Sir Arthur Ignatus Conan Doyle was born on 22 May, 1859 in Edinburgh in Scotland. His father Charles Altamont Doyle, was an alcoholic and failed to make any remarkable achievement in life other than fathering a brilliant son.From 1876 to 1881, Sir Arthur studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Along the way he started his hobby of writing short fictional stories. His first story was published when he was not even 20 in the Chambers’ Edinburgh Journal. After completing his studies in the University, he served as a doctor on a naval voyage to Africa.
Afterwards Sir Arthur started his independent medical practice when he arrived in Portsmouth. He got visited by very few patients and had little to do all day therefore, he resumed his hobby of writing stories. His first notable work was ‘A Study In Scarlet’ which featured detective Sherlock Holmes for the very first time. It was published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. In his time in Portsmouth he also spent time in sports playing cricket, football and golf with friends. Sir Arthur even played in 10 first class cricket matches, his highest score being 43 and also took one wicket.
Conan Doyle had two wives and a total of five children. His first wife Louisa Hawkins suffered from tuberculosis and died. Afterwards he married Jean Elizebeth Leckie whom he had loved many years before. In 1890, he went to Vienna to complete medical studies and started practice as an opthalmologist in London in 1891. In his own biography he reveals that he received very few patients and had decided to kill Holmes in order to consentrate on his practice.
Conan Doyle had two wives and a total of five children. His first wife Louisa Hawkins suffered from tuberculosis and died. Afterwards he married Jean Elizebeth Leckie whom he had loved many years before. In 1890, he went to Vienna to complete medical studies and started practice as an opthalmologist in London in 1891. In his own biography he reveals that he received very few patients and had decided to kill Holmes in order to consentrate on his practice.
In order to end this series in ‘The Final Problem’ he depicted the events in which Holmes and his enemy Professor Moriarty both die after plunging in a waterfall. But after outcry from fans he resumed the stories and explained in ‘The Adventure of the Empty House’ how Holmes wanted to be temporarily dead in order to defeat his other enemies. Eventually, the fictional detective appeared in 56 short stories and many long novels.
During his life Conan Doyle also authored many other novels and poems. He was also believed to be an intimate friend of world renowned magician Harry Houdini and had special interest in spiritualism. Conan Doyle also spent some time in india and America and these locations also feature in some of his short stories and novels.
On 7 July, 1930 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died due to heart attack and lies buried in New Forest, Hampshire. In remembrance of this great fiction writer a statue stands in Crowborough, East Sussex where he spent 23 years of his life.
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