Conan Doyle

Conan Doyle
source
Name	Conan Doyle
Caption	Conan Doyle, c. 1893
Birth date	22 May 1859
Birth place	Edinburgh, Scotland
Death date	7 July 1930
Death place	Crowborough, England
Occupation	Writer, physician
Notableworks	Sherlock Holmes stories, The Lost World
Spouse	Louisa Hawkins (m. 1885; died 1906), Jean Leckie (m. 1907)

Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician, best known as the creator of the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes. His prolific career also encompassed significant work in historical fiction, science fiction, and non-fiction, alongside a passionate, controversial advocacy for Spiritualism. His literary output and public campaigns left an indelible mark on popular culture and the genres of detective fiction and adventure fiction.

Early life and education

Born in Edinburgh to an English father, Charles Altamont Doyle, and an Irish mother, Mary Foley, his early years were marked by financial strain. He was educated at Hodder Place, a preparatory school for Stonyhurst College, a Jesuit institution in Lancashire. He later studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, where his studies were financed by wealthy uncles. Key influences during this period included his professor, Joseph Bell, whose keen deductive reasoning later inspired the methods of his famous detective, and his voracious reading of authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Walter Scott.

Medical career and literary beginnings

After serving as a ship's surgeon on a whaling vessel bound for the Arctic and later a steamer to West Africa, he set up a modest medical practice in Southsea, Portsmouth. Struggling to attract patients, he devoted considerable time to writing. His first significant publication, *A Study in Scarlet*, introducing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887. Earlier works included the novel *The Firm of Girdlestone* and short stories published in magazines like The Strand Magazine. His medical experience also informed his writing, notably in the Brigadier Gerard stories and the novel The Mystery of Cloomber.

Sherlock Holmes and other works

The character of Sherlock Holmes, residing at 221B Baker Street, quickly captured the public imagination through short stories in The Strand Magazine. Despite the fame, he came to resent the character's overshadowing of his other literary ambitions. He famously killed off Holmes in "The Final Problem", published in 1893, only to resurrect him due to public demand in 1901's *The Hound of the Baskervilles*. Beyond Holmes, he authored acclaimed historical novels such as The White Company and Sir Nigel, set during the Hundred Years' War. He also pioneered the lost world genre with Professor Challenger in *The Lost World* and wrote several plays, including the successful stage adaptation starring William Gillette.

Later life and spiritualism

Following service as a journalist during the Second Boer War, which led to his political pamphlet *The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct*, he was knighted in 1902 by King Edward VII. The deaths of his first wife, Louisa Hawkins, his son Kingsley Doyle from wounds sustained at the Battle of the Somme, and other family members plunged him into profound grief. He subsequently became a world-renowned, outspoken proponent of Spiritualism, dedicating the latter part of his life to lecturing, writing books like *The History of Spiritualism*, and engaging in public debates. This advocacy, including his fervent belief in fairies following the Cottingley Fairies hoax, often brought him into conflict with the scientific establishment and damaged his reputation among some contemporaries.

Legacy and influence

His creation, Sherlock Holmes, remains one of the most enduring and frequently adapted literary characters in history, profoundly shaping the entire genre of detective fiction. The methods of deductive reasoning exhibited by Holmes influenced the development of modern forensic science. The Sherlock Holmes Museum in London and numerous societies, such as The Baker Street Irregulars, continue to celebrate his work. His other characters, like Professor Challenger, remain influential in science fiction. Despite the controversies of his later years, his contributions to literature are monumental, with his stories translated worldwide and continuously inspiring new generations of writers, filmmakers, and television producers.

Category:British novelists Category:1859 births Category:1930 deaths