L. R. Johannis
L. R. Johannis, born Luigi Rapuzzi in 1905 in Italy, was a multifaceted figure whose life spanned significant political and cultural transformations. Initially influenced by the Futurism movement of the 1920s, Johannis also became involved with the Italian Communist Party, which shaped his perspectives during a turbulent era in Italy. Following the rise of Benito Mussolini and the Fascist regime, he participated in a resistance movement while simultaneously exploring science fiction through various pseudonyms. After World War II, Johannis migrated illegally to the United States, where he engaged with notable writers like Ray Palmer and George Adamski, blending themes of science fiction with speculative accounts of alien encounters.
His fascination with Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) grew, leading him to pen vivid alien abduction narratives, notably describing encounters with distinctive extraterrestrial beings. However, his immigration status and political associations eventually led to his deportation back to Italy, where he passed away in 1968. Despite his controversial background, Johannis's writings have gained traction among UFO enthusiasts, who often cite them in discussions on alien visitations, particularly from the context of the late 1940s when public interest in such phenomena was burgeoning.
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L. R. Johannis
- Born: May 14, 1905
- Birthplace: Italy
- Died: September 21, 1968
- Place of death: Milan, Italy
Biography
L. R. Johannis was the pen name of Luigi Rapuzzi, who was born in 1905 in Italy. As a student, he became involved with Futurism, a popular movement in the 1920’s which sought to portray progress through art and literature. Johannis also became connected with the Italian Communist Party during that period, perhaps as a result of interactions with Soviet Futurists such as Vladimir Mayakovsky.
After Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party took power in Italy, Johannis became involved in the a fascist resistance movement. He also began to write science-fiction stories under a number of pseudonyms. After World War II he decided to leave Italy, illegally immigrating to the United States in 1947. There, he connected with writers Ray Palmer and George Adamski, whose stories straddled the edge between science fiction and pseudoscience, telling stories of alien visitors and ancient civilizations which were treated as though they were factual, but could always claim to be fiction if pressed about their accuracy. These connections led Johannis to become increasingly fascinated with Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), and he began to write stories describing his abduction by aliens in a red flying saucer while hiking alone in the Italian Alps. His aliens were particularly vivid and quite unlike the typical gray creatures depicted in many science-fiction stories. These aliens also were short and had green faces, large purple eyes, and clawlike fingers with which they attacked him.
His writings soon attracted the attention of American immigration authorities, who were not well disposed toward an illegal immigrant with ties to communist organizations, particularly during the Cold War era. Johannis was deported back to Italy, where he died of cancer in 1968. However, his writings are frequently cited by UFO supporters as evidence of the reality of alien visitations, particularly by people who were unaware of UFO’s in the late 1940’s.