Complex sentence: Patrick Dewes Hanan (January 4,1927 Morrinsville, New Zealand-April 26,2014) was Victor S. Thomas Professor of Chinese Literature, Harvard University, Sinologist, and historian of Chinese literature, especially pre-twentieth century vernacular fiction.
Split into simpler sentences: Patrick Dewes Hanan (January 4,1927-April 26,2014) was a New Zealand academic who was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. A sinologist, he was a historian of Chinese literature, especially pre-twentieth century vernacular fiction.