Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859 in the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, in the family of an artist and architect.
After Arthur reached the age of nine, he went to boarding school Hodder, a preparatory school for Stonyhurst (a large closed Catholic school in Lancashire). Two years later, Arthur moved from Hodder to Stonyhurst. It was during those difficult years at boarding school that Arthur realized he had a talent for storytelling. On last year teaching, he publishes a college magazine and writes poetry. In addition, he played sports, mainly cricket, in which he achieved good results. Thus, by 1876 he was educated and ready to face the world.
Arthur decided to take up medicine. In October 1876, Arthur becomes a student medical university Edinburgh. While studying, Arthur could meet many future famous authors, such as James Barry and Robert Louis Stevenson, who also attended the university. But he was most influenced by one of his teachers, Dr. Joseph Bell, who was a master of observation, logic, inference, and error detection. In the future, he served as the prototype for Sherlock Holmes.
Two years after starting his studies at the university, Doyle decides to try his hand at literature. In the spring of 1879 he writes little story"The Secret of the Sesassa Valley", which is published in September 1879. He sends out a few more stories. But only The American's Tale gets published in the London Society. And yet he understands that this is how he, too, can make money.
At the age of twenty, in his third year at university, in 1880, a friend of Arthur's offered him a position as a surgeon on the whaler "Hope" under the command of John Gray in the North Arctic Circle. This adventure found a place in his first story concerning the sea ("Captain of the North Star"). In the autumn of 1880, Conan Doyle returned to work. In 1881 he graduated from the University of Edinburgh, where he received a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Surgery, and began to look for work. The result of these searches was a position as a ship's doctor on the Mayuba, which sailed between Liverpool and west coast Africa and on October 22, 1881, his next voyage began.
He leaves the ship in mid-January 1882, and moves to England in Plymouth, where he works together with a certain Kallingworth, whom he met in his last years of study in Edinburgh. These first years of practice are well described in his book Stark Monroe Letters, which, in addition to describing life in in large numbers the author's reflections on religious issues and forecasts for the future are presented.
Over time, disagreements arise between former classmates, after which Doyle leaves for Portsmouth (July 1882), where he opens his first practice. Initially, there were no clients, and therefore Doyle has the opportunity to devote his free time literature. He writes several stories, which he publishes in the same 1882. During 1882-1885 Doyle was torn between literature and medicine.
On a March day in 1885, Doyle was invited to give advice on the illness of Jack Hawkins. He had meningitis and was hopeless. Arthur offered to put him in his house for constant care, but a few days later Jack died. This death made it possible to meet his sister Louise Hawkins, to whom they became engaged in April, and on August 6, 1885 they were married.
After his marriage, Doyle actively engaged in literature. One after another in the magazine "Cornhill" his stories "Message of Hebekuk Jephson", "A Gap in the Life of John Huxford", "The Ring of Thoth" are published. But stories are stories, and Doyle wants more, he wants to be noticed, and for this you need to write something more serious. And so, in 1884, he wrote the book Girdlestone Trading House. But the book did not interest publishers. In March 1886, Conan Doyle began writing a novel that brought him popularity. In April, he finishes it and sends it to Cornhill to James Payne, who in May of the same year speaks very warmly of him, but refuses to publish it, since, in his opinion, he deserves a separate publication. Doyle sends the manuscript to Arrowsmith in Bristol, and in July a negative review of the novel arrives. Arthur does not despair and sends the manuscript to Fred Warne and K0. But their romance was not interested either. Next come Messrs. Ward, Locky, and K0. They reluctantly agree, but set a number of conditions: the novel will be released no earlier than next year, the fee for it will be 25 pounds, and the author will transfer all rights to the work to the publisher. Doyle reluctantly agrees, as he wants his first novel to be given to the readers. And so, two years later, in Beaton's Christmas Weekly for 1887, the novel A Study in crimson colors”, which introduced readers to Sherlock Holmes. separate edition The novel was published in early 1888.
The beginning of 1887 marked the beginning of the study and research of such a concept as "life after death." Doyle continued to study this question throughout his later life.
As soon as Doyle sends A Study in Scarlet, he starts a new book, and at the end of February 1888 he finishes the novel Micah Clark. Arthur has always been drawn to historical novels. It is under their influence that Doyle writes this and a number of other historical works. Working in 1889 on the wave positive feedback about "Micah Clarke" over the "White Company" Doyle unexpectedly receives an invitation to dinner from American editor Lippincots Magazine to discuss writing another Sherlock Holmes novel. Arthur meets with him, and also meets Oscar Wilde and eventually agrees to their proposal. And in 1890 in American and English editions of this magazine, "The Sign of Four" appears.
The year 1890 was no less productive than the previous one. By the middle of this year, Doyle is finishing The White Squad, which James Payne takes up for publication at Cornhill and declares it to be the best historical novel since Ivanhoe. In the spring of 1891, Doyle arrived in London, where he opened a practice. The practice was not successful (there were no patients), but at that time stories about Sherlock Holmes were being written for the Strand magazine.
In May 1891, Doyle falls ill with influenza and is dying for several days. When he recovered, he decided to leave the practice of medicine and devote himself to literature. By the end of 1891, Doyle was becoming very popular person in connection with the appearance of the sixth story about Sherlock Holmes. But after writing these six stories, the editor of the Strand in October 1891 requested six more, agreeing to any conditions on the part of the author. And Doyle asked for, as it seemed to him, such an amount, 50 pounds, having heard about which the deal should not have taken place, since he no longer wanted to deal with this character. But to his great surprise, it turned out that the editors agreed. And the stories were written. Doyle begins work on The Exiles (finished in early 1892). From March to April 1892, Doyle rests in Scotland. Upon his return, he began work on The Great Shadow, which he completed by the middle of that year.
In 1892, the Strand again offered to write another series of stories about Sherlock Holmes. Doyle, in the hope that the magazine will refuse, puts up a condition - 1000 pounds and ... the magazine agrees. Doyle was already tired of his hero. After all, every time you need to come up with a new story. Therefore, when at the beginning of 1893 Doyle and his wife go on vacation to Switzerland and visit the Reichenbach Falls, he decides to put an end to this annoying hero. As a result, twenty thousand subscribers unsubscribed from the Strand magazine.
This frantic life may explain why the former doctor did not pay attention to the serious deterioration in his wife's health. And over time, he finally learns that Louise has tuberculosis (consumption). Although she was given only a few months, Doyle begins a belated departure, and he manages to delay her death by more than 10 years, from 1893 to 1906. Together with his wife, they move to Davos, located in the Alps. In Davos, Doyle is actively involved in sports, starting to write stories about Brigadier Gerard.
Due to the illness of his wife, Doyle is very burdened by constant traveling, and also by the fact that for this reason he cannot live in England. And suddenly he meets Grant Allen, who, ill like Louise, continued to live in England. Therefore, Doyle decides to sell the house in Norwood and build a luxurious mansion in Hindhead in Surrey. In the autumn of 1895, Arthur Conan Doyle travels with Louise to Egypt, and during the winter of 1896 is where he hopes for a warm climate that will be good for her. Before this trip, he is finishing the book "Rodney Stone".
In May 1896 he returned to England. Doyle continues to work on "Uncle Bernac", which was started in Egypt, but the book is difficult. At the end of 1896, he began to write "The Tragedy with" Korosko ", which was created on the basis of impressions received in Egypt. In 1897, Doyle came up with the idea of resurrecting his sworn enemy Sherlock Holmes to correct his financial situation, which worsened somewhat due to the high costs of building a house. At the end of 1897 he writes the play Sherlock Holmes and sends it to Beerbom Tree. But he wanted to significantly remake it for himself, and as a result, the author sent it to New York to Charles Froman, who, in turn, handed it over to William Gillet, who also wished to remake it to his liking. This time, the author waved his hand at everything and gave his consent. As a result, Holmes was married, and a new manuscript was sent to the author for approval. And in November 1899, Hitler's Sherlock Holmes was well received in Buffalo.
Conan Doyle was a man of the highest moral standards and did not change during life together Louise. However, he fell in love with Jean Lecky when he saw her on March 15, 1897. They fell in love. The only obstacle that kept Doyle from love affair is the state of health of his wife Louise. Doyle meets Jean's parents, and in turn introduces her to his mother. Arthur and Jean often meet. Having learned that his beloved is fond of hunting and sings well, Conan Doyle also begins to get involved in hunting and learns to play the banjo. From October to December 1898, Doyle wrote the book "Duet with a Random Chorus", which tells the story of the life of an ordinary married couple.
When the Boer War began in December 1899, Conan Doyle decided to volunteer for it. He was considered unfit to serve in the army, so he goes there as a doctor. On April 2, 1900, he arrives at the scene and sets up a field hospital with 50 beds. But the number of wounded is many times greater. For several months in Africa, Doyle saw more soldiers die of fever, typhus than of war wounds. After the defeat of the Boers, Doyle sailed back to England on 11 July. About this war he wrote the book "The Great Boer War", which underwent changes until 1902.
In 1902, Doyle finished work on another major work about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles). And almost immediately there is talk that the author of this sensational novel stole his idea from his friend journalist Fletcher Robinson. These conversations are still going on.
Doyle was knighted in 1902 for services rendered during the Boer War. Doyle continues to be weary of stories about Sherlock Holmes and Brigadier Gerard, so he writes "Sir Nigel", which, in his opinion, "is a high literary achievement."
Louise died in Doyle's arms on July 4th, 1906. After nine years of secret courtship, Conan Doyle and Jean Lecky are married on September 18, 1907.
Before the outbreak of the First World War (August 4, 1914), Doyle joins a detachment of volunteers, which was completely civilian and was created in case the enemy invaded England. During the war, Doyle lost many people close to him.
In the autumn of 1929, Doyle went on his last tour of Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. He was already sick. Arthur Conan Doyle died on Monday, July 7, 1930.
- famous English writer, author of numerous historical, fantasy and adventure works, creator of the legendary literary hero— Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859 in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. His father was an architect and artist. WITH big love and gratitude, the writer recalls his mother, Mary Foley, who read a lot and possessed miraculous gift storytellers. The family did not live well and all the housework fell on the fragile mother's shoulders. However, Mary Foley always found time for constant conversations with her son. By the writer's own admission, the mother played important role in his life. Thanks to wealthy relatives who paid for his primary education, at the age of nine he enters the Godder Preparatory School, where he studies for 7 years. Then Conan Doyle studied at the Jesuit College Stonyhers. After graduation, Conan Doyle decided to become a doctor, for which he entered the medical faculty of the University of Edinburgh.
During his studies at the university, Conan Doyle is forced to work part-time as an assistant 
doctor and pharmacist to help his brothers and sisters. In the same period, his literary debut took place. So, his first story was published in the university magazine, the second work was already published in a larger edition. In 1880 he traveled to the coast of Africa as a ship's doctor. After graduating from university in 1881 and receiving a medical degree, Conan Doyle took up the practice of medicine. After moving to London, he defended his dissertation, receiving the title of Doctor of Medicine. Starting in 1884, Conan Doyle regularly wrote essays and short stories that were published in local magazines. He refers to different genres while creating their works.
First detective stories, whose main character is the amateur detective Sherlock Holmes, appeared in the late 80s. The appearance of this hero was facilitated by Conan Doyle's memories of Joseph Bell, who taught at the University of Edinburgh. Thanks to his amazing powers of observation and his “deductive method,” he could easily figure out the most difficult and intricate issues, which delighted and amazed the minds of his students. 
So Joseph Bell became the prototype of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. "A Study in Scarlet" was a fateful story for Conan Doyle, the legendary detective first appeared here. But the real popularity was brought to the author by the following story - "The Sign of Four", which appeared in 1890. One after another, entire collections of short stories are published, the main character of which is Sherlock Holmes. The reader is impressed by irony, intellectuality and spiritual aristocracy legendary hero, which with special brilliance and ease reveals the most intricate crimes. The favorite drink of the legendary detective was whiskey - an aristocratic drink of freedom and nobility, an intriguing mixture of philosophy, peace and tranquility, which takes his admirers into the world of sensual dreams. You can buy whiskey in Moscow without any problems in the online store. Conan Doyle receives many letters that readers address to the detective Sherlock Holmes, assuming that this is real, not fictional person. The reader demands new works dedicated to their favorite hero. Fearing to become a "writer of one character," Conan Doyle decides to "kill" his hero in 1893, which caused an uproar among his fans.
Conan Doyle creates a number of new works, the main characters of which are Professor Challenger and Brigadier Gerard. Being already famous writer, Conan Doyle goes to the front as a regimental doctor during the Boer War (1899-1902). In 1902, in connection with financial problems Conan Doyle "resurrected" the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and would continue to write stories about him until 1927. In 1912 he wrote an exciting fantasy story « lost World", later filmed more than once. Conan Doyle wrote a number of amazing historical and fantasy novels and stories, in 1926 he published at his own expense the two-volume History of Spiritualism. In addition to numerous essays, novellas, short stories and novels, 3 more volumes of poems by Conan Doyle were published. At the end of his life, the writer travels a lot. He visited the coasts of Africa, Egypt, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, hunted crocodiles and whales, sought new impressions and sensations. Died great writer as a result of a heart attack on 7 July 1930 in Crowborough, Sussex.
The famous Arthur Conan Doyle was born in one of the Scottish cities called Edinburgh in 1859. He was the son of the artist and architect Charles Doyle. Since early years Arthur began to read a lot, and literature was of various directions. The writer loved literary works Mine Reed, his favorite book was The Scalp Hunters. Starting at the age of nine, Arthur began to study at the boarding school Hodder, which was preparatory stage for Stonyhurst (a closed Catholic school located in Lancashire). Two years later, the future moves from Holder to Stonyhurst.
It was during his years at Stonyhurst that Arthur discovered his talent for storytelling, which kept him surrounded by an interested student audience. In his senior year, Arthur runs a college magazine publisher and writes poetry. He is also involved in cricket, in which he achieves no small success. Two years after graduation, Doyle decides to try his hand at writing. At the beginning of 1879, the story "The Secret of the Sesassa Valley" came out from under his hand, which was published in the autumn of 1879. In 1881, Doyle completed his studies at the University of Edinburgh, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Surgery, then he began to seek workplace after spending the summer working for Dr. Hoare. As a result, the author gets a position as a ship's doctor on the Mayuba, a ship that sailed from Liverpool to Africa. In 1885, Arthur met the sister of his late friend, Louise Hawkins, whom they married in the future. After the wedding, the writer is actively engaged in literary activities.
His stories are published: "The Ring of Thoth", "Message of Hebekuk Jephson". Despite Doyle's success in literature and medicine, as well as the birth of his daughter, his life was somewhat hectic. In 1890 Arthur's sister Annette dies. In the spring of 1891, Doyle catches the flu and is dying for several days. After his recovery, the author decided to leave his work in the field of medicine and devote himself to literature. This is how stories about Sherlock Holmes begin to appear. In 1892, Luza's wife gives birth to Doyle's son, who was given the name Alleyn Kingely. Further, Arthur's family learned many misfortunes, his father suddenly dies, Louise is diagnosed with tuberculosis. Although doctors took the writer's wife a few months, he begins to take care of his wife and her life continues for another ten years. In 1898, three more stories by the author were published: The Bug Hunter, The Man with the Clock, and The Missing Emergency Train.
At the end of 1899, Conan Doyle volunteered for. In subsequent years of his life, the author writes many more works that have earned the attention of many readers. Arthur Conan Doyle died in 1930 surrounded by his family.
His last words before his death were addressed to his wife. He whispered, "You are wonderful."
Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859 in Picardy Place, the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, in the family of an artist and architect. His father Charles Altamont Doyle married, at the age of twenty-two, Mary Foley, a young woman of seventeen, in 1855. Mary Doyle had a passion for books and was the main storyteller in the family, and later Arthur very touchingly remembered her. Unfortunately, Arthur's father was a chronic alcoholic and therefore the family was sometimes in poverty, although he was, according to his son, very talented artist. As a child, Arthur read a lot, having completely diverse interests. His favorite author was Mine Reed, and his favorite book was The Scalp Hunters.
After Arthur reached his nine years of age, wealthy members of the Doyle family offered to pay for his education. For seven years he had to attend a Jesuit boarding school in England at Hodder, a preparatory school for Stonyhurst (a large closed Catholic school in Lancashire). Two years later he moved from Arthur Hodder to Stonyhurst. Seven subjects were taught there: alphabet, counting, basic rules, grammar, syntax, poetry, rhetoric. The food there was quite meager and did not have a great variety, which, nevertheless, did not affect health. Corporal punishment was harsh. Arthur at that time was often exposed to them. The instrument of punishment was a piece of rubber, the size and shape of which resembled a thick overshoe, which was used to beat on the hands.
It was during these difficult years at boarding school that Arthur realized he had a talent for storytelling, so he was often surrounded by an assembly of admiring young students listening to amazing stories which he composed to amuse them. In his senior year, he publishes a college magazine and writes poetry. In addition, he played sports, mainly cricket, in which he achieved good results. He goes to Germany in Feldkirch to learn German, where he will continue to play sports with passion: football, football on stilts, sledding. In the summer of 1876, Doyle goes home, but on the way he stops by Paris, where he lives with his uncle for several weeks. Thus, in 1876, he was educated and ready to meet the world and wished to make up for some of the shortcomings of his father, who had by then gone mad.
The traditions of the Doyle family dictated to follow an artistic career, but still Arthur decided to go into medicine. This decision was influenced by Dr. Brian Charles, a wally, young lodger whom Arthur's mother had taken in to make ends meet. Dr. Waller was educated at the University of Edinburgh and so Arthur chose to study there as well. In October 1876, Arthur became a student at the Medical University, before which he faced another problem - not getting the scholarship he deserved, which he and his family needed so much. While studying, Arthur met many future authors, such as James Barry and Robert Louis Stevenson, who attended the university. But he was most influenced by one of his teachers, Dr. Joseph Bell, who was a master of observation, logic, inference, and error detection. In the future, he served as the prototype for Sherlock Holmes.
While studying, Doyle tried to help his family and earned money in his spare time, which he carved out by more accelerated study of disciplines. He worked both as an apothecary and as an assistant to various doctors...
Doyle reads a lot and two years after the start of education, Arthur decided to try his hand at literature. In 1879, he writes a short story, The Mystery of Sasassa Valley, in Chamber's Journal. In the same year, he publishes his second story, The American Tale, in the London Society magazine and realizes that this is how he can also make money. His father's health is deteriorating and he is committed to a psychiatric hospital, thus becoming the sole breadwinner for his family.At twenty years old, in his third year at university, in 1880, Doyle was offered a position as a surgeon on the whaler Hope under the command of John Gray in the Arctic Circle. "Hope" first stopped near the coast of Greenland, where the crew moved on to seal hunting. The young medical student was shocked by the brutality of this. But, at the same time, he enjoyed the camaraderie on board the ship and the subsequent whale hunt fascinated him. This adventure found a place in his first story touching the sea, the frightening tale Captain of the Pole-Star. total 7 months, earning about 50 pounds.
In 1881, after graduating from the University of Edinburgh, where he received a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Surgery, he began to look for a place to work. The result of this was a position as a ship's doctor on the ship Mayuba, which sailed between Liverpool and the west coast of Africa, and on October 22, 1881, another voyage began. While swimming, he found Africa as disgusting as the Arctic seductive. Therefore, he leaves the ship and moves to England in Plymouth, where he works together with a certain Kallingworth, whom he met in the last courses in Edinburgh, namely from the end of spring to the beginning of summer 1882, for 6 weeks. (These early years of practice are well documented in his book The Stark Monroe Letters.) But disagreements arise and after them Doyle leaves for Portsmouth (July 1882), where he opens his first practice, settling in a house for 40 pounds per annum, which began to bring income only by the end of the third year. Initially, there were no clients, and therefore Doyle has the opportunity to devote his free time to literature. He writes stories: "Bones", "Bloomensdyke Ravine", "My friend is a murderer", which he publishes in the London Society magazine in the same 1882. In order to somehow help his mother, Arthur invites his brother Innes to live with him, who brightens up gray days novice doctor from August 1882 to 1885 (Innes leaves to study at closed school in Yorkshire). During these years, the young man is torn between literature and medicine. During his medical practice There were also deaths of patients. One of them is the death of the son of a widow from Gloucestershire. But this case allows him to get acquainted with her daughter Louise Hawkins (Hawkins), whom he marries in August 1885.
After his marriage, Doyle is actively involved in literature and wants to make it his profession. It is published in Cornhill magazine. One after another, his stories are published: "The Message of Hebekuk Jephson", "The Long Non-existence of John Huxford", "The Ring of Thoth". But stories are stories, and Doyle wants more, he wants to be noticed, and for this it is necessary to write something more serious. And in 1884 he wrote the book "Gerdlestones Trading House". But to his great regret, the book was never published. In March 1886, Conan Doyle began writing a novel that brought him popularity. At first it was called A Tangled Skein. Two years later, this novel was published in Beeton's Christmas Annual (Beaton's Christmas Weekly) for 1887 under the title A Study in Scarlet (A Study in Scarlet), which introduced readers to Sherlock Holmes (prototypes: Professor Joseph Bell, writer Oliver Holmes ) and Dr. Watson (the prototype of Major Wood), who soon became famous.As soon as Doyle sends this book, he starts a new one, and in early 1888 he finishes Mickey Clark, which comes out in February 1889 by Longman. met Oscar Wilde and in the wake of positive reviews about "Mickey Clark" wrote in 1889 "The White Squad".
Despite his literary success and a flourishing medical practice, the harmonious life of the Conan Doyle family, enhanced by the birth of his daughter Mary, was restless. At the end of 1890, under the influence of the German microbiologist Robert Koch and even more Malcolm Robert, he decides to leave the practice in Portsmouth, and travels with his wife to Vienna, leaving his daughter Mary with her grandmother, where she wants to specialize in ophthalmology in order to find work in London in the future, but faced with specialized German and after studying for 4 months in Vienna, he realizes that time is wasted. During his studies, he wrote the book "The Acts of Raffles Howe", according to Doyle "... not a very significant thing ..." In the spring of the same year, Doyle visits Paris and hastily returns to London, where he opens a practice on Upper Wimpole Street. The practice was not successful (there were no patients), but at that time they write short stories, in particular, for the Strand magazine, he writes stories about Sherlock Holmes. "With the help of Sidney Paget, the image of Holmes is created and the stories are published in The Strand magazine. In May 1891, Doyle falls ill with the flu and is dying for several days. When he recovered, he decided to leave the practice of medicine and devote himself to literature.This happens in August 1891.
In 1892, while living in Norwood, Louise gave birth to a son, they named him Kingsley (Kingsley), Doyle writes the story "Surviving from the 15th year", which is successfully staged in many theaters. Sherlock Holmes continues to weigh on Doyle and a year later, in 1993, after his trip with his wife to Switzerland and a visit to the Reichenbach Falls, despite everyone's requests, the surprisingly prolific, but very impulsive author decided to get rid of Sherlock Holmes. As a result, twenty thousand subscribers unsubscribed from The Strand magazine, and Doyle writes the best novels, in his opinion: "Exiles", "The Great Shadow". Now freed from a medical career and from a fictional character who oppressed him and obscured what he considered more important. Conan Doyle absorbs himself into more intense activity. This hectic life may explain why the former doctor did not pay attention to the serious deterioration in his wife's health.
Over time, he finally learned that Louise had been diagnosed with tuberculosis (consumption) and suggests that this was their joint trip to Switzerland. Although she was given only a few months, Doyle began a belated departure and he managed to delay her death by 10 years, from 1893 to 1906. Together with his wife, they move to Davos, located in the Alps. In Davos, Doyle was actively involved in sports, starting to write stories about Brigadier Gerard, based mainly on the book "Reminiscences of General Marbo". He had long been drawn to Spiritualism, joining the Society for Psychical Research as a public statement of his interest in and belief in the occult. Doyle is invited to give a series of lectures to the United States. In the late autumn of 1894, together with his brother Innes, who by that time was finishing a boarding school in Richmond, the Royal military school in Woolwich, becomes an officer, goes to lecture in more than 30 cities in the United States. These lectures were a success, but Doyle himself was very tired of them. At the beginning of 1895, he returned to Davos to his wife, who by that time was feeling well. At the same time, The Strand magazine began publishing the first stories from Brigadier Gerard and immediately the number of subscribers increased.
In May 1914, Sir Arthur goes to inspect with Lady Conan Doyle and the children. National Reserve in Jessier Park in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains (Canada). On the way, he calls in New York, where he visits two prisons: Toombs and Sing Sing, in which he examines the cells, the electric chair, and talks with prisoners. The city is found by the author to be unfavorably altered in comparison with his first visit twenty years earlier. Canada, where they spent some time, was found charming and Doyle lamented that her original grandeur would soon be gone. While in Canada, Doyle gives a number of lectures. They arrived home a month later, probably because for a long time, Conan Doyle had been convinced of the coming war with Germany. Doyle reads Bernardi's Germany and next war"and understands the seriousness of the situation and writes a response article "England and the next war", which appeared in the Fortnightly Review in the summer of 1913. He sends numerous articles to newspapers about the upcoming war and military readiness for it. But his warnings were judged as fantasies Realizing that England provides only 1/6 of itself, Doyle proposes to build a tunnel under the English Channel to provide himself with food in case of a blockade of England by German submarines.In addition, he proposes to supply all sailors in the fleet with rubber circles (to hold heads above the water), rubber vests. His proposal was little heeded, but after another tragedy at sea, the mass implementation of this idea began. Before the start of the war (August 4, 1914), Doyle joins a detachment of volunteers, which is completely civilian and was created in case during the war, Doyle also makes proposals for the protection of soldiers and as such offers something similar to armor, that is, shoulder pads, as well as plates protecting the most important organs. During the war, Doyle lost many people close to him, including his brother Innes, who by his death had risen to the rank of adjutant general of the corps and Kingsley's son from his first marriage, as well as two cousins and two nephews.
On September 26, 1918, Doyle travels to the mainland to witness the battle that took place on September 28 on the French front. After such an amazingly full and constructive life, it is difficult to understand why such a person would retreat into an imaginary world. science fiction and spiritism. The difference was that Conan Doyle was not a man who was satisfied with dreams and wishes; he needed to make them come true. He was manic and did it with the same stubborn energy that he showed in everything he did when he was younger. As a result, the press laughed at him, the clergy did not approve of him. But nothing could stop him. His wife does it with him.
After 1918, due to his deepening involvement in the occult, Conan Doyle wrote little fiction. Their subsequent trips to America (April 1, 1922, March 1923), Australia (August 1920) and Africa, accompanied by their three daughters, were also like psychic crusades. As the years passed, spending up to a quarter of a million pounds in pursuit of his secret dreams, Conan Doyle was in need of money. In 1926 he wrote The Land of Mist, The Disintegration Machine, When The World Screamed. In the autumn of 1929 he goes on his last tour of Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. He was already ill with Angina pectoris.
In 1930, already bedridden, he made his last trip. He got up from his bed and went into the garden. When he was found, he was on the ground, one of his hands was squeezing it, the other was holding a white snowdrop. Arthur Conan Doyle died on Monday, July 7, 1930, surrounded by his family. His last words before his death were addressed to his wife. He whispered, "You are wonderful." He is buried in Minstead Hampshire Cemetery.
On the grave of the writer are carved the words bequeathed by him personally:
"Do not remember me with reproach,
If carried away by the story at least a little
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle(English) Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle; May 22, 1859, Edinburgh, Scotland - July 7, 1930, Crowborough, Sussex) - Scottish and English physician and writer.
His most famous detective works about Sherlock Holmes, adventure and sci-fi about Professor Challenger, humorous about Brigadier Gerard, as well as historical novels (“The White Squad”).
In addition, he wrote plays (“Waterloo”, “Angels of Darkness”, “Fires of Fate”, “Motley Ribbon”) and poems (collections of ballads “Songs of Action” (1898) and “Songs of the Road”), autobiographical essays (“Notes Stark Munro"), everyday novels ("Duet, with the introduction of the choir"), was a co-librettist of the operetta "Jane Annie" (1893).
The writer's real name is Doyle. After the death of his beloved uncle by the name of Conan (who actually raised him), he took his uncle's surname as a middle name (in England this is possible, compare: Jerome Klapka Jerome and so on.). Thus, Conan is his "middle name", but in adulthood he began to use this name as a writer's pseudonym - Conan Doyle.
In Russian texts, there are also spellings of Conan Doyle (which is more consistent with the rules for transferring proper names when translating - a transcriptive method), as well as Conan Doyle and Conan Doyle.
It is a mistake to write with a hyphen (cf. Alexander-Pushkin). However, the correct spelling is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Arthur - birth name (named), Conan - taken in memory of an uncle, Doyle (or Doyle) - surname.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born into an Irish Catholic family noted for its achievements in art and literature. Father Charles Altamont Doyle, an architect and artist, at the age of 22 married 17-year-old Mary Foley, who was passionate about books and had a great talent for storytelling.
From her, Arthur inherited his interest in chivalric traditions, deeds and adventures. " Real love to literature, I have a penchant for writing, I think, from my mother, ”wrote Conan Doyle in his autobiography. - " Vivid images the stories she told me in early childhood completely replaced in my memory memories of specific events in my life of those years.
The family of the future writer experienced serious financial difficulties - solely because of the odd behavior of his father, who not only suffered from alcoholism, but also had an extremely unbalanced psyche. School life Arthur passed into preparatory school Godder.
When the boy was 9 years old, wealthy relatives offered to pay for his education and sent him to the Jesuit closed college Stonyhurst (Lancashire) for the next seven years, from where future writer endured hatred of religious and class prejudice, as well as physical punishment.
Few happy moments those years for him were associated with letters to his mother: he did not part with the habit of describing in detail to her the current events of his life for the rest of his life.
In addition, at the boarding school, Doyle enjoyed playing sports, mainly cricket, and also discovered his talent for storytelling, gathering around him peers who listened to stories they made up for hours on the go.
In 1876, Arthur graduated from college and returned home: the first thing he had to do was to transfer to his name the papers of his father, who by that time had almost completely lost his mind. The writer subsequently told about the dramatic circumstances of the conclusion of Doyle Sr. in a psychiatric hospital in the story The Surgeon of Gaster Fell (1880).
Arts (to which predisposed him family tradition) Doyle chose to pursue a medical career, largely under the influence of Brian C. Waller, a young doctor to whom his mother rented a room in the house. Dr. Waller was educated at the University of Edinburgh: Arthur Doyle went there for further education. Future writers he met here included James Barry and Robert Louis Stevenson.
As a third-year student, Doyle decided to try his hand at the literary field. His first story, The Mystery of Sasassa Valley, influenced by Edgar Allan Poe and Bret Hart (his favorite writers at the time), was published by the university's Chamber's Journal, where the first work of Thomas Hardy appeared. In the same year, Doyle's second story " American history”(Eng. The American Tale) appeared in the magazine London Society.
In February 1880, Doyle spent seven months as a ship's doctor in Arctic waters aboard the whaling ship Hope, receiving a total of £50 for his work. “I boarded this ship as a big, clumsy youth, and came down the gangplank as a strong adult,” he later wrote in his autobiography.
The impressions of the Arctic journey formed the basis of the story "Captain of the Pole-Star" (Eng. Captain of the Pole-Star). Two years later, he made a similar voyage to the West African coast aboard the steamer Mayumba between Liverpool and the West African coast.
Having received a university diploma and a bachelor's degree in medicine in 1881, Conan Doyle took up medical practice, first jointly (with an extremely unscrupulous partner - this experience was described in the Stark Munro Notes), then individual, in Plymouth.
Finally, in 1891, Doyle decided to make literature his main profession. In January 1884, Cornhill magazine published a short story, Hebekuk Jephson's Message. During those days, he met future wife Louise "Tuey" Hawkins; the wedding took place on August 6, 1885.
In 1884, Conan Doyle began work on The Girdlestone Trading House, a social life novel with a crime-detective plot (written under the influence of Dickens) about cynical and cruel money-grubber merchants. It was published in 1890.
In March 1886, Conan Doyle began, and by April had largely completed, A Study in Scarlet (originally called A Tangled Skein, with the two main characters named Sheridan Hope and Ormond Sacker).
Ward, Locke & Co. bought the rights to the novel for £25 and printed it in the 1887 Beeton's Christmas Annual, inviting the writer's father, Charles Doyle, to illustrate the novel.
A year later, Doyle's third (and arguably strangest) novel, The Mystery of Cloomber, came out. The story of the "afterlife" of three vengeful Buddhist monks is the first literary evidence of the author's interest in paranormal activity, which subsequently made him a staunch follower of spiritualism.
In February 1888, A. Conan Doyle completed work on the novel The Adventures of Micah Clark, which told of the Monmouth rebellion (1685), the purpose of which was to overthrow King James II. The novel was published in November and was warmly received by critics.
Starting from this moment in creative life Conan Doyle's conflict arose: on the one hand, the public and publishers demanded new works about Sherlock Holmes; on the other hand, the writer himself was increasingly striving to gain recognition as the author of serious novels (primarily historical ones), as well as plays and poems.
The first serious historical work Conan Doyle is considered to be the novel "The White Company". In it, the author turned to a critical stage in the history of feudal England, taking as a basis the real historical episode of 1366, when a lull came in the Hundred Years War and “white detachments” of volunteers and mercenaries began to appear.
Continuing the war in France, they played a decisive role in the struggle of pretenders for the Spanish throne. Conan Doyle used this episode for his artistic purpose: he resurrected the life and customs of that time, and most importantly, presented chivalry in a heroic halo, which by that time was already in decline.
The White Company was published in Cornhill magazine (whose publisher, James Penn, declared it "the best historical novel since Ivanhoe"), and was published as a separate book in 1891. Conan Doyle has always said that he considers it one of his best works.
With some assumption, the novel “Rodney Stone” (1896) can also be classified as historical: the action here takes place in early XIX century, Napoleon and Nelson, playwright Sheridan are mentioned.
Initially, this work was conceived as a play with the working title "The House of Temperley" and was written under the then famous British actor Henry Irving. In the course of working on the novel, the writer studied a lot of scientific and historical literature(“History of the Navy”, “History of Boxing”, etc.).
The Napoleonic Wars, from Trafalgar to Waterloo, Conan Doyle dedicated the "Exploits" and "Adventures" of Brigadier Gerard. The birth of this character apparently dates back to 1892, when George Meredith handed Conan Doyle the three-volume Memoirs of Marbo: the latter became the prototype of Gerard.
First story new series, "Medal of Brigadier Gerard", the writer first read from the stage in 1894 during a trip to the United States. In December of the same year, the story was published by Strand Magazine, after which the author continued work on the continuation in Davos.
From April to September 1895, The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard were published in the Strand. The Adventures (August 1902 - May 1903) were also published here for the first time. While the plots of the stories about Gerard are fantastic, historical era written with great certainty.
“The spirit and flow of these stories is remarkable, the accuracy in keeping names and titles in itself demonstrates the magnitude of the work you have expended. Few would be able to find any errors here. And I, having a special scent for all sorts of mistakes, have not found anything with insignificant exceptions, ”wrote the famous British historian Archibald Forbes to Doyle.
In 1892, the "French-Canadian" adventure novel "The Exiles" and the historical play "Waterloo" were completed, leading role in which the famous actor Henry Irving played in those years (who acquired all rights from the author).
Sherlock Holmes
A Scandal in Bohemia, the first story in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series, was published in The Strand in 1891. The prototype of the protagonist, who soon became a legendary consulting detective, was Joseph Bell, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, famous for his ability to the smallest details guess the character and past of a person.
Over the course of two years, Doyle created story after story, and eventually became weary of his own character. His attempt to “finish” Holmes in a fight with Professor Moriarty (“The Last Case of Holmes”, 1893) was unsuccessful: the hero, beloved by the reading public, had to be “resurrected”. The Holmes epic culminated in the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles (1900), which is considered a classic of the detective genre.
Four novels are devoted to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet (1887), The Sign of the Four (1890), The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Valley of Terror - and five collections of short stories, the most famous of which are The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892), Notes on Sherlock Holmes (1894) and The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905).
The writer's contemporaries were inclined to downplay Holmes' greatness, seeing in him a kind of hybrid of Dupin (Edgar Allan Poe), Lecoq (Emile Gaboriau) and Cuff (Wilkie Collins). In retrospect, it became clear how different Holmes was from his predecessors: the combination of unusual qualities raised him above the times, made him relevant at all times. The extraordinary popularity of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson gradually developed into a branch of new mythology, the center of which remains to this day an apartment in London at 221-b Baker Street.
In 1900, Conan Doyle returned to medical practice: as a surgeon in a military field hospital, he went to the Boer War. In 1902 he published the book "War in South Africa” met with the warm approval of conservative circles, brought the writer closer to government spheres, after which the somewhat ironic nickname “Patriot” was established behind him, which he himself, however, was proud of. At the beginning of the century, the writer received a noble and knighthood and twice in Edinburgh took part in local elections (both times losing).
On July 4, 1906, Louise Doyle died of tuberculosis (from whom the writer had two children). In 1907 he married Jean Lecky, with whom he had been secretly in love since they met in 1897.
At the end of the post-war debate, Conan Doyle launched a broad journalistic and (as they would now say) human rights activities. His attention was drawn to the so-called "Edalji case", which involved a young Parsi who was convicted on a trumped-up charge (of injuring horses).
