Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Edinburgh 1859 - Crowborough 1930) was a British writer, creator of the fictitious detective Sherlock Holmes. Doyle's love of Holmes didn't match that of his fans, and at one point Doyle tried to kill Holmes off, only to bring him back under public outcry. In the end, although he tried his hand at other things, Doyle's primary accomplishment in life for which he is known is the Sherlock Holmes character.
- I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner.
Edgar Allan Poe and Bret Harte were some of his favorite authors.
Doyle was an enthusiastic advocate of spiritualism and could be described as credulous: he was, for example, taken in by the Cottingley fairies hoax.
He was buried in Hampshire, England.
Select Works
Sherlock Holmes:
- A Study in Scarlet (1887)
- The Sign of Four (1890)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894)
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
- The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
- The Valley of Fear (1915)
Others:
- The Lost World (1912)
Doyle's other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction.
Evolutionary Racism
Doyle was a highly controversial due to his evolutionary racist views. The Lost World, an early work of science fiction, continually upholds Darwin and evolutionary theory. The white Englishmen are described as the most cultured and advanced, while the Spanish creoles are untrustworthy and the lone Black character is remarkably unintelligent. Similarly, in The Sign of Four, a native of Southeast Asia is described as being subhuman and grotesque.