I probably don't need to remind you that I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes -- if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you've most likely picked up on that.
But I'm also a big fan of the author behind Sherlock Holmes -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm a fan not only because he created one of my favorite literary characters, and not only because I consider him to be such an exceptional writer. I'm also a fan because, by all accounts, he lived a life as adventurous, colorful, and vivid as his best stories.
So in honor of Conan Doyle's 153rd birthday today, let's take a closer look at some of the littler-known facts behind the creator of Sherlock Holmes, and so many other stories.
Conan Doyle writing
-- Conan Doyle came from an artistic and creative family. His father was a painter, his grandfather a political cartoonist, and his mother was an excellent storyteller in her own right.
-- The author wasn't only a "Sir" ... he was also a doctor! Before becoming a full-time writer, he served as ship's surgeon on a whaling boat, and later set up his own practice in Portsmouth. (His lack of patients gave him time to devote to his writing.) He spent some years trying to combine his two careers, until a near-fatal bout of influenza led him to the revelation that he was happiest writing -- and so, upon recovering, he turned to writing full time.
Conan Doyle's children at Undershaw
-- His success in writing gave him the funds he needed to design a house for himself, his wife Louisa, and their children. Louisa spent her short life in poor health, and the Conan Doyle family home, Undershaw, was designed with Louisa in mind. (Short staircases kept her from becoming too winded, large windows kept the place light and airy, and the Surrey location was known for its pleasant and beneficial climate for people in poor health.) In addition to writing many of his most famous Holmes stories at Undershaw, Conan Doyle entertained a number of famous friends there, including J.M. Barrie and Bram Stoker. Sadly, the now-historical house is currently in danger of being torn down.
-- While he was partially inspired by previous stories (such as Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin detective tales), Conan Doyle's main inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes was Dr. Joseph Bell. Bell was one of the professors at Edinburgh University while Conan Doyle was attending medical school there, and he served as a sort of mentor to the younger man. Bell was famous for his honed observational skills, which he used to diagnose his patients.
The death of Sherlock Holmes (don't worry, he gets better)
-- After two novels and twenty-three short stories, the reading public had fallen in love with the character of Sherlock Holmes ... but Conan Doyle was getting tired of writing the time-consuming tales. Despite the character's immense popularity, Conan Doyle decided to end the series by killing off his great detective. In the 1893 short story "The Final Problem," Sherlock Holmes is given a thoroughly heroic death, apparently plunging into the depths of Reichenbach Falls as he takes down his archnemesis -- the "Napoleon of Crime," Professor Moriarty.
Despite the heroic send-off, the reading public did not react favorably to the story. Angry letters by the dozens poured into Conan Doyle's mailbox, many of them calling Conan Doyle a "murderer." Nonetheless, Conan Doyle refused to budge, and left Holmes definitively, and permanently, retired. At least, he did for eight years -- until a local country legend so gripped Conan Doyle's imagination that he resurrected Holmes in order to write the serialized "prequel" novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. (Hound was meant to take place before the events of "The Final Problem.") In 1903, Conan Doyle officially brought the character back to life (it turns out he'd never actually taken the plunge) in "The Adventure of the Empty House."
-- Like his character Dr. Watson, Conan Doyle served in the Army -- if unofficially. In 1900, during the second Boer War, Conan Doyle was desperate to enlist. When he was turned down due to age (and being somewhat out of shape), he volunteered as a medical doctor instead. His time spent in Africa was not easy, as he saw countless soldiers succumb not to battle, but typhoid fever. He was eventually knighted for his service to King and country -- although it's rumored that King Edward VII, an ardent Holmes fan, also knighted Conan Doyle in the hopes of encouraging him to write more stories about the famous detective. (The king, and countless other fans, would get their wish just a few years later.)
The Cottingley fairies photograph
-- One of the things which most fascinates me (and a lot of other people, fans and historians alike) is Conan Doyle's increasing fascination, throughout his life, with spiritualism and the occult. Spiritualism was (and is) the belief in communication with the spirits of the deceased. Determined to find scientific proof of an afterlife, Conan Doyle became more and more involved with the beliefs of what he called "Christian spiritualism," and spent the last years of his life touring the world to share the message of his cause.
One of the most baffling incidents of his life involved the infamous Cottingley fairies. In 1917, two English schoolgirls claimed that to have seen fairies in the field behind the family home. They had soon produced photographed evidence to back up their claim. Public attention soon followed. People were fiercely divided, with some insisting the girls were lying (despite a professional photographer examining the photos and declaring them in no way falsified), and others convinced the photos proved inarguable proof of the existence of the supernatural. A surprising number of people fell into the latter category -- including Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle contacted the family to hear more about the girls' story, and even wrote a (non-fiction) book entitled The Coming of the Fairies.
Years after Conan Doyle's death, one of the girls -- now in her sixties -- came forward to confess the incident as a hoax. The fairies had been paper cut-outs stuck onto hatpins. Many of Conan Doyle's fans see the incident as a humiliating blow: how could the creator of the brilliantly-rational character of Sherlock Holmes be duped by such obviously faked photos? How could he believe the charlatans of the age who claimed to communicate with the dead?
But when looking at Conan Doyle's life, an alternate explanation begins to emerge. His first wife, Louisa, died in his arms in 1906, after years fighting against tuberculosis. World War I also struck a cruel blow to his family, claiming the lives of Conan Doyle's brother, two brothers-in-law, two nephews -- and his eldest son, Kingsley.
So it's hard, at least for me, to judge the creator of Sherlock Holmes as too illogical or unscientific in his beliefs. Losing as many loved ones as he did, it's easy to see why the drive to prove life after death was so appealing to him. It certainly doesn't make him a lesser author -- just a human one.
Which may be precisely why his stories and characters (and one character in particular) remain so influential and beloved to this day.
Some Recommended Reading:
Fiction:
-- The Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard
The adventures of Conan Doyle's D'Artagnan-like hero, the French soldier Gerard. These comical tales take place during the Napoleonic Wars.
-- The Lost World
Surely the inspiration for the title of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park sequel, this early sci-fi adventure has Professor Challenger discovering a world of prehistoric animals still alive in the Amazon basin.
-- The Best Supernatural Tales of Arthur Conan Doyle
Like Edgar Allan Poe, Conan Doyle's talents for mystery and horror seem to go hand-in-hand. Here are some of Conan Doyle's most intriguing stories of a different sort of mystery.
-- The White Company & Sir Nigel
Conan Doyle always considered his historical fiction to be his most significant work. Here are two of his best historical novels, set during the Hundred Years' War.
-- The Maracot Deep
A short sci-fi novel about the lost city of Atlantis.
-- Micah Clarke
Another historical novel, this one a coming-of-age story set during the Monmouth Rebellion in England.
-- The Mystery of Cloomber
An odd little novel, first published in 1889, that hints at Conan Doyle's future fascination with the occult.
Non-Fiction:
-- Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters
A collection of Conan Doyle's correspondence, ranging from 1867 (when he was eight years old and writing his mum from boarding school) to 1920. Not to be missed.
-- The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Combining his skills as a doctor, author, and the creator of the world's Greatest Detective, Conan Doyle fought to clear two real-life people of crimes for which he'd felt they'd been unjustly accused -- and he succeeded.
-- The History of Spiritualism, Vol. 1
Focusing on the origins of the spiritualist movement, this makes a great read for anyone interested in the history of the Victorian and Edwardian fascination with spiritualism -- and its effect on the people and culture of the time.
-- Our African Winter
An intriguing slice from the life of Conan Doyle.
-- Through the Magic Door
The author takes a look at the books which have affected his writing and life.
Sherlock Holmes:
-- The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
The first two collections of Holmesian short stories. Probably the best-plotted mysteries of Conan Doyle's tales. The final story is appropriately epic!
-- The Return of Sherlock Holmes
A must-read if only for the first book in the collection, The Empty House, which featured the then-shocking "return" of Sherlock Holmes.
-- The Hound of the Baskervilles
Although Holmes is not prominently featured, this superbly-plotted and appropriately spooky book is considered by many to be the first "contemporary" murder mystery.
-- The Valley of Fear
A lesser-known novel, it features the reappearance of Sherlock Holmes's greatest nemesis: Professor Moriarty.
-- Post by Ms. B
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