Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, born on the 22nd of May 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland, was an author most known for his works about the detective Sherlock Holmes. He also wrote science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction.
His mother was Irish, and his father was of Irish decent. He attended a Catholic school, but he rejected this religion to become an agnostic. He then went on to study medicine from 1876 to 1881, during which time he wrote several short stories, some of which got published in magazines. In 1885, he married Louisa Hawkins, but she suffered from tuberculosis and she died on the 4th of July in 1906, twenty years later. A year after Louisa's death, he married Jean Elisabeth Leckie, whom he had fallen in love with in 1897. However, he had kept a platonic love with Jean while Louisa was still alive. Jean died on the 27th of June 1940. Doyle had five children, two with Louise and three with Jean.

Doyle's house in South Norwood, London

In 1891, Doyle moved to London and started a career as an ophthalmologist, but because of a lack of clients, he had a lot of time to write his stories. The same year, he decided that he should kill his character Sherlock Holmes in order for him to be able to concentrate on what he considered to be more important, his historical novels. He sent his character plunging to his death along with an arch enemy, but public outcry forced him to bring back Holmes in 'The Hounds of Baskervilles. In total, Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six stories concerning Sherlock Holmes. Many other authors have added to the list since then.
After the death of many of his loved ones, Conan Doyle plunged back in Christianity, and he became obsessed with what came after the grave, and with 'paranormal activity'. He was also one the people who was convinced that the five photographs of the Cottingley Fairies were true, and he devoted many novels and non-fiction to 'paranormal' themes. Conan had also been friends with Harry Houdini, but Doyle was positive that Houdini had supernatural powers and Harry could not convince him otherwise, causing their friendship to end bitterly.
In 1902, Conan was made a knight. Conan believed it was because of his pamphlet (The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct), which justified the UK's role in the Boer War.

Doyle died of a heart attack on the 7th of July 1930, at age 71.

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