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Classic Authors: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

© Susan Jensen

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle launched his career with the creation of a keenly observant British sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, who starred in numerous stories and brought his creator fame and acclaim. Although he eventually killed off the detective, Doyle’s name remains irrevocably tied to his famous character. The author produced many other stories and novels, most of which have been long forgotten. In addition to his literary achievements, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived a varied and interesting life.

Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Charles Doyle, worked as a civil servant. His lack of ambition eventually cost him his job, after which he rapidly declined into an epileptic alcoholic. He died in an institution in 1893. Arthur’s mother, Mary Foley Doyle, struggled to rear her 11 children on the small income Charles earned. While Charles’ battle with alcohol made a profound impression on Arthur, so did the stories and folklore of Ireland, which he learned from his mother.

For his first nine years, Arthur learned in his home and at local schools. At nine, he enrolled at the Jesuit preparatory school of Hoder in Lancashire. Two years later, he moved to the Jesuit secondary school of Stonyhurst. Although he did not particularly enjoy his schooling, he proved to be an apt pupil. During this time, he also looked seriously at his religious beliefs; by the time he graduated in 1875, he had rejected Catholicism and become an agnostic.

After graduating from Stonyhurst, Arthur spent a year with the Jesuits in Feldkirch, Austria. He then returned to study medicine at the University from 1876 to 1881. Here, he met two people–Dr. Joseph Bell and Professor Rutherford--who impressed him so profoundly that he later immortalized them in his books. Bell became famous for his startling ability to make accurate statements about his patients based on deductive reasoning; Arthur endowed Sherlock Holmes with similar traits. Rutherford became Professor George Edward Challenger of The Lost World(1912).

While in Edinburgh, Arthur took on several odd jobs to help his mother with her finances. He worked in various places, including as a ship doctor on two excursions. In 1882, Dr. George Turnavine Budd invited Arthur to become a partner in his medical practice in Plymouth. The two had difficulty working together, and Arthur finally left, heading for Southsea, where he began to concentrate on his writing.

Arthur’s first story, The Mystery of the Sassasa Valley, appeared in 1879 in Chambers’ Journal. His first piece about Sherlock Holmes appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual for 1887; the story was entitled A Study in Scarlet. While the tale circulated, he began work on a historical novel, Micah Clarke, which was published in 1889 to much success. In the summer of 1889, Arthur met with J.M. Stoddart of Lippincott’s Magazine, from whom he received a commission for Sign of the Four(1890). The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes appeared in The Strand beginning in July of 1891. Despite the popularity of his detective stories, Arthur decided to produce more lasting literature. Thus, he devised a tragic demise for his popular character. The story describing Holmes’ death came as The Final Problem in December of 1893. Readers demanded the return of the super sleuth, and Arthur relented, bringing him back for later adventures.