In 1893, a successful author decided to do the unthinkable. He decided to destroy the very thing he had created.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a man of deep convictions and serious literary ambition. He felt his detective stories were a mere distraction from his higher calling.
He wanted to be remembered for his historical works and his intellectual contributions to society. But the world only wanted more of the man from Baker Street.
To Doyle, the famous detective was a burden that weighed down his career. He famously told his mother that he planned to “slay“ his creation.
His mother pleaded with him to stop. She saw the joy the character brought to the world.
But the author was determined. He took his character to the Reichenbach Falls and sent him tumbling into the abyss.
He thought he was free. He thought he could finally move on to better things.
But the public had a different plan. The reaction was unlike anything the literary world had ever seen.
More than 20,000 people cancelled their subscriptions to the magazine that carried the stories. The publication nearly collapsed under the weight of the outrage.
They saw the loss. They saw the void. They saw the injustice.
Young men reportedly wore black mourning bands around their arms in the streets of London. It was as if a real member of the community had passed away.
Letters poured in by the thousands, demanding the detective’s return. Some even addressed the author as a murderer.
For eight long years, the author stood his ground. He tried to focus on other work, but the shadow of the detective followed him everywhere.
Eventually, the pressure became too great to bear. He realized that once a story enters the hearts of the people, it no longer belongs solely to the author.
He brought the detective back in 1901. He crafted a way for him to have survived the fall, much to the relief of the entire world.
Today, that detective is the most portrayed human literary character in film and television history.
Sources: History Channel / Biography Channel