Sydney Fowler Wright (6 January 1874 – 25 February 1965) was a British editor, poet,

science fiction author This is a list of noted science-fiction authors (in alphabetical order): A *Dafydd ab Hugh (born 1960) *Alexander Abasheli (1884–1954) *Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926) *Kōbō Abe (1924–1993) * Robert Abernathy (1924–1990) *Dan Abn ...

, writer of

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

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 that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

political activist.

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

and

Richard Bleiler Richard James Bleiler (born 1959) is an American bibliographer of science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime, and adventure fiction. He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 2002 and for the Munsey Award in 2019. He is the ...

. ''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 Smethwick (then in the Kings Norton registration district), England. Wright left school at eleven, and spent his adolescence studying literature when not working.

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

, "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 The Empire Poetry League was a British-based organisation founded in 1917,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'', Wildsid ...

and edited the League's journal, ''Poetry''. Wright used ''Poetry'' to publish his translations of

Dante's Dante's is a nightclub and live music venue in Portland, Oregon. The venue, located along West Burnside Street and owned by Frank Faillace, hosts a variety of acts ranging from burlesque to rock music. Dante's is housed in an unreinforced masonr ...

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'' and ''

Purgatorio ''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the ''Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Da ...

''. 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 Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * 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 A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis. Deluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Comm ...

'', about a

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( 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 an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

which devastates Britain, was a success and was later adapted into a

Hollywood film The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...

of the same title. ''The Island of Captain Sparrow'' (1928) was inspired by H.G. Wells' ''

The Island of Doctor Moreau ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells (1866–1946). The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick who is a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the islan ...

''. Wright's novel features a race of

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, :wikt:σάτυρος, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, :wikt:Σειληνός, σειληνός ), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears ...

-like beast men persecuted by humans. Wright was critical of modern

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

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 unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

and the

motor car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

(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 fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

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

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

conception of

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

. In 1934, Wright visited

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

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 ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

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

Works

Science fiction novels

Amphibians sequence

*''The Amphibians'' (1924) *''

The World Below ''The World Below'' is a science fiction novel by British writer S. Fowler Wright. It was first published in 1929 by Collins. The novel was originally intended as a trilogy, but the third part was never written. The first part was originally ...

'' (1929) equel to ''The Amphibians''

Deluge and Dawn sequence

*''

'' (1928) *''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

'' (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

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 Kings Norton Translators of Dante Alighieri Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages