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(May 22, 1859 – July 7, 1930)

It is no wonder they say that a talented person is talented in everything. This catchphrase fully reflects the personality of Arthur Conan Doyle, the legendary writer, poet, physician, sportsman, and spiritualist. This list goes on indefinitely. Well, I happen to think that Arthur Conan Doyle was an all-rounder, successful in anything he did. He was a man of great intelligence and boundless energy. However, at the same time, his life was full of contradictions and paradoxes. After all, judge for yourself: how could a skilled physician believe in the existence of fairies and ghosts? Could it be that, somewhere deep in his heart, he was still a child? He was so desperate for the supernatural that strange things started to happen in his life. Did you know that his first book was mysteriously lost in the post? Can it really be true that we attract what we believe? Let’s look for answers to these and other questions and trace the remarkable life of the greatest writer of all time – Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the “literary father” of Sherlock Holmes, the most popular fictional character in the history of literature. The legendary writer was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, into a prosperous family. His mother, Mary, was a lively and well-educated woman who had a passion for books. Arthur would often say that he inherited his storytelling talent from her. Doyle’s father, Charles, was an illustrator and a watercolorist; a member of a well-respected artistic family. However, a lot of his talent was wasted because of his health issues. Charles always felt he could do more. As I see it, he was constantly haunted by fears, doubts, and unfulfilled dreams of becoming a prominent artist. Among other things, Charles became more and more depressed and frustrated because he was unable to provide for his family. Unfortunately, he spent his later years in asylums and nursing homes. Certainly, the difficult situation in the family couldn’t but leave a trace on the character of the legendary writer.

The Doyle family struggled financially. Everything rested on the shoulders of Arthur’s mother: running the household, bringing up children, and taking care of the family. She struggled to create a calm home and а peaceful atmosphere and told her children tales of brave knights. As I see it, this circumstance greatly affected the legendary writer’s personality and worldview: Arthur Conan Doyle was guided by high moral principles all his life. When little Arthur turned nine, his wealthy relatives offered to pay for his studies. The family council decided to send him to a boarding school. Honestly, it was an unpleasant experience for him as corporal punishment was very common in most boarding schools in England.

Did you know that Arthur Conan Doyle was a keen sportsman? Since his school days, he had been interested in sports and also succeeded in this field. He was the first goalkeeper in the history of Portsmouth. What may come as a surprise is that Arthur Conan Doyle played under the pseudonym “A. C. Smith” rather than under his own name. Apart from football, the legendary writer also played cricket, golf, and rugby. And that was not all. Arthur competed in the amateur billiards championship and was a fan of boxing. Interestingly, Arthur Conan Doyle was a frequent visitor to Switzerland and helped popularize skiing among the English. I guess that, like many creative people, he found inspiration in nature. Many may agree that there’s nothing more exciting than watching breathlessly as snow-white clouds, resembling giant mythical creatures, disappear behind a mountain top.

Our life depends on the decisions we make. So, choosing a career is very important. As I see it, Arthur Conan Doyle made the right decision that changed his life forever. Contrary to the family tradition, Doyle didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps. He decided to pursue a career in medicine. While being a medical student, he met his future teacher Dr. Joseph Bell, who later had a strong impact on his works. Arthur was really inspired by his remarkable observation and deductive skills. Dr. Bell was able to determine the occupation of a random stranger just by looking at them. This meeting was significant and life-changing for Arthur Conan Doyle. I think that at that point his career as a writer really started.

At the age of twenty-three, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first book and sent it to a publisher. Apparently, he had high hopes, but destiny had its own plans: the manuscript of Conan Doyle’s first novel mysteriously was lost in the post. Later, Arthur Conan Doyle would write, “I must admit that my shock at its disappearance would be as nothing to my horror if it were suddenly to appear again – in print.” Honestly, I can’t even imagine what he must have felt when he realized the misfortune. In my opinion, anyone else in his place would have lost heart, but not him. Arthur Conan Doyle attempted to rewrite the story. For many years, the manuscript was unlisted in his archives. The novel called The Narrative of John Smith was published posthumously in 2011 by the British Library. Anyway, Arthur Conan Doyle never got discouraged, whatever happened to him. While studying, he tried his hand at writing short stories to earn some extra money.

Upon receiving his Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees, he worked for a time as a naval surgeon. In a while, Conan Doyle opened his first practice in Portsmouth. His business wasn’t blooming, and he was finally able to devote more time to writing books.

In August of 1885, he married a beautiful young girl Louisa Hawkins, who was his patient’s sister. As I see it, they were a tight-knit and truly happy family. Their two children, Mary and Kingsley, were raised in the environment of love, kindness, and harmony.

As the years went by, Doyle devoted himself to writing a book which introduced Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The story first appeared in the British paperback magazine in 1887 and a year later was republished as a single volume. His debut novel was called A Study in Scarlet. Curiously, Doyle sold the rights to the story for 25 pounds.

Let us now examine some intriguing facts. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Sherlock Holmes still remains the most portrayed literary human character in film and TV. There’s no one in the world who has never heard of Sherlock Holmes, the iconic fictional detective. Sherlock has long become a household name to describe someone who solves and investigates crimes. What image pops up in your mind when you hear his name? Well, I immediately think of a detective who is wearing a long coat and a legendary cap. Mostly, I think of a person who has exceptional observation and deductive skills. Curiously, few know that Sherlock Holmes’ character was inspired by the real person Dr. Joseph Bell, who shared many qualities with the legendary detective. Some even say that Sherlock’s character was based on his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle. However, it’s all just guesswork. This issue is still open for discussion. Curiously, Sherlock never said, “Elementary, my dear Watson.” The line didn’t appear in Doyle’s books. It was later poluparized in Sherlock Homes’ filmes and became a catchphrase. Did you know why Doyle decided to “kill off” his most iconic character? He just became bored of him and wanted to write more serious books. However, this plot twist provoked outrage among his readers, and Doyle had to “resurrect” the great detective ten years later. Could it be that Doyle didn’t want to live in the shadow of Sherlock? I suppose there is some truth to this. Many people know more about Sherlock than they do about his creator.

So, back to the writer’s life. As time went on, things changed drastically for Arthur Conan Doyle. As it turned out, his beloved wife was seriously ill: she was expected just a few months to live at the most. However, the great writer didn’t seem to agree and was determined to extend her life. And he did it. His love, care, and proper treatment made a miracle. Louisa felt much better and lived another thirteen years. When she passed away, Arthur was deeply affected by the loss.

In 1907, Arthur Conan Doyle married Jean Leckie. The happy couple had a lavish wedding with two hundred and fifty guests. Arthur and Jean had three children. The writer shared many of his wife’s activities and lived a measured, quiet life.

Unfortunately, Conan Doyle endured terrible misfortune: he lost many loved ones, including his father, wife, son, brother, and others. It might have been the reason why he showed an interest in spiritualism[1]. This may come as a surprise, but he also believed in the existence of magical beings. Have you ever heard of the Cottingley Fairies? This is a curious story about two girls named Elsie and Frances, who supposedly managed to take a series of photos of dancing creatures. To be more precise, it is one of the greatest hoaxes of all time. It may seem incredible, but those photos, which showed tiny figures with transparent wings, came to Conan Doyle’s attention. Call it coincidence or providence, but at that time Arthur Conan Doyle was working on the article about fairies for the Strand Magazine. When the experts unofficially verified the authenticity of the photos, the writer was so thrilled that he asked Elsie and Frances to use those images of mythical creatures in his publication. The girls’ family was confused by the attention of the legendary writer but quickly agreed. Public opinion was mixed: some believed that the magical beings were real, while others thought they were fake. Later Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a book on the topic under the title The Coming of the Fairies. Only years later, after the writer’s death, the cousins finally confessed that those photos were a hoax, and the wizard creatures were made from paper cut-outs and hat pins. As it turned out, it was Elsie who drew the images and had the wings added to them. When everything was ready, both girls arranged a theme photo shoot. Later Elsie and Frances admitted that they were too embarrassed to tell the truth after fooling the literary genius.

The creator of Sherlock Holmes was once tasked to solve a real-life crime. He helped the wrongly convicted man go free. Do you remember that Doyle also participated in the search for Agatha Christie? He took one of her gloves to a spirit medium to find her location. The visionary supposedly said that Agatha Christie was still alive but was in the “twilight state,” and that she’d show up “next Wednesday.” Believe it or not, but she was found a week later, safe and alive, claiming memory loss. After that, how can one not believe in miracles?

Apart from detective novels and science fiction, Arthur Conan Doyle also wrote poems, plays, and historical novels. Among his most well-known books are The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Lost World, and many others.

The genius writer lived a rich life filled with many ups and downs. He died in 1930, surrounded by his family. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will always be remembered as one of the greatest writers of all time.