Arthur Conan Doyle: The Undisputed King in the world of Mystery – Kunal Roy

Two great exponents I have ever come across in the world of mystery literature and crime fiction are Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. Both have their own measures of expressing themselves through the characters they portray in their fiction. The random twists and turns discovered in their creations make the readers struck with awe. Indeed, they have to hold their breath and gradually move on from one page to another to unravel the mysterious overtones! At times they succeed and get elated. But in most of the occasions things become a bit knotty for them, resulting in impatience and restlessness. In fact, it is interesting to read any crime fiction, but the moment you want to reach the end of the story to find the true criminal, a state of melee appears on the screen quite confidently!

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh to a prosperous Irish family on 22nd May 1859. His father Charles was basically an alcoholic, who had no other accomplishments except fathering a brilliant son. Mother Mary was an avid reader and a brilliant storyteller.
It was Mary who actually sowed the seeds of deep fantasy in Arthur’s mind which later on sprouted and eventually transformed into a huge tree, spreading its myriad branches across the whole globe. Arthur had a terrible boarding life. Corporal punishments caused terror in the minds of students. However, Arthur found solace in his creative pursuits before he went to study medicine in the Edinburgh University and worked as a successful surgeon! Medicine, he loved but not more than the creative world. During his active participation in the Spiritualistic Movement he composed three books which can be termed to be as essentially “autobiographical” viz “Beyond the City”, The Stark Munro Letters” and “A duet with an Occasional Chorus”.
With the passage of time they received acclaim from the audience. Doyle being a prolific writer had left his mark far and wide. But his hugely popular work is “The Sherlock Holmes” and it’s sequel like “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes”. Stories like “The Hound of Baskervilles” and “The Speckled Band” are still revered by the critics. Innumerable short stories were written to his credit, his works had also been published in journals and received sound reviews! On the other hand, his marital life was not very happy. But it seemed as if his creative genius undermined those soft feels of love and romance!

More than hundred years have passed, but not a single author like him has been produced yet. The sharp acumen, the adroitness to juggle with the characters, the brevity of expressions and a steady stamina to keep the readers glued to his books are some of the things which are undeniable even today!!