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(1868-1947) Canadian engineer, poet and author in the UK from around 1920 to 1940; prolific in various genres from 1891, including popular fiction as Sinclair Murray. Works of some interest include The Jade God (1924), In the Days of Their Youth (1926), a Posthumous Fantasy [see The Encyclopedia of Fantasy under links below], The Magic Makers (1930), in which Eskimos are overawed by Technology, Mr Absalom (1930) and "... And from that Day" (1944). Of stronger sf interest are In the Beginning (1927), a Lost-World tale set – as so often in the early twentieth century – in the Andes, though in this case farther south than usual, in Patagonia, where a modern expedition discovers ancient species and some Neanderthals (see Prehistoric SF); and A Little Way Ahead (1929) as by Sinclair Murray, in which an ordinary man, suddenly becoming prescient, makes money on the Stock Exchange, but is doomed by personal flaws; and after his gift deserts him has one final vision: of himself as a Suicide. Sullivan's reputation has not lasted in his native land, perhaps partly because his establishmentarian Family Compact views on the nature of Canadian society have not worn well. [JC]
born Montreal, Quebec: 29 November 1868
died Surrey: 6 August 1947
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Entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2011-current) edited by John Clute and David Langford.
Accessed 03:38 am on 13 July 2025.
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