What a strange character to attract such acclaim-even idolatry.
Only one such story seems worthy to me of being a minor entry to the canon, but its authorship has been debated.)Īny popular writer would be more than gratified to have beenĬredited for creating such an influential and enduring character. But these are generally stories that Doyle discarded at early stages, his self-parodies, short stage treatments, or mysteries that make brief reference to an unnamed detective who may or may not be Holmes. (Occasionally claims are made that more Doyle-penned Holmes stories have been discovered and should be added to the canon of fifty-six. And not to mention the entire field of mystery and crimeįiction that continues to draw on the templates laid down by Not to mention the dozens of writers who have created additional stories and novels featuring Holmes. That appear almost annually, and have inspired overįive hundred movies and television episodes that debut every Holmes have never been out of print, still sell in new volumes The four novels and fifty-six stories featuring Sherlock I don't know how he would take the news today, more than a century later, he is known almost exclusively for the fictional exploits of that one Later he gave in to widespread pressure, bringing Holmes backĪlso came around to thinking his greatest work for humankind was inĪ field altogether different from literature: in revealing the supernatural world.
Partway through his writing career, Arthur Conan Doyle killed off his most famous literaryĪttention away from the author's more important works of literature, Doyle thought then. THE AUTHOR | VIEWS AND QUOTES The man who tried to kill Sherlock Holmes