The story behind the writer.
As an avid reader as I am, I’m always curious about everything, and love to read about how an specific story was created or what the life of a writer I’m reading was like.
It’s so that I’ve come across about some very interesting findings. For example, I’ve learned that Conan Doyle was so tired of his Sherlock Holmes stories that had taken over his other writing, that he decided that Holmes had to die. So, one day he wrote the famous scene in which the detective suffers a deadly fall into an huge water fall.
Somehow, and seen it from the distance, I think it’s understandable, as the Scottish writer, mainly remembered by his Sherlock Holmes stories, is also the author of many other stories non related to the detective, such as The Lost World, a collection of short stories, The Professor Challenger, Tales of Pirates and Blue waters, and a two-volume collection of historical fiction.
However, according to the letters he used to exchange with his mother, it was her how asked him not to stop writing his Sherlock Holmes stories so, the good Conan Doyle had to revive his unique character, which as it’s said, many writers dream of creating a character of such strong presence and charm.
The story also says that at some point, his fellow writer and a Scotsman as well, Robert Louis Stevenson, confirmed by saying that he’d actually recognized some resemblance, that Doyle modeled the famous detective based on one of his teachers, Joseph Bell, while the writer studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh
On the other hand, giving it a lot of thoughts, I’m pretty sure that dear Dr. Watson is a lively image of Conan Doyle, who was a doctor who loved to write, the same as the inseparable companion of Sherlock Holmes.
We shouldn’t forget that Doyle wrote many of his detective stories while he waited for the patients to come to his office.
I’m sure he never imagined the immortal impact that his work was going to have in the history of literature.
As for me, I’m a faithfull reader of his Holmes adventures, of which I just can’t get enough of, but, I’m also pretty enthusiastic about going through the rest of his very ample work, which, I’m sure, I’ll enjoy as well.