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{{About|the British writer and diplomat|the Afghan singer|Sarban}}
{{Short description|British writer and diplomat}}
{{About|the British writer and diplomat|the Pashtun tribe|Sarbans|the Afghan singer|Abdul Rahim Sarban}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox writer
⚫
'''John William Wall''' (6 November 1910 – 1989), pen name '''Sarban''', was a [[United Kingdom|British]] writer and diplomat. Wall's diplomatic career lasted more than thirty years, but his writing career as Sarban was brief and not prolific, ending during the early 1950s. Sarban is described in [[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy]] as
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"a subtle, literate teller of tales, conscious of the darker and less acceptable implications that underlie much popular literature".
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| name = Sarban
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| pseudonym = Sarban
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|11|6|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Mexborough]], [[Yorkshire]], [[England]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|04|11|1910|11|6|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Pen y Fan]], [[Wales]]
| resting_place =
| occupation = Diplomat
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| nationality =British
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| alma_mater = [[Jesus College, Cambridge]]
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⚫
'''John William Wall''' (6 November 1910 &ndash; 11 April 1989), pen name '''Sarban''', was a British writer and diplomat. Wall's diplomatic career lasted more than thirty years, but his writing career as Sarban was brief and not prolific, ending during the early 1950s. Sarban is described in ''[[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy]]'' as "a subtle, literate teller of tales, conscious of the darker and less acceptable implications that underlie much popular literature". Wall cited the supernatural fiction of [[Arthur Machen]] and [[Walter de la Mare]] as influences on his work.<ref>"Sarban" by [[Peter Nicholls (writer)|Peter Nicholls]], in ''Supernatural Fiction Writers'' edited by [[E. F. Bleiler]]. Scribner's,New York, 1985. (pp.667-674), {{ISBN|0-684-17808-7}} .</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Wall was born in [[Mexborough]] in [[Yorkshire]], the son of George William Wall, a passenger guard on the [[Great Central Railway]], and Maria Ellen (née Moffatt) Wall. After Mexborough School, he studied English at [[Jesus College, Cambridge|Jesus College]], [[Cambridge University|Cambridge]] and received first-class honors. He also studied Arabic and took the Consular Service Examination.
Wall was born in [[Mexborough]] in [[Yorkshire]], the son of George William Wall, a passenger guard on the [[Great Central Railway]], and Maria Ellen (née Moffatt) Wall. After Mexborough School, he studied English at [[Jesus College, Cambridge|Jesus College]], [[Cambridge University|Cambridge]] and received first-class honours. He also studied Arabic and took the Consular Service Examination.


Wall married Eleanor Alexander Riesle on 20 January 1950 and they had one daughter. Wall and his wife were separated legally during 1971.
Wall married Eleanor Alexander Riesle on 20 January 1950 and they had one daughter. Wall and his wife were legally separated in 1971.


==Diplomatic service==
==Diplomatic service==
During 1933, Wall was posted initially as Probationer Vice-Consul at [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. Subsequently, he was stationed at [[Jeddah]], [[Tabriz]], [[Esfahan]] and [[Casablanca]]. After [[World War II|WWII]], he was Counsellor at the British Middle East Office in [[Cairo]] until 1952. Later he held the job of Consular General in Egypt until he retired from overseas service in 1966.
He chose a diplomatic career in the Near East because "[[James Elroy Flecker|[James Elroy] Flecker]], whose poetry I had loved in my school days, had been in the [[Levant Consular Service]]", and owing to "a liking for travel and oriental philology".<ref>"Time, A Falconer" by [[Mark Valentine]], Tartarus Press, 2010.</ref> During 1933, Wall was posted initially as Probationer Vice-Consul at [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. Subsequently, he was stationed at [[Jeddah]] in Saudi Arabia, [[Tabriz]] and [[Esfahan]] in Iran, and [[Casablanca]] in Morocco. He was posted as the first [[List of British representatives in the Trucial States|Political Agent to the Trucial States in Dubai]] following the relocation of the seat of British representative from [[Sharjah]] to Dubai in 1953.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Abdullah |first=Mohammad Morsy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8uYJEAAAQBAJ&dq=trucial+states+council+1968&pg=RA1-PA20 |title=The United Arab Emirates: A Modern History |date=2020-11-26 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-15635-5 |language=en}}</ref> After [[World War II|WWII]], he was Counsellor at the British Middle East Office in [[Cairo]] until 1952. He was British Ambassador to Paraguay 1957–1958 and Consul-General at Alexandria 1963–1965. He was honoured in 1953 as a Companion of the Order of St Michael & St George for his diplomatic work.


Wall continued to work for the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|Foreign Office]], at first in a teaching position in London, 1966–1970, and then at the [[GCHQ|Government Communications Headquarters]], a secret surveillance centre, in [[Cheltenham]]. Wall retired from the Foreign Office during 1977, and retired to [[Monmouthshire]].
Wall continued to work for the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|Foreign Office]], at first in a teaching position in London, 1966–1970, and then at the [[GCHQ|Government Communications Headquarters]], a secret surveillance centre, in [[Cheltenham]]. Wall retired from the Foreign Office during 1977, and retired to [[Monmouthshire]].


==Literary work==
==Literary works==
His most famous story is the [[alternate history]]-novel [[The Sound of His Horn]] (1952) which presupposes that the [[Nazis]] have won [[World War II]] and built amusement parks where they hunt genetically altered humans for sport. Sarban also published two collections of fantasy stories during his life: ''Ringstones and Other Curious Tales'' (1951) and ''The Doll Maker and Other Tales of the Uncanny'' (1953). During 2002, ''The Sacrifice: And Other Stories'' was published which collected four novellas, two of which, the title story and "The Sea-Things", were published for the first time. The other two were "Number Fourteen" which were published in a later edition of ''Ringstones'', and "The King Of The Lake" which was added to a later edition of ''The Sound Of His Horn''.
Sarban's most famous literary work is the [[alternative-history]] novel ''[[The Sound of His Horn]]'' (1952), which presupposes that the [[Nazis]] have won the Second World War and built parks where they hunt genetically altered humans for sport. Sarban also published two collections of fantasy stories: ''Ringstones and Other Curious Tales'' (1951) and ''The Doll Maker and Other Tales of the Uncanny'' (1953).
''The Sacrifice and Other Stories'' (2002) collects four novellas, two of which, the title story and "The Sea-Things", appeared in print for the first time, while "Number Fourteen" had been published in a later edition of ''Ringstones'', and "The King of the Lake" had been added to a later edition of ''The Sound of His Horn''.

Further previously unpublished work, including poems, a one-act play, extracts from two novels and unpublished stories, has been collected in ''Discovery of Heretics'' (2010).

==Bibliography==
*''Ringstones and Other Curious Tales'', Peter Davies, 1951
**also [[Tartarus Press]], 2000 (350 copies; adds "Number Fourteen")
*''The Sound of His Horn'', Peter Davies, 1952
**also Tartarus Press, 1999 (350 numbered copies; adds "The King of the Lake")
*''The Doll Maker Other Tales of the Uncanny'', Peter Davies, 1953. Note: The Ballantine paperback reprint (1960) omits two stories.
*''The Sacrifice'', Tartarus Press, 2002 (350 copies)
*''Discovery of Heretics'', Tartarus Press, 2011


==References==
==References==
<references/>
⚫
* Sullivan, Jack (1986) "Sarban" ''The Penguin encyclopedia of horror and the supernatural'' Viking, New York, N.Y., USA, ISBN 0-670-80902-0

⚫
* Chapman, E. L. (2002) "Sarban (John W. Wall)" ''In'' Harris-Fain, Darren (2002) ''British fantasy and science-fiction writers, 1918-1960'' Gale Group, Detroit, ISBN 0-7876-5249-0
⚫
* Sullivan, Jack (1986) "Sarban" ''The Penguin encyclopedia of horror and the supernatural'' Viking, New York, N.Y., USA, {{ISBN|0-670-80902-0}}
⚫
* [http://homepages.pavilion.co.uk/users/tartarus/wall.html Russell, Ray B. (2001) "Sarban" ''The Lost Club Journal'']
⚫
* Chapman, E. L. (2002) "Sarban (John W. Wall)" ''In'' Harris-Fain, Darren (2002) ''British fantasy and science-fiction writers, 1918-1960'' Gale Group, Detroit, {{ISBN|0-7876-5249-0}}
⚫
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081006222939/http://www.tartaruspress.com/wall.html Russell, R.B. (2001) "Sarban" ''The Lost Club Journal'']


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://sarban.co.uk Sarban.co.uk]
* [http://www.tartaruspress.com/s3.htm Guide to Supernatural Fiction: Sarban]
* [http://www.existentialennui.com/2012/12/the-sound-of-his-horn-by-sarban-sphere.html ''Existential Ennui'' article about "Sarban"]
* [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sarban/ "Sarban" ''Fantastic Fiction'']
* [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sarban/ "Sarban" ''Fantastic Fiction'']
*{{isfdb name|id=Sarban|name=Sarban}}
* [http://www.munseys.com/detail/mode/author/sarban "Sarban" The Doll-Maker, Ringstones and The Sound of His Horn] Free ebooks at Munsey's

{{-}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Wall, John William}}
⚫
[[Category:British diplomats]]
[[Category:English science fiction writers]]
[[Category:English science fiction writers]]
[[Category:Alternate history writers]]
[[Category:English horror writers]]
[[Category:British alternative history writers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:People from Mexborough]]
[[Category:People from Mexborough]]
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:British consuls-general in Egypt]]

[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Paraguay]]
[[fr:Sarban]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
⚫
[[Category:British weird fiction writers]]

Revision as of 02:17, 16 July 2024

This article is about the British writer and diplomat. For the Pashtun tribe, see Sarbans. For the Afghan singer, see Abdul Rahim Sarban.

Sarban
Born(1910-11-06)6 November 1910
Mexborough, Yorkshire, England
Died11 April 1989(1989-04-11) (aged 78)
Pen y Fan, Wales
Pen nameSarban
OccupationDiplomat
NationalityBritish
Alma materJesus College, Cambridge

John William Wall (6 November 1910 – 11 April 1989), pen name Sarban, was a British writer and diplomat. Wall's diplomatic career lasted more than thirty years, but his writing career as Sarban was brief and not prolific, ending during the early 1950s. Sarban is described in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy as "a subtle, literate teller of tales, conscious of the darker and less acceptable implications that underlie much popular literature". Wall cited the supernatural fiction of Arthur Machen and Walter de la Mare as influences on his work.[1]

Early life

Wall was born in Mexborough in Yorkshire, the son of George William Wall, a passenger guard on the Great Central Railway, and Maria Ellen (née Moffatt) Wall. After Mexborough School, he studied English at Jesus College, Cambridge and received first-class honours. He also studied Arabic and took the Consular Service Examination.

Wall married Eleanor Alexander Riesle on 20 January 1950 and they had one daughter. Wall and his wife were legally separated in 1971.

Diplomatic service

He chose a diplomatic career in the Near East because "[James Elroy] Flecker, whose poetry I had loved in my school days, had been in the Levant Consular Service", and owing to "a liking for travel and oriental philology".[2] During 1933, Wall was posted initially as Probationer Vice-Consul at Beirut, Lebanon. Subsequently, he was stationed at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Tabriz and Esfahan in Iran, and Casablanca in Morocco. He was posted as the first Political Agent to the Trucial States in Dubai following the relocation of the seat of British representative from Sharjah to Dubai in 1953.[3] After WWII, he was Counsellor at the British Middle East Office in Cairo until 1952. He was British Ambassador to Paraguay 1957–1958 and Consul-General at Alexandria 1963–1965. He was honoured in 1953 as a Companion of the Order of St Michael & St George for his diplomatic work.

Wall continued to work for the Foreign Office, at first in a teaching position in London, 1966–1970, and then at the Government Communications Headquarters, a secret surveillance centre, in Cheltenham. Wall retired from the Foreign Office during 1977, and retired to Monmouthshire.

Literary works

Sarban's most famous literary work is the alternative-history novel The Sound of His Horn (1952), which presupposes that the Nazis have won the Second World War and built parks where they hunt genetically altered humans for sport. Sarban also published two collections of fantasy stories: Ringstones and Other Curious Tales (1951) and The Doll Maker and Other Tales of the Uncanny (1953).

The Sacrifice and Other Stories (2002) collects four novellas, two of which, the title story and "The Sea-Things", appeared in print for the first time, while "Number Fourteen" had been published in a later edition of Ringstones, and "The King of the Lake" had been added to a later edition of The Sound of His Horn.

Further previously unpublished work, including poems, a one-act play, extracts from two novels and unpublished stories, has been collected in Discovery of Heretics (2010).

Bibliography

  • Ringstones and Other Curious Tales, Peter Davies, 1951
  • The Sound of His Horn, Peter Davies, 1952
    • also Tartarus Press, 1999 (350 numbered copies; adds "The King of the Lake")
  • The Doll Maker Other Tales of the Uncanny, Peter Davies, 1953. Note: The Ballantine paperback reprint (1960) omits two stories.
  • The Sacrifice, Tartarus Press, 2002 (350 copies)
  • Discovery of Heretics, Tartarus Press, 2011

References

  1. ^ "Sarban" by Peter Nicholls, in Supernatural Fiction Writers edited by E. F. Bleiler. Scribner's,New York, 1985. (pp.667-674), ISBN 0-684-17808-7 .
  2. ^ "Time, A Falconer" by Mark Valentine, Tartarus Press, 2010.
  3. ^ Abdullah, Mohammad Morsy (26 November 2020). The United Arab Emirates: A Modern History. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-15635-5.
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