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'Joseph Pearce' (born 1961) is an English-born writer, as of 2005 Writer in Residence and Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida; previously he had a comparable position, from 2001, at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is known for a number of literary biographies. He became a Roman Catholic convert in 1989, and writes from a Catholic perspective. He is also a co-editor of ''The Saint Austin Review''.
He was born in East London, and brought up in Dagenham, England. At the age of 15 he joined the National Front (NF), a far-right political party opposed to a multi-racial and multi-cultural England. He was closely involved in NF organisational activities, and first came to prominence in 1977 when at the age of 16 he set up ''Bulldog'', the paper of the Young National Front (of which he was leader). ''Bulldog'' became associated with some of the most virulent of NF propaganda and Pearce was twice convicted under the Race Relations Act, serving time in prison in 1982 and 1984 due to its contents.[1] He was also present to see the NF's involvement in anti-Catholic violence in Derry.
A close associate of Nick Griffin, they were both attacked by Martin Webster for devoting too much time to writing for the Third Position magazine ''Rising'' and not enough to their NF duties.[2] As a result he joined Griffin in resigning from the NF in November 1983 before circulating a statement in which they complained about Webster's role in the party. The statement claimed that Pearce and Griffin were leaving to avoid a Webster-led witch hunt and it had the effect of ensuring the removal of Webster from his post as National Activities Organiser.[3]
Returning to the NF, Pearce became editor of ''Nationalism Today'' which supported the Political Soldier line within the NF. In this position he argued vehemently in favour of racial preservation, producing a pamphlet entitled ''Fight for Freedom!'' on this theme in 1984.[4] Initially an enthusiastic supporter of the Political Soldier tendency, Pearce adopted their support for ethnopluralism and on this basis contacted the Iranian Embassy in London in 1984 to try to secure funding for the NF, although it came to nothing.[5]
Pearce came from a working-class background, so he was more popular than the rest of the university-educated Political Soldiers with white power skinheads.
As time went on, Pearce became disillusioned with the lack of electoral activity and moved towards Andrew Brons. Before long, Pearce became a full member of the Flag Group and was expelled along with the rest of that group by the Official National Front in 1986. Pearce became a leading member of the new group and sought to extend their activities. He was a frequent visitor to Northern Ireland, where the Flag Group hoped to make in-roads and he maintained regular contact with the Ulster Defence Association[6] A regular writer and editor for Flag Group publications, he contributed to the group's ideology, notably arguing in favour of distributism in a 1987 edition of party magazine ''Vanguard''.[7] Earlier in his career, Pearce had even contacted John Tyndall to suggest the possibility of an alliance with the British National Party. The idea was considered by Tyndall but was ultimately rejected on the advice of Ray Hill and Charles Parker.[8]
As the Flag Group ran out of momentum, Pearce largely faded from the scene and took no role in the the NF that emerged in 1990 under Ian Anderson. He attributes his subsequent religious conversion, from a culturally-Protestant agnosticism, to reading G. K. Chesterton, of whom he wrote a much-praised biography. He now repudiates his earlier views, saying that his racism stemmed from hatred, and that his conversion to Christian belief completely changed his outlook.[9]
★ ''Skrewdriver – First Ten Years''
★ ''Wisdom and Innocence - A Life of G. K. Chesterton'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1996. ISBN 0-340-67132-7
★ ''Tolkien: Man and Myth'' (1998)
★ The Three Ys Men" (1998)
★ ''Tolkien: A Celebration'' (1999) editor
★ ''Literary Converts: Spiritual Inspiration in an Age of Unbelief'' (2000)
★ "Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile" (2001)
★ ''Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc'' (2002)
★ "Small is still Beautiful" (2002)
★ ''C. S. Lewis and the Catholic Church'' (2003)
★ "Unafraid of Virginia Woolf: The Friends and Enemies of Roy Campbell" (2004)
★ ''The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde'' (2004)
★ ''Literary Giants, Literary Catholics'' (2005)
★ "Flowers of Heaven: 1000 years of Christian Verse" (2005)
1. ''Seachlight'', December 1984
2. N. Copsey, ''Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy'', Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, p. 34
3. Searchlight magazine, January 1984
4. M. Durham, 'Women and the National Front', L. Cheles, R. Ferguson & M. Vaughan (eds.), ''Neo-Fascism in Europe'', London: Longman, 1991, pp. 265-6
5. Ray Hill with Andrew Bell, ''The Other Face of Terror'', London: Grafton, 1988, p. 254
6. Searchlight magazine, February 1986
7. G. Gable, 'The Far Right in the United Kingdom', L. Cheles, R. Ferguson & M. Vaughan (eds.), ''Neo-Fascism in Europe'', London: Longman, 1991, p. 262
8. R. Hill with A. Bell, ''The Other Face of Terror'', London: Grafton, 1988, pp. 173-4
9. J. Pearce, Race with the Devil
★ Personal site
★ Autobiographical page
★ Saint Austin Review
| Contents |
| Extremist youth |
| Works |
| References |
| External links |
Extremist youth
He was born in East London, and brought up in Dagenham, England. At the age of 15 he joined the National Front (NF), a far-right political party opposed to a multi-racial and multi-cultural England. He was closely involved in NF organisational activities, and first came to prominence in 1977 when at the age of 16 he set up ''Bulldog'', the paper of the Young National Front (of which he was leader). ''Bulldog'' became associated with some of the most virulent of NF propaganda and Pearce was twice convicted under the Race Relations Act, serving time in prison in 1982 and 1984 due to its contents.[1] He was also present to see the NF's involvement in anti-Catholic violence in Derry.
A close associate of Nick Griffin, they were both attacked by Martin Webster for devoting too much time to writing for the Third Position magazine ''Rising'' and not enough to their NF duties.[2] As a result he joined Griffin in resigning from the NF in November 1983 before circulating a statement in which they complained about Webster's role in the party. The statement claimed that Pearce and Griffin were leaving to avoid a Webster-led witch hunt and it had the effect of ensuring the removal of Webster from his post as National Activities Organiser.[3]
Returning to the NF, Pearce became editor of ''Nationalism Today'' which supported the Political Soldier line within the NF. In this position he argued vehemently in favour of racial preservation, producing a pamphlet entitled ''Fight for Freedom!'' on this theme in 1984.[4] Initially an enthusiastic supporter of the Political Soldier tendency, Pearce adopted their support for ethnopluralism and on this basis contacted the Iranian Embassy in London in 1984 to try to secure funding for the NF, although it came to nothing.[5]
Pearce came from a working-class background, so he was more popular than the rest of the university-educated Political Soldiers with white power skinheads.
As time went on, Pearce became disillusioned with the lack of electoral activity and moved towards Andrew Brons. Before long, Pearce became a full member of the Flag Group and was expelled along with the rest of that group by the Official National Front in 1986. Pearce became a leading member of the new group and sought to extend their activities. He was a frequent visitor to Northern Ireland, where the Flag Group hoped to make in-roads and he maintained regular contact with the Ulster Defence Association[6] A regular writer and editor for Flag Group publications, he contributed to the group's ideology, notably arguing in favour of distributism in a 1987 edition of party magazine ''Vanguard''.[7] Earlier in his career, Pearce had even contacted John Tyndall to suggest the possibility of an alliance with the British National Party. The idea was considered by Tyndall but was ultimately rejected on the advice of Ray Hill and Charles Parker.[8]
As the Flag Group ran out of momentum, Pearce largely faded from the scene and took no role in the the NF that emerged in 1990 under Ian Anderson. He attributes his subsequent religious conversion, from a culturally-Protestant agnosticism, to reading G. K. Chesterton, of whom he wrote a much-praised biography. He now repudiates his earlier views, saying that his racism stemmed from hatred, and that his conversion to Christian belief completely changed his outlook.[9]
Works
★ ''Skrewdriver – First Ten Years''
★ ''Wisdom and Innocence - A Life of G. K. Chesterton'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1996. ISBN 0-340-67132-7
★ ''Tolkien: Man and Myth'' (1998)
★ The Three Ys Men" (1998)
★ ''Tolkien: A Celebration'' (1999) editor
★ ''Literary Converts: Spiritual Inspiration in an Age of Unbelief'' (2000)
★ "Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile" (2001)
★ ''Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc'' (2002)
★ "Small is still Beautiful" (2002)
★ ''C. S. Lewis and the Catholic Church'' (2003)
★ "Unafraid of Virginia Woolf: The Friends and Enemies of Roy Campbell" (2004)
★ ''The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde'' (2004)
★ ''Literary Giants, Literary Catholics'' (2005)
★ "Flowers of Heaven: 1000 years of Christian Verse" (2005)
References
1. ''Seachlight'', December 1984
2. N. Copsey, ''Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy'', Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, p. 34
3. Searchlight magazine, January 1984
4. M. Durham, 'Women and the National Front', L. Cheles, R. Ferguson & M. Vaughan (eds.), ''Neo-Fascism in Europe'', London: Longman, 1991, pp. 265-6
5. Ray Hill with Andrew Bell, ''The Other Face of Terror'', London: Grafton, 1988, p. 254
6. Searchlight magazine, February 1986
7. G. Gable, 'The Far Right in the United Kingdom', L. Cheles, R. Ferguson & M. Vaughan (eds.), ''Neo-Fascism in Europe'', London: Longman, 1991, p. 262
8. R. Hill with A. Bell, ''The Other Face of Terror'', London: Grafton, 1988, pp. 173-4
9. J. Pearce, Race with the Devil
External links
★ Personal site
★ Autobiographical page
★ Saint Austin Review
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