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Sax Rohmer
Sax Rohmer (1883 - 1959).
Sax Rohmer [Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward] was born Arthur Henry Ward in Birmingham, England, 15 February 1883
to Irish immigrant parents William Ward and Margaret Mary (nee Furey). Despite the handicap of no formal schooling
until the age of nine or ten, young Arthur dreamt of becoming a writer from an early age. Over the years he adopted
various pseudonyms but settled on Sax from the Saxon for 'blade' and Rohmer which meant 'roamer'. His middle name
was adopted based on his alchoholic mother's extravagant claim to being descended from the 17th C. Irish general,
Patrick Sarsfield.
After finishing his schooling, Rohmer held various menial clerking jobs in London's East End until becoming
a reporter for the Commercial Intelligence. An early interest in Egyptology, alchemy and mysticism spawned
his first published work at age 20, The Mysterious Mummy, which appeared in Pearson's Weekly in 1903.
He continued to write short stories for the cheaper magazine and newspaper market and pieces for the theater and
music hall, where he probably met Rose Elizabeth Knox, comedienne and juggler, who became his wife in 1909.
For some reason, the couple lived with their separate parents for two years, keeping their marriage a secret from Rose's family.
In 1910 Rohmer published his first novel Pause!, and in 1913 the first Fu Manchu novel The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu,,
which introduced the sinister, evil and cunning oriental genius. The novel enjoyed immediate success, appealing to
the xenophobia and, in particular, sinophobia currently rampant in London. Although the Chinese population concentrated
in London's East End Limehouse district was small, it was widely considered to harbor mandarin warlords, opium-den keepers,
murderers and occultists. News items reinforced and capitalized on this perceived 'yellow peril' and fueled the appetite
for the exotic material which Rohmer's Fu-Manchu provided. The insidious Chinaman and his sadistic daughter, Fah Lo Suee,
continued to battle the powers of Good embodied by Commissioner Smith and Dr. Petrie in the Return of Fu Manchu (1916)
and the Hand of Fu Manchu {Si-Fan Mysteries}(1917), in which Fu-Manchu's original incarnation died.
After a long hiatus Fu Manchu returned in the guise of Daughter of Fu Manchu (1931), and until 1959 the evil
character was to appear in various permutations, incarnations and alter egos. Rohmer also invented various other characters,
including detective Gaston Max, who first appeared in the Yellow Claw (1915), psychic/ occultist detective
Morris Klaw, sinister female master plotter, Sumuru, and detectives Paul Harley and Chief Inspector Red Kerry who
debuted in Dope, A Story of Chinatown (1919), a drug smuggling thriller.
Rohmer's interest in the occult
and mysticism led him to join the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, whose membership also boasted Alester Crowley and W.B. Yeats.
These interests no doubt inspired some of the author's other works about the supernatural and sorcery which included
The Brood of the Witch Queen (1918), The Green Eyes of Bast (1920) and Grey Face(1924).
Rohmer's writings through the 30s brought him considerable financial success. He and his wife travelled extensively
and built a house, Little Gatton, in England's Surrey countryside. However, Rohmer was a poor business manager and bad deals
with publishers, an extravagant lifestyle and a weakness for gambling caused the Rohmers to suffer financial difficulties
and periods of near poverty. He reportedly sold all his film, TV and radio rights in 1955 for more than 4 million dollars.
After WWII they moved to New York City, and then Greenwich, CT before finally settling in White Plains, NY.
Sax Rohmer died on June 1, 1959, of pneumonia and stroke, supposedly complications from a bout of Asian flu.
Ward also wrote under the pen-name (pseudonym) 'Michael Furey'.
◊The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu [The Insidious Dr Fu Manchu] 1913
◊The Devil Doctor [The Return of Dr Fu Manchu (1917 US)] 1916
◊The Si-Fan Mysteries [The Hand of Fu Manchu] 1917
◊Daughter of Fu Manchu 1931
◊The Mask of Fu Manchu 1932
◊Fu Manchu's Bride [The Bride of Fu Manchu] 1933
◊The Trail of Fu Manchu 1934
◊President Fu Manchu 1936
◊The Drums of Fu Manchu 1938
◊The Island of Fu Manchu 1941
◊The Shadow of Fu Manchu 1948
◊Re-Enter Fu Manchu [Re-Enter Dr Fu Manchu (UK)] 1957
◊Emperor Fu Manchu 1959
◊The Wrath of Fu Manchu and Other Stories 1973 (collection)
◊The Book of Fu Manchu 1929 (omni)
Sax Rohmer Series: Gaston Max
◊The Yellow Claw 1915
◊The Golden Scorpion 1919
◊The Day the World Ended 1930
◊Seven Sins 1943
Sax Rohmer Series: Red Kerry
◊Dope 1919
◊Yellow Shadows 1925
Sax Rohmer Series: Sumura
◊Nude in Mink US, [Sins of Sumura, UK] 1950
◊Sumura US, 1951 [Slaves of Sumura, UK 1952]
◊Virgin in Flames US, [The Fire Goddess, UK] 1952
◊Return of Sumura US, 1954 [Sand and Satin (1955 UK)]
◊Sinister Madonna 1956
Sax Rohmer Series: Paul Harley
◊Bat-Wing 1921
◊Fire-Tongue 1921
Other Works:
◊The Sins of Severac Bablon 1914
◊The Romance of Sorcery 1914
◊Brood of the Witch Queen 1918
◊Tales of Secret Egypt 1918 (collection)
◊The Orchard of Tears 1918
◊The Quest of the Sacred Slipper 1919
◊The Dream Detective 1920 (collection)
◊The Green Eyes of Bast 1920
◊The Haunting of Low Fennel 1920 (collection)
◊Tales of Chinatown 1922 (collection)
◊Grey Face 1924
◊Moon of Madness 1927
◊She Who Sleeps 1928
◊The Emperor of America 1929
◊Yu'an Hee See Laughs 1932
◊Tales of East and West 1933 (collection)
◊The Bat Flies Low 1935
◊White Velvet 1936
◊The Golden Scorpion Omnibus 1938 (collection)
◊The Sax Rohmer Omnibus 1938 (collection)
◊Salute to Bazarada and Other Stories 1939 (collection)
◊Egyptian Nights [Bimbashi Baruk of Egypt] 1944
◊Wulfheim 1950 [Writing as Michael Furey]
◊The Moon is Red 1954
◊The Secret of Holm Peel and Other Strange Stories 1970 (collection)
Short Fiction:
◊A House Possessed 1912
◊The Tragedies in the Greek Room 1913
◊The Valley of the Sorceress 1916
◊In the Valley of the Sorceress 1916
◊The Curse of a Thousand Kisses 1918
◊Tcheriapin 1920
◊Red Mist 1924
◊Lord of the Jackals 1927
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