Sax Rohmer

Sax Rohmer (1883–1959), pen name of Arthur Henry Ward, created Dr. Fu Manchu, the criminal mastermind whose serialised adventures made Rohmer one of the best-selling authors of his day and shaped the ‘diabolical genius’ archetype across pulp fiction and film. The series is also a textbook case of the era’s ‘Yellow Peril’ racism, and is read today as much for what it reveals about its time as for its considerable narrative drive.