Editing Sax Rohmer

{{Short description|English novelist (1883–1959)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Technical reasons|Sax Rohmer #1|the Mountain Goats song|Sax Rohmer 1}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
|name         = Sax Rohmer
|image        = Sax Rohmer.jpg
|caption      = Rohmer around 1929
|pseudonym    = Sax Rohmer, Michael Furey, Arthur Sarsfield Ward
|birth_name   = Arthur Henry Ward
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1883|2|15|df=y}}
|birth_place  = [[Birmingham]], England
|death_date   = {{Death date and age|1959|6|1|1883|2|15|df=y}}
|death_place  = [[London]], England
|occupation   = Novelist
}}
'''Arthur Henry''' "'''Sarsfield'''" '''Ward'''<ref name="oxforddnb.com">{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-39472|title=Ward, Arthur Henry [Arthur Sarsfield Ward; pseud. Sax Rohmer] (1883–1959), writer|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/39472}}</ref> (15 February 1883 – 1 June 1959), better known as '''Sax Rohmer''', was an English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal [[Fu Manchu]].<ref name=ja>"Rohmer, Sax" by Jack Adrian in [[David Pringle]], ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers''. London: St. James Press, 1998; {{ISBN|1558622063}} (pp. 482–484).</ref>

== Life and work ==
Born in [[Birmingham]] to [[working class]] Irish parents William Ward (c. 1850–1932), a clerk, and Margaret Mary (née Furey; c. 1850–1901),<ref name="oxforddnb.com" /> Arthur Ward initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time. He worked as a poet, songwriter and comedy sketch writer for [[music hall]] performers before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing fiction. {{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

Like his contemporaries [[Algernon Blackwood]] and [[Arthur Machen]], Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the  [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]].<ref>[[Leigh Blackmore]], [http://www.shadowplayzine.com/Articles/hermetic_horrors.htm"Hermetic Horrors: Weird Fiction Writers and the Order of the Golden Dawn"]</ref> Rohmer also claimed ties to the [[Rosicrucians]], but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His doctor and family friend Dr R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organisations. {{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

His first published work was issued in 1903, when the short story "The Mysterious Mummy" was sold to ''[[Pearson's Weekly]]''. Rohmer's main literary influences seem to have been [[Edgar Allan Poe]], [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] and [[M. P. Shiel]].<ref name=ja /> He gradually transitioned from writing for music hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.

He published his first book ''Pause!'' anonymously in 1910.

In 1934, Sax Rohmer moved into a newly refurbished house, Little Gatton<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3816029|title=Geograph:: Little Gatton © Ian Capper|website=www.geograph.org.uk}}</ref> in Gatton Road, Reigate, Surrey, where he lived until 1946.

He died after succumbing to [[1957–1958 influenza pandemic|Asian flu]] in 1959.

== The Fu Manchu series ==
[[File:SAX ROHMER Arthur Henry Ward 1883-1959 Creator of Dr. Fu Manchu lived here.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Blue plaque]] at 51 Herne Hill, [[Herne Hill]], London]]
After penning ''Little Tich'' in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the music hall entertainer [[Little Tich|of the same name]]) he wrote the first Fu Manchu novel, ''[[The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu]]'', first published in a serialisation from October 1912 to June 1913. It was an immediate success, with its story of [[Denis Nayland Smith]] and Dr. Petrie facing the supposed worldwide conspiracy of the "[[Yellow Peril]]". The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters — Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw (an [[occult detective]]), and the Crime Magnet — made Rohmer one of the most successful and financially well-off authors of the 1920s and 1930s.

Rohmer believed that conditions for launching a Chinese villain were ideal because the [[Boxer Rebellion]] had "started off rumors of a [[Yellow Peril]] which had not yet died down.<ref name="Crean">{{Cite book |last=Crean |first=Jeffrey |title=The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History |date=2024 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |isbn=978-1-350-23394-2 |edition= |series=New Approaches to International History series |location=London, UK |pages=}}</ref>{{Rp|page=41}} 

The first three Fu Manchu books were published in the four years between 1913 and 1917; but it was not until 1931 (some 14 years after the third book in the series) that Rohmer returned to the series with ''Daughter of Fu Manchu''. The reason for the long interval was that Rohmer wanted to be rid of the series after ''The Si-Fan Mysteries''. The first three books had been successfully filmed by [[Stoll Pictures|Stoll]] in the twenties as a pair of serials.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/503748/index.html |title=BFI Screenonline: Mystery of Dr Fu Manchu, The (1923) |publisher=screenonline.org.uk}}</ref> 

Rohmer's first effort at reviving the Fu Manchu property was ultimately reworked as ''The Emperor of America''. The original intent had been for the head of the organisation to be Fu Manchu's daughter. He kept Head Centre as a female criminal mastermind to combat Drake Roscoe, but was very unhappy with the book both as it started and in its finished form. He would later return to Drake Roscoe and his female supervillain for the Sumuru series. In the meantime, he tried again to focus his energies on what was first titled ''Fu Manchu's Daughter'' for ''Collier's'' in 1930, but with an older (now knighted) Denis Nayland Smith as the protagonist once more. The results were infinitely better and jump-started the series in the process.

In the 28 years from 1931 to 1959, Rohmer added a further 10 books to the Fu Manchu series, meaning the series totals 13 books in all (not counting the posthumous short story collection ''The Wrath of Fu Manchu and Other Stories''). The Fu Manchu series was criticised by the Chinese government and Chinese communities in the U.S. for what was perceived as negative ethnic stereotyping. Sociologist [[Virginia Berridge]] has stated that Rohmer created a false image of London's [[British Chinese|Chinese community]] as crime-ridden, further claiming that the [[Limehouse]] Chinese were one of the most law-abiding of London's ethnic minorities.<ref name=ja /> Critic Jack Adrian has written: "Rohmer's own [[racism]] was careless and casual, a mere symptom of his times".<ref name=ja /> Colin Watson commented: "So vehement and repetitive were Sax Rohmer's references to Asiatic plotting against 'white' civilisation that they cannot be explained simply as the frills of melodramatic narration."<ref>{{cite book|last=Watson |first=Colin |title=Snobbery with Violence: English Crime Stories and Their Audience |publisher=Faber |year=2009 |pages=44 |isbn=978-0-571-25403-3}}</ref>

== Other work ==
Rohmer became a friend of escapologist [[Harry Houdini]], who wrote to him in praise of Rohmer's ''The Romance of Sorcery''. Rohmer based his mystery-solving magician character Bazarada on Houdini.

''The Orchard of Tears'' is an odd book in the context of Sax Rohmer's other work. There are no Oriental villains or exotic locations; rather, there are gentle rabbits and lambs in pastoral settings and a great deal of philosophical musing. As much as he enjoyed Fu Manchu — and the notoriety and income the character provided — Rohmer had other interests and a markedly serious side. The departure from his expected subject matter is plainly signalled by the book's dedication: "To the slaves of the pomegranate, sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, who drink at the fountain of life, this chalice is offered as a loving-cup".

In ''The Quest of the Sacred Slipper'' (1919) terror comes to Britain when a self-centered archaeologist unearths one of [[Islam]]'s holiest [[relic]]s—the sacred slipper of the [[prophet Mohammed]]. Until it is returned to its rightful people, the implacable Hassan of [[Aleppo]] vows his reign of death and destruction shall not cease. Behind these inhuman outrages is a secret group of fanatics. Not even the best men of [[Scotland Yard]] seem able to apprehend them. {{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

''Tales of Chinatown'' (1922) is a collection of 10 short stories published in hardcover by Cassell in 1922 and Doubleday, Page and Company in 1922. All of the stories first appeared in magazine format. This collection includes a story that is considered to be one of his best and also has been anthologised many times; "Tcheriapin". The story "The Hand of the Mandarin Quong" was rewritten for this book; first published as "Hand of the White Sheikh", Rohmer changed the setting to a Chinatown background and published it as "The Mystery of the Shriveled Hand"; the title was then changed again for this collection.

Rohmer also wrote several novels of [[Horror film|supernatural horror]], including ''[[Brood of the Witch-Queen]]'', described by Adrian as "Rohmer's masterpiece".<ref name="ja" /><ref>L.D. Allen, "Sax Rohmer",in [[E. F. Bleiler]], ed. ''Supernatural Fiction Writers''. New York: Scribner's, 1985. pp. 555–560.</ref> Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career.

His final success came with a 1946–1949 [[BBC Light Programme]] radio series that led to a series of 1950s novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, [[Sumuru (character)|Sumuru]]. The Sumuru series consists of five books.  Two films featuring the character played by [[Shirley Eaton]] were also produced by [[Harry Alan Towers]], as was a 2003 British-South African-German film, ''[[Sumuru (2003 film)|Sumuru]]''.

Rohmer also wrote numerous short stories; "The Master of Hollow Grange" (1920) is a homage to [[M. R. James]]' story "Lost Hearts", featuring a [[mad scientist]] who preys on children.<ref name=ja />

Rohmer's work was [[List of authors banned during the Third Reich|banned in Nazi Germany]], causing Rohmer to complain that he could not understand such censorship, stating "my stories are not inimical to Nazi ideals".<ref>Rod Stoneman, [http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/far-east-fu-fighting-the-yellow-peril-dr-fu-manchu-and-the-rise-of-chinophobia-1.1988872 Far East Fu fighting: The Yellow Peril – Dr Fu Manchu and the Rise of Chinophobia] Review of ''The Yellow Peril: Dr. Fu Manchu and the Rise of Chinaphobia'' by [[Christopher Frayling]]. ''The Irish Times'', 8 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.</ref>

After [[World War II]], Rohmer and his wife moved to New York, only returning to London shortly before his death. He died in 1959 at the age of 76, due to an outbreak of "[[Asian flu]]".

His wife, Rose Elizabeth (Knox) Ward (1886–1979), published her own mystery novel, ''Bianca in Black'', in 1958 under the [[pen name]] Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. She and [[Cay Van Ash]] (1918–1994), her husband's former assistant, wrote a [[biography]] of the author, ''Master of Villainy: A Biography of Sax Rohmer'', published in 1972.<ref>Cay Van Ash and Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. ''Master of Villainy: A Biography of Sax Rohmer'', London: Tom Stacey, 1972</ref>

== Works ==
For Rohmer's bibliography, see [[List of works by Sax Rohmer|his full list of work]].

Related works:
*''Bianca in Black'' by Elizabeth Sax Rohmer, 1958
*''Master of Villainy: A Biography of Sax Rohmer'' by Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and [[Cay Van Ash]] with Robert Briney, 1972
*''Ten Years Beyond Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Matches Wits with the Diabolical Dr. Fu Manchu'' by [[Cay Van Ash]], 1984. Authorised by the literary estates of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sax Rohmer.
*''The Fires of Fu Manchu'' by [[Cay Van Ash]], 1987. Authorised by the Sax Rohmer literary estate.
*''The Terror of Fu Manchu'' by William Patrick Maynard, 2009. Authorised by the Rohmer estate.
*''The Destiny of Fu Manchu'' by William Patrick Maynard, 2012. Authorised by the Rohmer estate.
*''The Triumph of Fu Manchu'' by William Patrick Maynard (announced). Authorised by the Rohmer estate.

A note on texts: U.S. editions of the Sumuru books (Gold Medal/Fawcett paperbacks) have texts which were frequently corrupted.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*Baker, Phil, & Antony Clayton. ''Lord of Strange Deaths''. London, U.K.: Strange Attractor Press, 2015. 17 scholars and writers contribute well-researched articles on important aspects of Sax Rohmer's writings and the attitudes that they display, with notable contributions by Robert Irwin, Gary Lachman, and Lawrence Knapp, among others.
*Briney, Robert E. "Chronological Bibliography of the Works of Sax Rohmer". In [[Francis M. Nevins]] (ed), ''The Mystery Writer's Art'', London: Tom Stacey, 1971, as an appendix to "Sax Rohmer: An Informal Survey" by Briney. A slightly altered version of the checklist appears in ''Master of Villainy'' – see Van Ash and Rohmer below.
*Colombo, John Robert. "Sax Rohmer and His Yellow Shadows", ''The Tamarack Review'' journal (Autumn 1960), No. 17, pp.&nbsp;43–57. This essay discusses the man and his accomplishment the year following his death.
*Colombo, John Robert. ''A Sax Rohmer Miscellany''. Toronto, Colombo & Company, 2014. This 166-page monograph collects and presents unusual biographical and critical information about Rohmer and his literary creations. Included is a hitherto unpublished letter from Rohmer to Colombo.
*Coombs, Alistair. "Sinister Shades in Yellow" ''Starfire'' Vol. II, No. 3, 2008. Essay discusses occult influences in themes from Rohmer's novels with bearing on Theosophy, Kenneth Grant and H.P. Lovecraft.
*Day, Bradford M. ''Sax Rohmer: A Bibliography'' Denver, NY: Science Fiction and Fantasy Publications, 1963. Includes information on book editions and magazine appeararances. Reprinted by Bradford M. Day, ''Bibliography of Adventure'' Denver, NY: Science Fiction and Fantasy Publications, 1964 (the reprint is slightly revised, but is not updated beyond 1963). Both versions have some inaccuracies, but are useful for the listings on Rohmer's magazine appearances.
*Enright, D.J. "Introduction" to ''The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu''. London: Everyman, 1985. Overview of the Fu Manchu work.
*Frayling, Christopher. ''The Yellow Peril: Dr. Fu Manchu & The Rise of Chinaphobia''. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2014. This is a highly readable, extremely well-informed, and very comprehensive study of Orientalism with special reference to Sax Rohmer's contribution, with 60 illustrations, more than half of them in color.
*Huang, Yunte. ''Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History.'' New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. Chapter 15 ("Fu Manchu"), pp.&nbsp;136–44, considers the Yellow Peril. Chapter 28 ("The Fu Manchurian Candidate"), pp.&nbsp;268–77, traces the influence of Rohmer's ''President Fu Manchu'' on Richard Condon's influential novel ''[[The Manchurian Candidate]]''.
*Lane, Andrew. "The Crimes of Fu Manchu". ''Million'' magazine (May–June 1991), pp.&nbsp;41–44. Overview, with a useful "Fu Manchu Chronology".
*Mayer, Ruth. ''Serial Fu Manchu: The Chinese Supervillain and the Spread of Yellow Peril Ideology''. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2014. In this academic study, the author considers the "yellow peril imagination" alongside the "Fu Manchu narratives" with respect to their "seriality" (including the depiction of stock figures rather than credible characters) and demonstrates that the fictional story is far from being fully told.
*Scapperotti, Dan. "Memories of Fu Manchu". ''Starlog'' (Jan. 1987), pp.&nbsp;60–64.  Article about [[Henry Brandon (actor)|Henry Brandon]], the actor who played Fu Manchu in the Republic Pictures serial ''[[Drums of Fu Manchu]]''.
*Scott, David. "Rohmer's 'Orient' – Pulp Orientalism?" ''Orient Archive'' (#80), 2012, pp.&nbsp;1–27. A comprehensive consideration of Rohmer's descriptions of Egypt and the Egyptians and China and the Chinese, with special references to women, jihad and conspiracy, in light of the notion of "the other".
*[[Cay Van Ash]] and Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. ''Master of Villainy: A Biography of Sax Rohmer'', Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1972. The only full-length biography.  Originally intended as a collaboration by Rohmer and his wife, the book draws on a series of articles titled "Pipe Dreams" written by Rohmer as early as 1918, as well as anecdotes and memories of Rohmer's wife. Robert E. Briney annotated the text. Includes Robert E. Briney, "Chronological Bibliography of the Books of Sax Rohmer" (see pp.&nbsp;299–305), which supersedes that of Day in ''Bibliography of Adventure'' (1970)

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|auto=y}}
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/sax-rohmer}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=110| name=Sax Rohmer}}
* {{FadedPage|id=Ward, Arthur Henry|name=Sax Rohmer|author=yes}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Sax Rohmer}}
* {{Librivox author |id=1165}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0737544}}

{{Sumuru}}
{{Fu Manchu}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohmer, Sax}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1959 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century English male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century pseudonymous writers]]
[[Category:English Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:English crime fiction writers]]
[[Category:English horror writers]]
[[Category:English male novelists]]
[[Category:English people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:English thriller writers]]
[[Category:Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]]
[[Category:Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Deaths from influenza in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Burials at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green]]