Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930)
Scottish physician and writer, famous for his short stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are considered an innovation in the field of crime fiction, and famous for the adventures of Professor Challenger.
Born in Edinburgh in a prosperous, Irish-origin and Catholic family. His mother had a passion for books and encouraged him to take to books.
Was sent to the Jesuit school and his family paid for his education. Then went to Stonyhurst College (later he used his friends and teachers from the college as models for his characters in the Holmes stories).
While studying medicine he began writing short stories to earn extra money. He was deeply impressed by the skill of his professor Dr. Joseph Bell in observing the details regarding a patient's condition. Dr. Bell became the model for Conan Doyle's literary creation - Sherlock Holmes and his methods of reasoning.
Sherlock Holmes first appeared in `Study in Scarlet' (1887). The novel introduced the detective and Dr. Watson, the narrator of the stories fighting their opponent Professor Moriarty.
In 1890 he moved to London where `The Strand Magazine' started publishing `The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'. At that time Holmes's address - 221B Baker Street, London - became the most famous London street in literature.
In 1893 decided to end the whole series. However, Doyle's readers expressed their disappointment with Holmes's death and Conan Doyle had to resurrect his hero in `The Return of Sherlock Holmes'.
Wrote `The Hound of Baskervilles' - a book which became a worldwide sensation. Overall, Sherlock Holmes appeared in 56 short stories and 4 novels.
Wrote a novel `The Lost World' featuring Professor George Challenger, in a humorous adventure, stranded in a mysterious region of South America, discovering prehistoric fauna and flora.
After World War I, when many members of his family died, Conan Doyle sank into depression and turned to spiritualism. In `The History of Spiritualism' praised the psychic phenomena and spirit materialisations.
Works:
`Study in Scarlet' (1887)
`The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' (1892)
`The Hound of Baskervilles' (1902)
`The Return of Sherlock Holmes' (1905)
`The Lost World' (1912)
`The History of Spiritualism' (1926)