No, he was more of of a local infamous person than a local celebrity. He had already gained quite a bit of notoriety by the early 1920s, and he was CERTAINLY “into pure occult” at that stage of his career.
Somerset Maugham’s THE MAGICAN, a roman a clef with the title character, Oliver Haddo, patterned after Crowley, had been out for some time, and Crowley had attempted to sue Maugham for libel.
He had also made one of the best attempts to climb K-2, the second-highest mountain in the world, and had traveled extensively throughout the Far East, studying Buddhism, Yoga and the Tao.
He spent most of his time acting as a Spiritual Leader, gathering up disciples and emptying their bank accounts, running through his OWN (inherited) bank account, and having sex with his followers, both male and female. He also opened his Abbey of Thelema in Cefalu, Sicily, around this time.
DIARY OF A DRUG FIEND was written mainly to earn him some quick cash (hence the sensationalistic title), not to establish a literary career. He looked to his (self-published) poetry for that.
Check out Lawrence Sutin’s DO WHAT THOU WILT: A LIFE OF ALEISTER CROWLEY for more info.
