Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I10036
"I couldn't revive him if I would, at least not for years, for I have had such an overdose of him that I feel towards him as I do towards pâté de foie gras, of which I once ate too much, so that the name of it gives me a sickly feeling to this day." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, on killing off Sherlock Holmes
The impact higher education had on the life of Arthur Conan Doyle - priceless! At the University of Edinburgh, Doyle meet classmates and future fellow authors James Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson. More importantly, his mentor, Professor Dr. Joseph Bell, was the inspiration for the character - Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes, the star of Doyle's first published work, made him wealthy and famous but not a knight. He was knighted by King Edward VII for a non-fiction pamphlet on the Boer War.
Doyle helped popularize the winter sport of skiing. Having moved to Davros, Switzerland in 1893 for his wife's health, he took up the sport. He was taught the basics by two brothers who would ski at night to avoid being teased by the locals. He wrote about the pleasure of skiing, “You let yourself go. Getting as near to flying as any earthbound man can. In that glorious air it is a delightful experience.” Soon hundreds were flocking to Switzerland for the "skiing season".
Doyle killed off Holmes, the same year his father died. It took nine years of pleading from publishers and fans to convince Doyle to write more Holmes stories. The character Professor Dr. Joseph Bell inspired continues to fascinate new generations of fans. In the past century, the character has been continually revisited as movies and TV shows explore Holmes facing new mysteries.
