BBC Learning English
Words in the News
21st January 2011
Sherlock Holmes returns
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes because he felt that writing the stories made him
too busy for his other work. But now, one of Britain's most famous detectives is being brought back to
life 80 years after the author's death. British writer, Anthony Horowitz is writing a new novel which
should be ready in September. Sunita Nahar reports:
The character of Sherlock Holmes was originally created by the Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle,
who featured him in four novels and more than 50 short stories. After his death, his son Adrian wrote
several stories featuring the famous Victorian detective, but critics say he was never that popular.
But it's the first time that the Arthur Conan Doyle estate has officially asked an author to write a new
novel. He has been named as Anthony Horowitz and is best known his Alex Rider children's series. So
was he daunted by the challenge?
Anthony Horowitz:
"Well obviously, it was daunting to a certain extent and you are dealing with probably the most iconic
detective in the whole history of literature. And the one thing I didn't want to do was to disappoint
those really devout fans, the sort of Sherlock Holmes Society and people who love these books.
But to be honest with you, I actually found it fairly easy to write because I have loved those books
since I was 16 years old, I've read them two or three times during the course of my lifetime  in fact,
my whole life as a writer of crime fiction myself was, to a certain extent, inspired by Doyle and I find
the book not so scary as I thought it might be."
Anthony Horowitz says he's a devoted fan and aims to produce a first rate mystery for a modern
audience.
Sunita Nahar, BBC News
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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Vocabulary and definitions
character here, a person or a creature that has been created for a
story
Victorian detective person who tried to solve crimes during the time of Queen
Victoria s reign in Britain (1837-1901)
critics people who write or talk about their opinions, sometimes
in the media
an author someone who writes books or articles
daunted by worried, slightly frightened or intimidated by
to a certain extent in some ways
iconic someone or something which is representative of a time,
culture or purpose
to disappoint to make others feel sad because you haven t done
something they expected you to
devout fans people who love and support something or someone with a
passion that s almost religious
crime fiction stories that are created by writers about illegal activities
which are not true
More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12221226
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/crossword/100917_crossword_sherlock.shtml
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/01/110121_witn_sherlock_holmes_page.shtml
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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