Wormwoodiana

I mentioned in an earlier post the books of Kathleen Sully, whose work had been recommended to 'Sarban' by their mutual publisher, Nico Davies of the firm Peter Davies. I compared her to Phyllis Paul, both for the neglect of her work and for the austerity and power of their writing. I have continued to read her books since and am more than ever convinced that she ought to be much better respected. He prose is exceptionally clear, her character-drawing is strong, and her themes are unusual and original. There is not very much else about her available online.

There is this brief but helpful entry in Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Volume II, edited by Robert Reginald, Douglas Menville, & Mary A. Burgess (1979):

'Kathleen M Sully
Born April 14, 1910, London. Daughter of Albert Coussell (a mathematical engineer) and Kate Bown. Has three children. Education: studied dress design at Barrett Street Trade School, art at Taunton Art College and St Alban’s Art College, and attended various night colleges, before receiving a teaching certificate at Geddesden Teacher Training College.

Career: Writer. Has been a domestic, teacher of art and English, a dress model, professional swimmer and diver, cinema usherette, tracer in the Admiralty, free-lance artist, bus conductor, owner of an antique shop, dress manufacturer; now a full-time novelist.'

There are also a few reviews in the online archive of the Catholic Herald, usually sympathetic, but including this commentary on 'Skrine' (1960): "No one familiar with Kathleen Sully's novels could deny her exceptional talent - her power to create an atmosphere of terror: the intense concentration of her writing as well as her originality of thought and presentation, so that one might suppose a different mind to have been at work upon each of her books. Yet. having conceded this, I can only say that I found "Skrine " one of the most repellent books I have ever read." I can certainly understand the reviewer's reaction to this book: it is an absolutely remorseless, post-Apocalypse novel, uncompromisingly bleak.

Here is a checklist in chronological order of all her books, so far as I can tell. The first two were children's books, nature studies in story form. There are also online references to a play.

SMALL CREATURES 1946
STONY STREAM 1946
CANAL IN MOONLIGHT 1955
CANAILLE 1956
THROUGH THE WALL 1957
BURDEN OF THE SEED 1958
MERRILY TO THE GRAVE 1958
A MAN TALKING TO SEAGULLS 1959
SHADE OF EDEN 1960
SKRINE 1960
A MAN ON THE ROOF 1961
THE UNDESIRED 1961
THE FRACTURED SMILE 1965
NOT TONIGHT 1966
DEAR WOLF 1967
HORIZONTAL IMAGE 1968
A BREEZE ON A LONELY ROAD 1969
ISLAND IN MOONLIGHT 1970
A LOOK AT THE TADPOLES 1970

In the file of letters from the publisher Peter Davies to Sarban, there’s a brief letter from Nico Davies of 24 November, 1960, where he recommends to Sarban another of his authors, Kathleen Sully, citing a few books in particular. He says: "I'm glad you found things to like and admire in "Skrine". As I told you, I am sure, she is one of my favourite authors. Of the eight books of hers which have come our way - there is a new one scheduled for next February - there are to me splendid things in each. If my favourite is still her first, "Canal in Moonlight" ["Bikka Road" in the USA - MV], "Merrily to the Grave" and "Skrine" are not far behind."

I sent off for a few, and have read the one he sent to Sarban, Skrine (1960). It is set in a post-apocalypse world, very clearly and tautly told, and follows one man through hunger and desolation to a surviving community where by chance he is taken as a healer. At first feted, he comes into conflict with the boss of the town, and the wavering townsfolk turn upon him. Uncompromisingly bleak, it certainly lowered the spirits while at the same time eliciting admiration for her hard style and dark vision. Her other books seem no more sanguine in outlook but almost as good in her terse composition. Skrine, at least, has a possible supernatural element, in that the character sees the figures of those he has had to kill to survive, although a gap is left for these to be hallucinatory.

Kathleen Sully is another author whose work seems to have almost entirely passed out of view but on the strength of the books I've read so far she could attract the kind of devoted following that Phyllis Paul has acquired thanks to the efforts of Glen Cavaliero. They share a highly pessimistic, bleak outlook, although Sully also has an austere and remorseless prose style.

It was the resourceful Doug Anderson, as so often, who uncovered some biographical details: “Kathleen Maude Sully was born in 1910, died in 2001 at the age of 91… She gave an interesting comment about her writerly interests (c. 1970s): "Main interest now and ever since I could think: Man--why and whence .... Have written since a child but stuff mostly too off-beat for publication. Interest in general: philosophy; art; realistic literature; dancing; swimming and diving; teaching;' diet and health--mental and physical; why the chicken crossed the road." “ One of her dustwrappers gives a long list of workaday jobs she has held: they look like bread-and-butter chores to sustain her while her real soul was in her writing.