Sax Rohmer

1883 – 1959

Rohmer, whose real name was Arthur Henry “Sarsfield” Ward, was an English novelist whose main literary influences were Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle. He gradually transitioned from writing for music hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication.

He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master Chinese criminal Fu Manchu. 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”.

Several literary critics and authors have criticized Rohmer’s unflattering portrayal of Chinese immigrants. Despite this criticism the Fu Manchu series of 14 novels (together with his more conventional detective series characters) made Rohmer one of the most successful authors of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

He also wrote several novels in the supernatural horror genre.