![]() ![]() One imagines that Edinburgh, where he was born and spent most of his early years, must have left its mark deep upon him. Sir Arthur does not boast, and he can smile at himself yet, with a seriousness which is Scotch rather than Irish, he sets earnestly about his entries on the credit side of the ledger. In spite of this dualism, it is not a complex personality that emerges from his book, but an extremely likable, forthright figure of a man who takes a simple pride in what he has been able to accomplish in his 65 years. Even in the field of psychic speculation, to which he has given himself completely since the war, and which he says will occupy him for the remainder of his life, he sees himself as one who has “brought into it a combative and aggressive spirit which it lacked before.” His life has been one of great bodily as well as mental activity, and if these two sides to his temperament have resulted in a broad and well-balanced experience, they are probably the explanation also of the existence side by side in the same man of an analytical quality of mind and naïve outlook of a British cavalry Colonel. In his autobiography the creator of Sherlock Holmes is revealed as primarily a man of action who incidentally won fame as a writer. Donald Abrams reviewed the Sherlock Holmes creator’s autobiography for the Book Review. This week Edward Sorel illustrates and writes about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fascination with and belief in the existence of fairies. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |