Louis de Wohl (earlier Ludwig von Wohl, born Lajos Theodor Gaspar Adolf Wohl) was a German-born

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

author who had served as an

astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

notable for his work with

MI5 MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), officially the Security Service, is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Gov ...

from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Sixteen of his popular pre-war novels were the basis of movies. His later novels are literary hagiographies of notable Roman Catholic

saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

and of different periods of the Bible.

Life

Wohl was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

to a poor Catholic family and had a Hungarian father and Austrian mother of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

descent. When he was only 17 years old, his mother pushed him into an apprenticeship to a banker from which he was dismissed in 1924, at the age of 21.Brief autobiography by de Wohl
/ref> In 1935, he

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

to England because of his objections to the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

regime. Some sources claim that he there had a wife named Alexandra, who fled to

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, where she claimed to be a Romanian princess and was known as "La Baronessa". Wohl worked as an

for the British intelligence agency

during

. His MI5 file was released in early 2008. He was recruited initially by Sir Charles Hambro, then running the

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

, to devise

black propaganda Black propaganda is a form of propaganda intended to create the impression that it was created by those it is supposed to discredit. Black propaganda contrasts with gray propaganda, which does not identify its source, as well as white propagan ...

for use against Germany, and allegedly as an informant because he was casting horoscopes for people of interest to MI5. In May 1941 he was sent to America to contribute to astrological magazines and newspapers which at the time were using articles by astrologers favourable to Nazi Germany. In the United States, Wohl published many articles, lectured against Germany, and was interviewed several times by the press. He then returned to England in February 1942 and calaimed that he had been promised a commission in the British Army. Sefton Delmer, a notable purveyor of black propaganda, arranged a fake document certifying de Wohl as a Captain in the British Army, and he took to wearing the uniform though he refrained when he realized the position was untenable. His main value to Delmer was his contact with Karl Ernst Krafft, the German astrologer working in Berlin for Dr Goebbels. He assisted Delmer in forging copies of Krafft's magazine ''Zenit'', German, and other astrological magazines dropped over Germany, and 'foretelling' the destruction of U-boats. Delmer nevertheless continued to employ him until the end of the war and considered his contribution valuable. During the war, Wohl became increasingly religious, and he had a successful postwar career writing novels regarding Roman Catholic Church history and the lives of the saints. In 1953, Wohl married Ruth Magdalene Lorch, who was a Lady Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He himself held the title of Knight Commander of the Order. Wohl died in Switzerland in 1961, shortly after finishing his final work, ''Founded on a Rock''.

Writing career

He began writing as early as the age of 7. His teachers praised his ability. At the age of 8 he wrote the play "Jesus of

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

" because he did not like how Jesus was portrayed by some books he read. Writing as ''Ludwig von Wohl'', he became quite a successful novelist during his youth in Germany, where sixteen of his novels were turned into films. The best known of these was the 1934 comedy classic ''Die englische Heirat'' (The English Marriage).''Die englische Heirat'' on IMDb
/ref> In an audience with Pope

Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

, he was told to "write about the history and mission of the Church in the World". The

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Ildefonso Schuster, said to him after reading some of his writings, "Let your writings be good. For your writings you will one day be judged". From that time, he allegedly believed that he had to write for God, and felt that his earlier novels in the German language were of 'small significance compared to the novels he wrote for the glory of God'. His novel ''The Spear'' brought him international acclaim. Even now Louis de Wohl's books are widely read. His non-fiction work, ''Founded on a Rock: A History of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

'' is often required reading for

RCIA The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (), or OCIA, known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in many English-speaking countries, is a process developed by the Catholic Church for its catechumenate for prospective converts ...

students. He wrote books on St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi,

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

, and

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

among many others.

List of works

*''Der große Kampf'', 1926 *''Das indische Wunder – Jack McGills geheime Sendung'', 1926 *''Der Präsident von Costa Nueva – Der Roman eines Abenteurers'', 1927 *''Miss Lillebil aus USA'', 1928 *''Lord Spleen'', 1928 *''Knockout Europa'', 1928 *''Punks kommt aus Amerika'', 1929 *''Er und Sie und sehr viel Schwindel'', 1929 *''Die verspielte Prinzessin – Ein Filmroman zwischen Berlin, Hollywood und Kairo'', 1929 *''Um weißes Gift'', 1930 *''Der Vagabund vom Äquator'', 1930 *''Das Testament des Cornelius Gulden'', 1930 *''Die Wohnung, die über Nacht verschwand'', 1931 *''Die Göttin der tausend Katzen'', 1931 *''Der Mann, der die Anleihe stahl'', 1931 *''Der Mann aus der Hölle'', 1931 *''Peter im Pech'', 1932 *''Die weiße Frau des Maharadscha'', 1932 *''Die goldene Wolke'', 1932 *''Der unsichtbare Reporter'', 1932 *''Schwarz ist weiß und weiß ist schwarz'', 1933 *''Kopfsprung ins Leben'', 1933 *''Das große Erlebnis'', 1933 *''Panik im Paradies'', 1934 *''Die Reise nach Pretoria'', 1934 *''Die englische Heirat'', 1934 *''Die Deutschen von Tschau-Fu'', 1934 *''Blutsbrüder'', 1934 *''Tropenluft'', 1935 *''Es kommt ein Mann nach Belawan – Ein Roman auf Sumatra'', 1935 *''Die Türme des Schweigens'', 1936 *''I Follow my Stars'', 1937 *''Secret Service of the Sky'', 1938 *''Common-sense Astrology'', 1940 *''Strange Daughter'', 1946 *''The Living Wood'' (

Emperor Constantine Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christ ...

and

St. Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

), 1947 *''Throne of the World'' (

Attila the Hun Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central and East ...

and

Pope Leo I Pope Leo I () ( 391 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great (; ), was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death on 10 November 461. He is the first of the three Popes listed in the ''Annuario Pontificio'' with the title "the ...

), 1949 *''Imperial Renegade'' (Emperor

Julian the Apostate Julian (; ; 331 – 26 June 363) was the Caesar of the West from 355 to 360 and Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism ...

and St.

Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...

), 1950 *''The Quiet Light'' (St.

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

), 1950 *''The Restless Flame'' (St.

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

), 1951 *''The Golden Thread'' (St. Ignatius Loyola), 1952 *''The Stars of War & Peace'', 1952 *''Set All Afire'' (St.

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

), 1953 *''The Second Conquest'', 1954 *''The Spear '' (St. Longinus), 1955 *''The Last Crusader'' ( Don Juan of Austria and The Battle of Lepanto), 1956 *''Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier'' (St.

), 1957 *''The Glorious Folly'' (St.

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

), 1957 *''The Joyful Beggar'' (St.

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

), 1958 *''Citadel of God'' (St.

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

), 1959 *''Adam, Eve, and the Ape'', 1960 *''Founded on a Rock: A History of the

'', 1961 *''Lay Siege to Heaven'' (St.

Catherine of Siena Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, ...

), 1961 *''David of Jerusalem'' (

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

), 1963 *''Pope

: Shepherd to the World''

Selected filmography

*'' My Friend Harry'', directed by

Rudolf Walther-Fein Rudolf Walther-Fein (20 November 1875 – 1 May 1933) was an Austrian film director and film producer, producer of the Silent era, silent and Sound film, early sound era. He directed the first full sound film to be released in Germany ''It's You I ...

and Max Obal (1928, based on the novel ''Das indische Wunder'') *'' The Criminal of the Century'', directed by Max Obal (1928, based on the novel ''Jimmy der Schwerverbrecher'') *'' The President'', directed by

Gennaro Righelli Gennaro Righelli (12 December 1886 – 6 January 1949) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and acting, actor. He directed more than 110 films in Italy and Germany between 1910 and 1947. In 1930, he directed the first Italian sound fil ...

(1928, based on the novel ''Der Präsident von Costa Nueva'') *'' A Girl with Temperament'', directed by

Victor Janson Victor Arthur Eduard Janson (; 25 September 1884 – 29 June 1960) was a German stage and film actor and film director of Latvian ethnicity. Selected filmography Actor * '' Your Dearest Enemy'' (1916) * '' When Four Do the Same'' (1917) * ''Carm ...

(1928, based on the novel ''Miss Lillebil aus USA'') *'' Once You Give Away Your Heart'', directed by Johannes Guter (1929, based on the novel ''Der Vagabund vom Äquator'') *'' Die Jagd nach der Million'', directed by

and Max Obal (1930, based on the novel ''Lord Spleen'') *'' The Testament of Cornelius Gulden'', directed by E. W. Emo (1932, based on the novel ''Das Testament des Cornelius Gulden'') *'' The Legacy of Pretoria'', directed by Johannes Meyer (1934, based on the novel ''Die Reise nach Pretoria'') *'' The English Marriage'', directed by Reinhold Schünzel (1934, based on the novel ''Die englische Heirat'') * ''

Punks Arrives from America ''Punks Arrives from America'' (German: ''Punks kommt aus Amerika'') is a 1935 German comedy film directed by Karl Heinz Martin and starring Attila Hörbiger, Lien Deyers, Ralph Arthur Roberts and Sybille Schmitz. Produced and distributed by ...

'', directed by Karlheinz Martin (1935, based on the novel ''Punks kommt aus Amerika'') *'' The Love of the Maharaja'', directed by

Arthur Maria Rabenalt Arthur Maria Rabenalt (25 June 1905 – 26 February 1993) was an Austrian film director, writer, and author. He directed more than 90 films between 1934 and 1978. His 1958 film ''That Won't Keep a Sailor Down'' was entered into the 1st Moscow In ...

(German-language version, 1936, based on the novel ''Die weiße Frau des Maharadscha'') **'' A Woman Between Two Worlds'', directed by

Goffredo Alessandrini Goffredo Alessandrini (20 November 1904 – 16 May 1978) was an Italian scriptwriter and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films. He practiced athletics (sport), athletics in his youth, and won a title of Italian Athletics ...

(Italian-language version, 1936, based on the novel ''Die weiße Frau des Maharadscha'') *'' Crime Over London'', directed by

Alfred Zeisler Alfred Zeisler (September 26, 1897 – March 1, 1985) was an American-born German film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. He produced 29 films between 1927 and 1936. He also directed 16 films between 1924 and 1949. Selected filmogr ...

(1936, based on the novel ''House of a Thousand Windows'') *''

'', directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz (; born Manó Kaminer; from 1905 Mihály Kertész; ; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silen ...

(1961, based on the novel ''The Joyful Beggar'')

Screenwriter

* '' The Sweet Girl'' (dir.

Manfred Noa Manfred Noa (22 March 1893 – 5 December 1930) was a German film director. Noa was described by Vilma Bánky, who he directed twice, as her "favourite director". Noa's 1924 film ''Helena (1924 film), Helena'' has been called his "masterpiece" alt ...

, 1926) * '' Crooks in Tails'' (dir.

, 1927) * ''

The Eighteen Year Old ''The Eighteen Year Old'' () is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Manfred Noa and starring Andrée Lafayette, Ernő Verebes, and Frida Richard. It was made at the Staaken Studios in Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of German ...

'' (dir.

, 1927) * '' The Last Company'' (dir.

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a German film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. Career He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in ...

, 1930) * '' Love's Carnival'' (dir.

Hans Steinhoff Hans Steinhoff (10 March 1882 – 20 April 1945) was a German film director, best known for the propaganda films he produced in Nazi Germany. Life and career Steinhoff started his career as a stage actor in the 1900s and later worked as a sta ...

, 1930) * ''Abenteuer im Engadin'' (dir. Max Obal, 1932) * '' The Oil Sharks'' (French-language version, dir.

Rudolph Cartier Rudolph Cartier (born Rudolph Kacser, renamed himself in Germany to Rudolph Katscher; 17 April 1904 – 7 June 1994) was an Austrian television director, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer who worked predominantly in British television, excl ...

and

Henri Decoin Henri Decoin (18 March 1890 – 4 July 1969) was a French film director and screenwriter, who directed more than 50 films between 1933 and 1964. He was also a swimmer who won the national title in 1911 and held the national record in the 500 ...

, 1933) ** '' Invisible Opponent'' (German-language version, dir.

, 1933) * '' Homecoming to Happiness'' (dir.

Carl Boese Carl Eduard Hermann Boese (; 26 August 1887 – 6 July 1958) was a German film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He directed 158 films between 1917 and 1957. Selected filmography * ''Farmer Borchardt'' (1917) * ''Donna Luci ...

, 1933) * ''

Decoy A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''eenden kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to ...

'' (German-language version, dir.

, 1934) ** '' The Decoy'' (French-language version, dir. Roger Le Bon and

, 1935) * ''

Make-Up Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources or created syn ...

'' (dir.

, 1937) * '' Dein Horoskop – Dein Schicksal?'' (documentary on astrology, dir. Konrad Lustig, 1956)

References

External links

Louis de Wohl and Nostradamus

Emma Garman, The Inconvenient Astrologer Of MI5

*

The Guardian: "Star turn: astrologer who became SOE's secret weapon against Hitler"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wohl, Louis de 1903 births 1961 deaths Writers from Berlin British astrologers British Roman Catholics Christian astrologers Hungarian male novelists German people of Hungarian descent German Roman Catholic writers German emigrants to England 20th-century German novelists Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre German people of Austrian-Jewish descent Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom British people of Hungarian descent British people of Austrian-Jewish descent Jews who immigrated to the United Kingdom to escape Nazism 20th-century Hungarian novelists 20th-century Hungarian male writers