Who wrote about Sherlock Holmes and what writer. Sherlock Holmes: years of life, character description, interesting facts. Conan Doyle's attitude towards Sherlock Holmes

They recently showed it here again, and I once again enjoyed a wonderful Soviet series based on the equally wonderful book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.”
Every time I watch it with great pleasure, although I already know who will do or say what when. :)
An ageless masterpiece, perfect performance from absolutely all actors :) It’s not for nothing that our series is recognized as the best film adaptation in the world.
I read books as a child.

I'm sure you love this movie too :)

Old joke:

Sherlock Holmes, thoughtfully puffing on his pipe, asks:
- Dear Watson, answer me, why do you have such a strange name - Doctor?

By the way, full name Holmes - William Sherlock Scott Holmes.
Do you know what Dr. Watson's real name was?

Answer

In Conan Doyle, Watson is called by name twice. “A Study in Scarlet” has the subtitle “From the Memoirs of a Doctor Jonah G. Watson, retired military medical officer." In "The Man with the Cut Lip", his wife calls him " James».
Thus, the character's full name is John Hamish Watson (Watson). ("Hamish" is a Scottish variant of "James")
Moreover, in the case of double names, it is the second name that is used in everyday life. Thus, his name was “John Hamish” (or “John James”), and his name was James, after his middle name.

Bonus

People's Artist of Russia Vasily Livanov, awarded by Elizabeth II the Order of the British Empire for best incarnation image of the legendary Sherlock Holmes, during the opening of the monument to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (sculptor Andrei Orlov) in front of the British Embassy on Smolenskaya Embankment. In 2007, it was exactly 120 years since the publication of Conan Doyle’s story about the adventures of the great detective, “A Study in Scarlet.”

Sherlock Holmes Museum in London.

Did you know that Holmes was a cocaine and morphine addict, and it was Dr. Watson who turned him on? I read and laughed at Lurkomorye, I recommend it - http://lurkmore.ru/%D0%A8%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BA_%D0%A5%D0%BE%D0 %BB%D0%BC%D1%81_%D0%B8_%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80_%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%82 %D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BD

This collection of coins was released in New Zealand - http://www.newzealandmint.com/dsales/dshop.mv?screen=product&cat=4&product=fc1177cc

Biography of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
This table includes a list of the most important events in the lives of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and Arthur Conan Doyle. The table also contains the most significant British, European and world events of that time.
http://www.doyle.msfit.ru/holmes/chronology/

And finally - the enchanting article “Why didn’t Toktor Watson have children?” The family in Victorian society, attitudes towards sex (+ related to sex life topics) at that time - http://svetozarchernov.221b.ru/books/childbearing.pdf
Not for the faint of heart. :)

Sherlock Holmes is a famous character in literature, authored by Arthur Conan Doyle. All works about a detective who lives in London belong to the detective genre. It is believed that the prototype of this was the writer’s colleague. It is known that Joseph Bell worked in a hospital and could easily guess and predict a person’s character from details.

Biography of Sherlock Holmes

If you analyze all the works of Arthur Conan Doyle, you can also calculate what Sherlock Holmes's date of birth is. It is believed that this character was born around 1854. Readers of works about the great detective constantly tried to establish his date of birth. But soon, after analyzing several stories, they came to the conclusion that Holmes was born on January 6th. It is this date that is now indicated in museums that are dedicated to this interesting and exciting literary character.

Little is known about his life. So, Sherlock has never been married and he has no children either. But he still had relatives. His older brother Mycroft appears in some works.

Pedigree of the famous detective

There is little information about the detective’s ancestors in the works. In one of the stories, Sherlock Holmes himself, whose years of life are still of interest to readers, talks about his ancestry. He says that his ancestors were landowners who lived in some outback. The life of these landowners was quiet and calm, as befits people of this class.

Sherlock also talks about his grandmother, whom he still remembered a little. She was a sister famous artist from France. By the way, he himself is also mentioned several times in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes, whose years of life still remain a mystery and have only been determined approximately, talks about his brother Mycroft, who is seven years older than the detective. Sherlock mentions several times that he holds a high and important position in the government, but still never calls him that.

In addition to close family members, his distant relatives are also mentioned in works about Sherlock Holmes. For example, Werner, who is just starting to work as a doctor. It is he who buys the doctoral practice from Watson.

Character Description

Holmes's main profession is as a private detective-consultant. But he was helped along this difficult path by the father of a classmate, who was delighted with his unusual abilities. young man.

Sherlock Holmes, who devoted many years of his life to investigating and finding criminals, is described by Arthur Conan Doyle as a tall and thin man.

The following details stood out especially in the detective’s appearance: piercing gaze gray eyes, and a square chin that resolutely protruded slightly forward. The detective himself said about his height that he was no higher than six pounds, which is equal to 183 centimeters.

Holmes was a biochemist by training. He even worked for some time as a laboratory assistant in one of the London hospitals. But he still devoted his whole life to investigations. Even knowing the law, he did not always follow it when it came to the life of an innocent person. The detective never refused to help a poor man. He took almost no payment for his work, and if he had to do it, it was often symbolic.

Detective Habits

Sherlock prefers to stay at home and tries not to go out for any particular reason. He even investigates all his cases at home. But at the same time he is completely indifferent to any conveniences and luxuries.

Holmes has never been married and, as he himself states, he has never even been in love in his life. Although he is always polite with women and is always ready to help them.

Sherlock also has bad habits. For example, he smokes often and a lot. Especially his strong tobacco fills the whole room when he is trying to solve one of the new crimes. Sometimes he uses intravenous drugs because he cannot bear to live without work.

Holmes' methods

Sherlock conducts each investigation of the next crime in his own different ways. Among them, the deductive method stands out. Having studied all the evidence and facts that are in the case, the detective draws up his own picture of the crime, and then begins to look for the one who benefited from committing it.

Most often, the crimes that Holmes investigates are complex and confusing, so it is impossible to understand them without an investigation. He himself tries to find evidence and question witnesses in order to understand everything about the crime committed.

Sometimes, to catch a criminal, a detective uses not only makeup, but also his excellent acting skills.

Sherlock Holmes: years of events and facts

The famous detective happily talks about his first solved case in the work “Gloria Scott.” At that time he was still in college.

Sherlock Holmes, whose date of birth and death is uncertain, was not rich at 27 years old. Therefore, he could not rent an apartment alone, but was looking for a companion, who became John Watson. They moved into an apartment together on Baker Street at 222 B. Their owner was the calm and balanced Mrs. Hudson.

Watson and Holmes move into the apartment in 1881, and seven years later the doctor marries and leaves his friend. Sherlock is left to live alone.

In 1891, Sherlock disappears from everyone. He sets off to travel, although many readers believed that he died in a battle with the In the future, the detective even published his notes about the journey, but under a pseudonym.

Only in 1894 did Sherlock Holmes, whose years of life are not given precisely and specifically, return to London and again settle in his apartment. Watson soon also moves in with him after the death of his wife.

But here, too, Holmes is tired of everything, and soon he leaves London again to go to the countryside and start breeding bees. It is known that in the last story Sherlock was about 60 years old.

Literary works with Sherlock Holmes

It is estimated that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 60 works about the famous detective. Of these, there are only four stories, and the rest of the works are short stories. Many of them are narrated from the perspective of his friend, Dr. Watson.

The first work about the great detective was the detective story “A Study in Scarlet,” which was written in 1887. The last story about Sherlock Holmes, the years whose actions are always interesting to readers, was published in 1927. His story “The Sherlock Holmes Archive” became his farewell work.

It is worth noting that Arthur Conan Doyle was always dissatisfied with the fact that his detective works found more responses among readers than his historical novels who were in it literary activity main ones.

According to the writer himself, the best stories about Sherlock Holmes, whose years of life cannot be precisely named, are the following works: “The Speckled Ribbon”, “The Union of Red-Headed People”, “The Empty House” and others.

To date, more than 210 films have already been released, where the main character is the private detective Sherlock Holmes. That is why the number of film adaptations was included in the Guinness Book of Records. It is known that about 14 films were shot in America. Large quantity films were also released in Russia. Many viewers fell in love with the film, where Vasily Livanov played the role of a private detective.

IN lately In connection with the development of technological progress, computer games were also created based on the plot of Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective story, which are very successful.

However, a stream of letters from indignant readers, among whom were members of the royal family (according to legend, Queen Victoria herself), forced the writer to “revive” the famous detective and continue describing his adventures.

Biography

Arthur Conan Doyle himself never reported the date of birth of Sherlock Holmes in his works. Presumably the year of his birth is th (according to the story “His farewell bow”). A version also appeared in the press that Holmes was born in 1850. The version was allegedly based on the biography of the doctor Joseph Bell, whom Arthur Conan Doyle himself repeatedly mentioned as the prototype of Sherlock Holmes, and, according to the writer’s stories, Joseph Bell was nine years older than him, that is, the year of his birth was 1850 (himself Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859). However, in reality, Joseph Bell was born in 1837, which invalidates this version.

Fans of Conan Doyle's work have attempted to establish a more accurate date of birth for Sherlock Holmes. In particular, it was suggested that the date would be January 6. The date was calculated by a certain Nathan L. Bengis based on a comparison of fragmentary information from the works of Conan Doyle and astrological research (!). Part of the hypothesis is based on the fact that in the story “The Valley of Terror” there is an indirect reference to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night” with a relative time reference to Holmes’ birthday. The date is quite common among fans of the great detective, although in general it is not objectively confirmed.

Self-Portrait of Horace Vernet (1835)

Little is known about the family and ancestors of Sherlock Holmes. In the story “The Incident of the Translator,” Holmes says:

Holmes also mentions there that his grandmother was the sister of the French battle painter Horace Vernet (-). A number of works feature Sherlock Holmes's brother, Mycroft Holmes, who is seven years older than him and works in the Foreign Office. Also mentioned in The Norwood Contractor is a young doctor, Werner, a distant relative of Holmes, who bought Watson's doctor's practice in Kensington. There is no mention of Holmes' other relatives. The grandmother is French, which indicates Holmes's partial French origin, although it is difficult to judge how dominant it is.

Key dates in the life of Sherlock Holmes are as follows:

In 1881, Holmes met Dr. John Watson (if we take Holmes's date of birth as 1854, then at that moment he is about 27 years old). He is apparently not rich, as he is looking for a partner to rent an apartment together. Then she and Watson move to Baker Street, house 221b (221b Baker Street), where they rent an apartment together from Mrs. Hudson. In the story "Gloria Scott" we learn something about Holmes' past, about what prompted him to become a detective: the father of Holmes' classmate admired his deductive abilities.
In 1888, Watson marries and moves out of an apartment on Baker Street. Holmes continues to rent an apartment from Mrs. Hudson alone.
The story “Holmes's Last Case” takes place in 1891. After a fight with Professor Moriarty, Holmes goes missing. Watson (and with him almost the entire English public) is confident in the death of Holmes.
Holmes was on the run between 1894 and 1894. Having survived a single combat on the edge of a waterfall, he crossed the Alps on foot and without money and reached Florence, from where he contacted his brother and received funds from him. After this, Holmes went to Tibet, where he traveled for two years, visited Lhasa and spent several days with the Dalai Lama - apparently Holmes published his notes about this journey under the name of the Norwegian Sigerson. Then he traveled all over Persia, looked into Mecca (obviously using acting skills, since, according to the laws of Islam, visits to Mecca and Medina by non-believers are excluded) and visited the caliph in Khartoum (about which he presented a report to the British Foreign Secretary). Returning to Europe, Holmes spent several months in the south of France, in Montpellier, where he was engaged in research on substances obtained from coal tar.
In 1894, Holmes unexpectedly showed up in London. After eliminating the remnants of the Moriarty criminal group, Holmes again settles on Baker Street. Dr. Watson, who was widowed by that time, also moved there.
In 1904, Holmes retired and left London for Sussex, where he was engaged in bee breeding.
The last described Holmes case dates back to 1914 (the story “His Farewell Bow”). Holmes here is about 60 years old (“He could have been about sixty years old”). Arthur Conan Doyle mentions the future fate of Sherlock Holmes several times. From the story “The Devil's Foot” it follows that Dr. Watson received a telegram from Holmes with a proposal to write about the “Cornish Horror” in 1917, therefore both friends survived the First World War safely, although they live separately. Further in the story “The Man on All Fours,” Watson again indirectly hints at the date of publication of this case to the general public and about the fate of Holmes:

Mr. Sherlock Holmes has always been of the opinion that I should publish the astonishing facts connected with the case of Professor Presbury, in order at least to put an end once and for all to the dark rumors that about twenty years ago shook up the university and is still being repeated in every possible way in London scientific circles. For one reason or another, however, I was long deprived of such an opportunity, and the true story of this curious incident remained buried at the bottom of the safe, along with many, many records of the adventures of my friend. And so we finally got permission make public the circumstances of this case, one of the very last that Holmes investigated before leaving practice... One Sunday evening early September 1903…

Watson says “we got it,” meaning, of course, himself and Holmes; If the actions of the hero of the story, Professor Presbury, worried scientific circles in 1903, and this was “twenty years ago,” then it is not difficult to conclude that both Holmes and Watson were alive and well in 1923.

Holmes's personality

When first meeting Sherlock Holmes (A Study in Scarlet), Dr. Watson describes the great detective as a tall, thin young man:

He was more than six feet tall, but with his extraordinary thinness he seemed even taller. His gaze was sharp, piercing, except for those periods of numbness mentioned above; his thin aquiline nose gave his face an expression of lively energy and determination. A square, slightly protruding chin also spoke of a decisive character.

Sherlock Holmes is apparently a biochemist by training. At the time of his acquaintance with Watson, he was working as a laboratory assistant in one of the London hospitals - this is stated at the beginning of A Study in Scarlet. “One fellow who works in the chemical laboratory at our hospital... In my opinion, he knows anatomy very well, and he is a first-class chemist, but it seems he has never studied medicine systematically.” Holmes's work as a medical assistant is not mentioned in any of the subsequent works. Just as the author no longer talks about any other work of his protagonist, besides private investigation.

Holmes is a multifaceted personality. Multi-talented, he devoted his life to his career as a private detective. Investigating cases supplied by his clients, he relies not so much on the letter of the law as on his life principles, the rules of honor, which in some cases replace paragraphs of bureaucratic norms for him. Repeatedly, Holmes allowed people who, in his opinion, were justifiably committing a crime, escape punishment. Holmes, in principle, is not mercantile; he is primarily concerned with work. For his work in solving crimes, Sherlock Holmes takes a fair remuneration, but if his next client is poor, he may take a symbolic payment or refuse it altogether.

The connection between the image of Sherlock Holmes and the pipe is only partly true. He valued pipe tobaccos, first of all, for their strength, despite their cheapness and roughness. The fact that he smoked strongly curved pipes is a later myth generated by illustrators. In a number of works (for example, “The End of Charles Augustus Milverton”, “Holmes’ Last Case”, “The Empty House”, “Pince-nez in a Gold Frame”) Holmes willingly smokes cigars and cigarettes.

In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson states that Holmes does not use drugs, but in The Sign of Four we see him using cocaine intravenously. Sherlock Holmes used drugs only in the complete absence of interesting crimes:

“My brain rebels against idleness. Give me a case! Give me the most complex problem, an unsolvable problem, the most confusing case - and I will forget about artificial stimulants.”

Moreover, by 1898 (this is exactly the estimated time of action of “The Terror Over London” - the manuscript from “The Testament of Sherlock Holmes”) Sherlock had already gotten rid of this bad habit, as the tireless Doctor Watson told us about in the story “The Lost Rugby Player”.

It’s difficult to say anything definite about Holmes’ relationship with alcohol, although he is clearly not a strict teetotaler.

Holmes is not vain in principle, and in most cases he is of little interest in gratitude for a solved crime:

How unfairly the winnings were distributed! […] Everything in this matter was done by you. But I got a wife. And all the glory will go to Jones. What remains for you?
- To me? - said Holmes. - And for me - an ampoule with cocaine.

Although in a number of cases Holmes expresses his annoyance at this state of affairs:

But, probably, we can’t waste a second,” I became alarmed. - Should I go call a cab?
- I’m not sure whether I’ll go or not. I’m the most lazy person in the world, that is, of course, when laziness attacks me, but in general I can be agile.
- You dreamed of such a case!
- My dear, what is the point to me? Suppose I unravel this case - after all, Gregson, Lestrade and company will pocket all the glory anyway. Such is the fate of an unofficial person.

However, he is quite jealous of comparing his talent as a detective with other European detectives.

Considering you the second largest European expert...
- That's it, sir! Let me ask you who has the honor of being first? - Holmes asked in a rather harsh tone.
- The works of Mr. Bertillon inspire great respect among people with a scientific mindset.

Holmes prefers to receive clients at his home. In a number of stories you can see that even very wealthy clients, royalty and the Prime Minister of England himself come to see him personally. Holmes is a theatergoer and loves to dine at Simpsons restaurant (the most prestigious place in London). He is well versed in opera and apparently knows Italian:

It is also likely that Holmes has a working knowledge of other European languages:

The big "G" with a small "t" is an abbreviation for "Gesellschaft", which means "company" in German. This is a common abbreviation, like our "K°". "P" of course stands for "Papier", paper.<...>And the person who wrote the note is German. Do you notice the strange construction of the phrase: “We received such feedback about you from all sides”? A French or Russian could not write like that. Only the Germans are so unceremonious with their verbs.

Holmes shrugged: “Perhaps I do bring some benefit.” "L"homme c"est rien -- I"oeuvre c"est tout", as Gustave Flaubert put it in a letter to George Sand.

Weapons and martial arts

Revolver. Both Holmes and Watson have personal revolvers; Watson always had a service revolver in his drawer, but this is mentioned only in 8 stories. Holmes is clearly a good shot, as evidenced, in particular, by the famous episode from the story “The Rite of the House of Musgrave,” where Holmes shot Queen Victoria’s monogram on the wall.
Cane. Holmes, being a respectable gentleman, almost always walks with a cane. Described by Watson as an expert in fencing, he uses it as a weapon twice. In the story "The Speckled Band" he uses a cane to ward off a poisonous snake.
Sword. In the story "A Study in Scarlet" Watson describes Holmes as a man who is excellent with a sword, despite the fact that he never used it in the stories. However, the sword is mentioned in the story “Gloria Scott”, where Holmes practices fencing.
Whip. In some stories, Holmes appears armed with a whip. In the story "The Six Napoleons" the whip is even named as Holmes' favorite weapon and it is mentioned that the whip was additionally weighted with lead poured into the handle. A little later in the same story, Holmes breaks the last bust of Napoleon with a whip. He also uses a whip to snatch a gun from John Clay's hands in "The Redheads' Union" - a move that requires masterly use of the whip. In addition, in the story “Identification” Holmes intended to give the swindler a beating with the help of a whip hanging on the living room wall.
Hand to hand combat. Watson describes Holmes as a good boxer. The Sign of Four indicates that Holmes was a boxer and competed:

No, McMurdo, you know! - Sherlock Holmes suddenly said good-naturedly. - I don't think you've forgotten me. Remember the amateur boxer you fought three rounds with in the Alison ring on the day of your benefit four years ago?
<…>
- Isn’t it Mr. Sherlock Holmes I see?! - exclaimed the boxer. - But he is the one! How come I didn’t recognize you right away? You wouldn’t stand here so quietly, but would strike me with your famous counter blow to the jaw - then I would immediately recognize you. Eh, what can I say! You are one of those who bury talents in the ground. Otherwise they would go far if they wanted to!

Holmes often uses hand-to-hand combat skills to fight opponents and always emerges victorious.

In the story “The Illustrious Client,” Holmes, alone and unarmed, confronts two criminals armed with clubs and escapes with minor injuries. In the story “Holmes's Last Case,” the detective also describes a case of self-defense from “some scoundrel with a club.”

In the story “The Treaty of the Sea,” an unarmed Holmes successfully confronts a criminal armed with a knife:

I had no idea that Mr. Joseph could be so evil. He came at me with a knife and I had to knock him down twice and cut myself on his knife before I got the upper hand. Although he looked at me with a “killer” look in his only eye, which he could still open after the fight was over, he still heeded my persuasion and gave me the document.

Examines evidence from both a scientific and substantive perspective. To determine the course of a crime, he often examines prints, tracks, tire tracks (“A Study in Scarlet”, “Silver”, “An Incident at the Boarding School”, “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, “The Mystery of the Boscombe Valley”), cigarette butts, ash remains (“ The Regular Patient", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "A Study in Scarlet"), comparison of letters ("Identification", "Reigate Squires"), gunpowder residues ("Reigate Squires"), bullet recognition ("The Empty House") and even fingerprints left many days ago ("Norwood Contractor"). Holmes also demonstrates knowledge of psychology (“A Scandal in Bohemia”), luring Irene Adler into a trap and rightly assuming that in the event of a fire, an unmarried, childless woman will rush to save what is most precious (in the story, a photograph), and married woman, the mother of the family, will rush to save her child first of all.

Due to troubles in life (or the desire to leave everything behind), Holmes retires to Sussex to take up beekeeping (“The Second Spot”), where he writes the book “A Practical Guide to Keeping Bees.” His love of music can also be considered as one of the ways of relaxation: for example, in the story “Union of Redheads” he takes an evening free from participation in business to listen to Pablo de Sarasate play the violin.

He also really loves vocal music (“The Scarlet Ring”).

Sherlock Holmes method

Sherlock Holmes. Illustration by artist Steele for the 1903 edition

Sherlock Holmes' deductive method

Based on all the facts and evidence, a complete picture of the crime is built.
Based on the obtained picture of the crime, the only accused person corresponding to it is sought.

When drawing up an idea of the crime scene, Holmes uses strict logic, which allows him to reconstruct a single picture from scattered and individually insignificant details as if he had seen the incident with his own eyes.

From one drop of water, a person who knows how to think logically can conclude about the possibility of the existence of the Atlantic Ocean or Niagara Falls, even if he has never seen or heard of either one. Every life is a huge chain of causes and effects, and we can understand its nature one by one.

An observer who has thoroughly studied one link in a series of events should be able to accurately identify all the other links - both previous and subsequent ones. But in order to bring the art of thinking to its highest point, it is necessary that the thinker be able to use all established facts, and for this he needs the most extensive knowledge...

The key points of the method are observation and expert knowledge in many practical and applied fields of science, often related to forensics. Here Holmes's specific approach to understanding the world is manifested - a purely professional and pragmatic one, which seems more than strange to people unfamiliar with Holmes' personality. Having the deepest knowledge in areas specific to forensic science, such as soil science or typography, Holmes does not know basic things. For example, Holmes does not know the fact that the Earth revolves around the Sun, because this information is completely useless in his work.

It seems to me that the human brain is like a small empty attic that you can furnish however you want. A fool will drag all the junk he can get his hands on there, and there will be nowhere to put useful, necessary things, or at best, you won’t be able to get to them among all this rubbish. And a smart person carefully selects what he places in his brain attic.

“Throw away all the impossible; what remains will be the answer, no matter how incredible it may seem.”

For example, while investigating the case of the missing treasures of Agra, Holmes is faced with a situation where the criminal, based on signs and evidence left behind, turns out to be a short man with a leg like a child’s. Having rejected all options, Holmes settles on the only one: this is a short savage from the Andaman Islands, no matter how paradoxical this option may seem.

In the name of the method the term deduction not strictly used by Conan Doyle. It can be understood as:

* A cigar was found at the crime scene. Holmes concludes that Moran, the suspect, could not have smoked it. From general rule(“a man with a bushy mustache cannot smoke a cigar to the end without setting it on fire”) a special case is derived (“Colonel Moran could not smoke a cigar to the end because he wore such a mustache”). Gusev D. A. Logic " Training course» * “The considered method of proof<дедуктивный вывод по Modus tollendo ponens >, according to the testimony of A. Conan Doyle, served as the main method of Sherlock Holmes. When asked what the essence of his deductive method was, Sherlock Holmes answered: “Establish all the possibilities related to the event under study, then eliminate sequentially all of them except one, then this last one will serve as the answer to the question you are interested in!”

However, at least part of the method is based on induction - conclusion from the particular to the general. Some researchers see abduction as the basis of Holmes' method.

Holmes's unusual ability to make astonishing guesses based on the smallest signs causes constant amazement for Watson and the readers of the stories. The detective uses and trains this ability not only during the investigation, but also in everyday life. As a rule, Holmes subsequently thoroughly explains his train of thought, which after the fact seems obvious and elementary.

Consequence

In most cases, Holmes is faced with carefully planned and complexly executed crimes. At the same time, the range of crimes is quite wide - Holmes investigates murders, thefts, extortion, and sometimes he comes across situations that at first glance (or ultimately) do not have the elements of a crime at all (the incident with the king of Bohemia, the case of Mary Sutherland, the story of a man with split lip, the case of Lord St. Simon, the mystery of the man with the yellow face).

Sherlock Holmes prefers to act alone, performing all investigative functions in one person. He is helped by John Hamish Watson and the staff of Scotland Yard, but this is not of a fundamental nature. Holmes finds evidence and, as an expert, evaluates the involvement of those involved in the crime. Questions witnesses. In addition, Holmes often directly acts as a detective agent, searching for evidence and persons involved, and also participates in the arrest. Holmes is no stranger to various tricks - he uses makeup, wigs, and changes his voice. In some cases, he has to resort to complete transformation, which requires the art of an actor.

In some cases, a group of London street boys work for Holmes. Holmes mainly uses them as spies to assist him in solving cases.

Generally, cultural influence the image is very large. Interestingly, according to a survey conducted by the British sociological association Ask Jeeves in 2011, on average, one in five Britons believes that Sherlock Holmes really existed.

Facts

The founder of this deductive-detective genre is, contrary to popular belief, not Conan Doyle, but Edgar Allan Poe with his story “Murder in the Rue Morgue.” At the same time, Holmes himself spoke very contemptuously about the deductive abilities of Auguste Dupin, the main character of “Murder in the Rue Morgue” (story “A Study in Scarlet”).
At the time of writing the Sherlock Holmes stories, houses with addresses 221b Baker Street didn't exist. In fact, it does not exist now - house numbers from 215 to 229 refer to the building Abbey National. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011.). However, a constant stream of letters arrived at this address. The company located at this address even had a position for an employee to process letters to Sherlock Holmes. Subsequently, the address "221b Baker Street" was officially assigned to the house in which the Sherlock Holmes Museum was located in the form of his apartment (despite the fact that this had to break the numbering order of the houses on the street, since it is actually house 239).
Conan Doyle considered his stories about Sherlock Holmes frivolous, so he decided to “kill him” - a common technique of writers. After the publication of the story “Holmes's Last Case,” a heap of angry letters rained down on the writer. There is an unconfirmed legend about a letter from Queen Victoria to Conan Doyle, in which the queen suggested that the death of Sherlock Holmes was just a cunning move by the detective. And the writer had to “revive” the character.

Sherlock Holmes hat

Holmes is dressed fashionably. Illustration from 1904

Holmes is dressed fashionably. Illustration from 1892

Sherlock Holmes wears a special deer hunter's hat. Nothing is written about her in the text; she was invented by the first illustrator of stories about Holmes, Sidney Paget. At that time, such a hat was worn only in rural areas. In town, Holmes wears a regular hat with a brim.

Holmes versions

Images, ideas, vision by other individuals

It is very difficult to list all the works with the participation of Holmes, written by other Russian and foreign authors - there are several hundred of them (see Sherlockian). Here are just a few of them:

Best works

When to Conan Doyle once asked to list best stories about Holmes, the author selected 12 works:

Film adaptations

In terms of the number of film adaptations, the story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson was included in the Guinness Book of Records. On at the moment There are about 210 films featuring the detective.

USA (1939-1946)

USSR-Russia

"Blue Carbuncle" (1979) (Algimantas Masiulis)
“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson” (Vasily Livanov)
- "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1981)
- "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Treasure of Agra" (1983)
- "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Twentieth Century Begins" (1986)
“My Dearly Beloved Detective” (1986) - the parody film features detectives Miss Shirley Holmes and Miss Watson.
“Sherlock Holmes” (2012) is a 2012 serial film that presents new original stories based on stories by Conan Doyle. According to the director, some episodes use motifs from previously unfilmed stories, and each dilogy represents a separate direction of the detective genre (gothic, politics, romance, etc.). Holmes is played by Igor Petrenko.

United Kingdom

“Without a single piece of evidence” - (sometimes - “Without a single clue”, “Without any evidence”, English. Without A Clue) - Crime comedy about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
“Murder by Order” - A joint British-Canadian thriller about the confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. Holmes was played by Christopher Plummer.
“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” (1985-1994) - TV series. IN leading role- Jeremy Brett.
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking is a 2004 television film starring Rupert Everett as Holmes.
“Sherlock” is a series about Holmes and Watson, moving the action to 2010-2012. Sherlock is played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

USA (2009-2012)

Sherlock Holmes (A Threat from the Past) is a film by Rachel Goldenberg with steampunk elements.
“Sherlock Holmes” and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” are films by Guy Ritchie in 2009 and 2012, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the great detective.
Elementary is a series about Holmes and Watson released in the fall of 2012, set in the present day in the USA. Sherlock is played by Jonny Lee Miller.

Computer games about Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock(1984) (Philip Mitchell) (PC text adventure)
Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow(1984) (Bantam Software) (PC, Commodore 64)
Sherlock Holmes: The Vatican Cameos(1986) (Ellicott Creek) (PC, Apple II)
Young Sherlock: The Legacy of Doyle(1987) (Pack-In-Video) (MSX)
Sherlock Holmes: A Matter of Evil(1988) (Creative Juices) (ZX81/Spectrum)
Sherlock Holmes: The Lamberley Mystery(1990) (Zenobi Software) (ZX81/Spectrum)
221B Baker Street(1987) (Datasoft) (PC and Mac)
Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels(1988) (Infocom)
Trilogy by Towa Chiki:
- Sherlock Holmes: Hakushaku Reijou Yuukai Jiken/Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Count's Abducted Daughter(NES) (1986) (Towa Chiki)
- Meitantei Holmes: Kiri no London Satsujin Jiken/Great Detective Holmes: A Case of Murder in London Fog(1988) (NES) (Towa Chiki)
- Meitantei Holmes: M-Kara no Chousenjou/Great Detective Holmes: A Challenge from M(1989) (NES) (Towa Chiki)
Sherlock Holmes: Loretta no Shouzou(1987) (Sega) (Sega Master System)
Trilogy from ICOM Simulations:
- Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. I
- Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. II(1992) (ICOM Simulations) (PC, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD)
- Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III(1993) (ICOM Simulations) (PC, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD)
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (1999) (Infinite Ventures) (DVD Player, interactive movie game)
Duology from Mythos Software:
- The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel(1992) (Mythos Software) (PC, 3DO -1994)
- The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo(1996) (Mythos Software) (PC)
Sherlock Holmes: The Return of Moriarty(2000) (Buka Entertainment) (PC)
Games from Frogwares:
- Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy(2002) (Frogwares) (PC, Nintendo DS)
- Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet(Frogwares) (PC)
- Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles(Frogwares) (PC)
- Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper(2009) (Frogwares) (PC) (X360)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osbourne House(2011) (Frogwares) (Nintendo DS)
- The Testament of Sherlock Holmes(2012) (Frogwares) (PC, X360, PS3)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City(2012) (Frogwares) (Nintendo 3DS)
Games based on Guy Ritchie films:
- Sherlock Holmes: The Official Movie Game(2009) (Gameloft) (cell phone game)
- Sherlock Holmes Mysteries(2009) (Warner Bros.) (iPhone/iPod/iPad-2010)
- Sherlock Holmes 2: Checkmate(2011) (Sticky Game Studios) (PC, Mac online game)
Sherlock Holmes Trivia(2009) (Phoenix Venture, LLC) (iPhone/iPod)
Sherlock Holmes: The Game is Afoot(2009) (Mobile Deluxe) (iPhone/iPod)
Detective Holmes - Hidden Objects(2010) (Warelex) (iPhone/iPod)
Holmes(2011) (lukassen) (iPhone/iPod)
Duology from Legacy Interactive:
- The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes(2008) (Legacy Interactive) (Mac, PC)
- The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 2(2010) (Legacy Interactive) (Mac, PC)
Duology from gameX/Greenstreet Games:
- Sherlock Holmes - The Case of the Vanishing Thief(2004) (gameX/Greenstreet Games) (PC)
- Sherlock Holmes: The Case Of The Time Machine(2006) (gameX/Greenstreet Games) (PC)

Notes

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Joseph Bell
Miscellaneous
Arthur Conan Doyle.“Father of Sherlock Holmes” // The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. - Moscow: OLMA-Press. - P. 9. - 512 p. - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5 224 03361 6
Alexander Shaburov: How Sherlock Holmes almost got to the Lubyanka, A. Shaburov, April 28, 2007, “Look” (Retrieved January 5, 2010)
The detective of all times celebrates his birthday, January 6, 2007,

In his works he never reported the date of birth of Sherlock Holmes. Presumably the year of his birth is 1854 (according to the story “His Farewell Bow”). A version also appeared in the press that Holmes was born in 1850. The version was allegedly based on the biography of the doctor Joseph Bell, whom Arthur Conan Doyle himself mentioned more than once as the prototype of Sherlock Holmes, and, according to the writer, Joseph Bell was nine years older than him, that is, the year of his birth was 1850 (himself Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859). However, in reality, Joseph Bell was born in 1837, which invalidates this version.

Fans of Conan Doyle's work have attempted to establish a more accurate date of birth for Sherlock Holmes. In particular, it was suggested that the date was January 6. The date was calculated by a certain Nathan L. Bengis based on a comparison of fragmentary information from the works of Conan Doyle and astrological research. Part of the hypothesis is based on the fact that in the story "The Valley of Terror" there is an indirect reference to Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night" with a relative time reference to Holmes' birthday. The date is quite common among fans of the great detective, although in general it is not objectively confirmed.

Little is known about the family and ancestors of Sherlock Holmes. In the story “The Incident of the Translator,” Holmes says: “My ancestors were provincial landowners and probably lived exactly the kind of life that was natural for their class.”.

Holmes also mentions there that his grandmother was the sister of the French battle painter Horace Vernet (1789-1863). A number of works feature Sherlock Holmes' brother, Mycroft Holmes, who is seven years older than him and works in the Foreign Office. Also in "The Norwood Contractor" there is a mention of a young doctor, Werner, a distant relative of Holmes, who bought Watson's doctoral practice in Kensington. There is no mention of Holmes' other relatives.

Sherlock Holmes. Illustration by artist Steele for the 1903 edition

Key dates in the life of Sherlock Holmes are as follows:

"Mr. Sherlock Holmes has always been of the opinion that I should publish the astonishing facts connected with the case of Professor Presbury, in order at least to put an end once and for all to the dark rumors that stirred up the university twenty years ago and were still repeated in every possible way." in London scientific circles, however, for one reason or another, I was long deprived of such an opportunity, and the true story of this curious incident remained buried at the bottom of the safe along with many, many notes about the adventures of my friend. And here we are at last. received permission to publicize the circumstances of this case, one of the very last that Holmes investigated before leaving practice... One Sunday evening, in early September 1903..."

It is well known that the idea to write a popular detective story about the detective Sherlock Holmes came to the mind of the writer Agatha Christie while she was working in a pharmacy in a military hospital. She crushed the ingredients to prepare the medicine in a mortar and came up with a plot - a mysterious murder by poisoning.

Who was the real Sherlock Holmes?

Agatha Christie came up with the appearance of the famous detective Hercule Poirot quite by accident: she copied him from a neighbor who lived not far from her house. It was a neat, clean tall man with a magnificent mustache, a connoisseur of good cuisine and a sweet tooth who prefers hot chocolate to alcohol.

Observational surgeon

But Sherlock Holmes had a real prototype. In the fall of 1911, the London magazine Hospital published an obituary, “The Death of a Great Educator,” in which it informed its readers that on October 4, at the age of 74, the chief surgeon of the Royal Edinburgh City Hospital, Professor Joseph Bell, who trained a galaxy of outstanding doctors, died. Among them was Arthur Conan Doyle.

The famous writer met him while a medical student at the University of Edinburgh. The professor was not only an excellent surgeon, but also a person with exceptionally developed powers of observation. “Most people look, but they don’t observe. If you take a closer look at a person, at first glance you can determine his nationality, his hands will tell about his profession, his gait and manners - about many other things... Even the threads stuck to his jacket can tell a lot.

The real Sherlock Holmes Joseph Bell (Joseph Bell)

An attentive doctor can almost accurately tell in just a minute what a talkative patient is complaining about...” Indeed, while owning it, Bell noticed the smallest details. For example, no sooner had the patient crossed the threshold of his office than the owner asked him to calm down. When the patient asked how the doctor knew that he was really very excited, the answer was: “Carefree people usually knock on the door two, rarely three times. And you knocked four...” Or, starting a conversation, Bell confidently said that his visitor came to him on foot from the suburbs and entered Edinburgh from the south side through the golf course. The professor quickly dispelled the bewilderment: “You know, in the whole city there is only red soil. When it rains, it naturally sticks to your shoes. It had just rained at night, and the ground had not yet dried out. You can tell by the marks your shoes leave on the floor that you were there.”

The infectious deduction of Sherlock Holmes

Or, for example, to the delight of students, before starting a medical examination, Bell once categorically told a patient that he had recently retired with the rank of sergeant in a mountain rifle regiment after serving in Barbados, and was now earning his living as a shoemaker, but things were going well not too good. Moreover, his sick wife had to be admitted to the hospital. That's how it was. “This man showed courtesy and politeness when entering the office, but did not remove his hat. This is a military habit. If he had retired a long time ago, he would have learned civilian manners,” Bell explained. - The patient behaves with authority, and this indicates that he was a commander.

As for Barbados, where only the mountain regiment is based, the patient is suffering from elephantism, a disease that is quite widespread among the inhabitants of the West Indies. The type of current occupation is indicated by a wide calloused thumb, often in contact with the draught. The financial situation is really unimportant, since I had to pawn my watch - an empty watch chain hangs from my vest pocket. And from another pocket peeks out a hospital voucher for hospitalization, which means that the wife (the engagement ring on the patient’s finger) began to undergo treatment in the hospital, and as a result, the poor fellow has to make his bed himself, as evidenced by the lint on his clothes.”

After graduating from university in 1881, Arthur Conan Doyle chose the profession of a ship's doctor, and later tried to open a medical practice. But, alas, fortune turns its back on him. The doctor decided to improve his financial condition and began writing detective stories, the main character of which was a detective who could not only observe, but also draw conclusions - just as Professor Bell did.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

All that remained was to choose a name for the future hero. Everything was decided ingeniously simply: taking the name of the then famous cricket player Sherlock, the writer combined it with the name of the American doctor Oliver Wendell Holmes. And the detective’s faithful companion was named Dr. Watson, after the name of a dentist who actually lived on Baker Street.

Fate turned out to be favorable to the aspiring writer - a series of stories published by an American publisher brought success to Conan Doyle. Thus, before his death in 1930, the unlucky doctor gave fans of the adventure genre 56 short stories and 4 tales about the great detective.