Sydney Fowler Wright (6 January 1874 – 25 February 1965) was a British editor, poet, science fiction author, writer of

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

mystery fiction Mystery is a genre fiction, fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains wiktionary:mysterious, mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually prov ...

and works in other genres, as well as being an accountant and a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

political activist. E. F. Bleiler and Richard Bleiler. ''Science-Fiction: The Early Years''. Kent State University Press, 1990. . (p.831-837 ) He also wrote as Sydney Fowler and Anthony Wingrave.

Background

Wright was born in Holly Street, Smethwick (then in the Kings Norton registration district), England on 6 January 1874. Wright left school at eleven, and spent his adolescence studying literature when not working. Brian Stableford, "Against the New Gods: The Speculative Fiction of S. Fowler Wright". in ''Against the New Gods and Other Essays on Writers of Imaginative Fiction'' Wildside Press LLC, 2009 (p.9-90). From a young age, Wright deliberately adopted a healthy lifestyle; he did not smoke or eat meat, and rarely drank alcohol. Wright also took regular exercise by hiking or cycling in the countryside. He was married twice. His first wife was Nellie (Julia Ellen) Ashbarry, whom he married in 1895. After Nellie's death in 1918, Wright married Truda (Anastasia Gertruda) Hancock in 1920. Wright had ten children.

Writing career

In 1917, Wright helped found the Empire Poetry League and edited the League's journal, ''Poetry''. Wright used ''Poetry'' to publish his translations of Dante's '' Inferno'' and '' Purgatorio''. Wright began writing science fiction in the 1920s. The book ''Science-Fiction: The Early Years'' describes Wright as "the major British writer of genre science fiction between Wells and the moderns". His first science fiction novel was ''The Amphibians'' (1924), set in a future where humanity has been succeeded by the titular beings. His 1928 novel '' Deluge'', about a

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

which devastates Britain, was a success and was later adapted into a Hollywood film of the same title. ''The Island of Captain Sparrow'' (1928) was inspired by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

' '' The Island of Doctor Moreau''. Wright's novel features a race of

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

-like beast men persecuted by humans. Wright was critical of modern industrial civilization, and his 1932 collection ''The New Gods Lead'' contained several stories attacking trends Wright disagreed with, including

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

and the motor car (The "New Gods" of the book's title were described by Wright as Comfort and Cowardice). ''The New Gods Lead'' includes several stories of note, including "The Rat", about a doctor who discovers an immortality serum, and "P.N. 40", which is set in a repressive future controlled by supporters of the

eugenics Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...

movement. "The Choice:An Allegory of Blood and Tears" is a satire on the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

conception of

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

. In 1934, Wright visited

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

to write a series of newspaper articles. Alarmed at what he saw, he wrote three novels about a future war in Europe: ''Prelude in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

: The War of 1938'', ''Four Days' War'', and ''Mediggo's Ridge''.

Works

Science fiction novels

Amphibians sequence

*''The Amphibians'' (1924) *'' The World Below'' (1929) equel to ''The Amphibians''

Deluge and Dawn sequence

*'' Deluge'' (1928) *''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

'' (1929) arallel and sequel to ''Deluge''

Marguerite Cranleigh series

*''Dream, or the Simian Maid'' (1931) irst novel in the Marguerite Cranleigh Series*''The Vengeance of Gwa'' (1935) econd novel in the Marguerite Cranleigh Series*''Spiders' War'' (1954) hird novel in the Marguerite Cranleigh Series

Future War series

*''Prelude in Prague: The War of 1938'' (1934) *''Four Days War'' (1936) equel to ''Prelude in Prague''*''Megiddo's Ridge'' (1937) equel to ''Four Days War''

Other science fiction novels

*''The Island of Captain Sparrow'' (1928) *''Beyond the Rim'' (1932) *''Power'' (1933) *''The Screaming Lake'' (1937) *''The Hidden Tribe'' (1938) *''The Adventure of Wyndham Smith'' (1938) *''The Adventure of the Blue Room'' (as Sydney Fowler) (1945)

Historical novels

*''Elfwin'' (1930) (Novel about Ethelfleda of Mercia) *''Lord's Right in Languedoc'' (1933) *''David'' (1934) *''Last Days of Pompeii'' (1948) (Redaction of Lord Lytton's novel by S.F.W.). *''Marguerite de Valois'' (1946) (Translation of Alexander Dumas père novel). *''The Siege of Malta, Part One: St Elmo'' (1942) *''The Siege of Malta, Part Two: St Angelo'' (1942) (Completion of Walter Scott's unfinished novel)Donald E. Sultana. ''The Siege of Malta Rediscovered: An Account of Sir Walter Scott's Mediterranean Journey and his Last Novel''. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press (1977). .

Mystery novels (as Sydney Fowler)

*''The King against Anne Bickerton'' (1930, vts ''REX v Anne Bickerton'' and ''The Case of Anne Bickerton'') *''By Saturday'' (1931) *''The Bell Street Murders'' (1931) * ''Crime & co.'' (1931, vt ''The Hand-Print Mystery'') *''Who Else But She?'' (1934, vts ''Cherchez la Femme'', and ''Who But She?'') *''Was Murder Done?'' (1936) *''The Attic Murder'' (1936) *''Post-Mortem Evidence'' (1936) *''Four Callers in Razor Street'' (1937) *''The Jordans Murder'' (1938) (Reprinted in abridged edition in 1941) *''The Murder in Bethnal Square'' (1938) *''The Wills of Jane Kanwhistle'' (1939) *''The Secret of the Screen'' (1940) *''The Hanging of Constance Hillier'' (1941) *''The Rissole Mystery'' (1941) *''A Bout with the Mildew Gang'' (1941) *''Second Bout with the Mildew Gang'' (1942) *''Dinner in New York'' (1943) *''The End of the Mildew Gang'' (1944) *''Too Much for Mr. Jellipot'' (1945) *''Who Murdered Reynard?'' (1947) *''With Cause enough?'' (1954)

Other novels

*''Seven Thousand in Israel'' (1931) *''Red Ike'' (1931, vt. ''Under The Brutchstone'', Redaction of J.M. Denwood's novel ''Cumberland''). *''Ordeal of Barata'' (1939)

Short fiction

* "Automata: I" (1929) * "Automata: II" (1929) * "Automata: III" (1929) * "P.N. 40" (1929) * "The Rat" (1929) * "Automata" (1929) * "Brain" (1932) * "Choice" (1932) * "The Rule" (1932) * "Proof" (1932) * "Appeal" (1932) * "This Night" (1932) * "Justice" (1932) * "Original Sin" (1946) * "The Terror of William Stickers" (1946) * "A Question of E.D.D." (1946) * "The Congo Cat" (1946) * "The Temperature of Gehenna Sue" (1946) * "Carrots" (1946) * "Burglar's Aid" (1946) * "Who Else But She?" (1946) * "Status" (1946) * "The Witchfinder" (1946) * "Obviously Suicide" (1951) * "The Better Choice" (1955)

Collections

*''Scenes from the Morte d'Arthur'' (1919) as Alan Seymour *''The New Gods Lead'' (1932) *''The Witchfinder'' (1946) *'' The Throne of Saturn'' (1949) *''S. Fowler Wright's Short Stories'' (1996) .

Non-fiction

* ''Police and Public'' (1929) * ''The Life of Sir Walter Scott – Part I'' (1932) * ''The Life of Sir Walter Scott – Part II'' (1932) * ''Should We Surrender Colonies?'' (1938)

References

External links

*
Foreword
written by Brian Stableford for ''S. Fowler Wright's Short Stories''
The Works of Sydney Fowler Wright 1874 – 1965
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, S. Fowler 1874 births 1965 deaths 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English novelists English historical novelists English male non-fiction writers English male novelists English male poets English male short story writers English mystery writers English science fiction writers English short story writers People from Smethwick Translators of Dante Alighieri Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages