a disturbing path from mainstream literary success to the founding of the Silver Shirts.
1 Audiobook
The fog : A novel
by William Dudley Pelley
About the author
Before he became known for politics, he worked as a journalist and writer and built a successful career in fiction and screenwriting. He published stories in major magazines, worked in Hollywood during the silent-film era, and was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of The Goose Woman.
In the 1920s and 1930s, he turned increasingly toward mystical and occult teachings, presenting himself as a spiritual visionary. That spiritual writing eventually mixed with aggressive political activism, and he founded the Silver Legion of America, or Silver Shirts, a fascist organization that promoted antisemitism and admired Hitler's Germany.
He was later prosecuted for sedition during World War II and served time in prison. After his release, he continued to write and publish religious and occult material, leaving behind a legacy tied far more to American extremism than to his earlier literary career.