He created the master detective Sherlock Holmes and blessed him with powers of logic and deduction that none of his fictional contemporaries could match. And in many ways Sir Arthur Conan Doyle resembled his greatest character. He was a tall gentlemanly figure and pillar of Victorian society. His medical background allowed him to diagnose patients in the same meticulous manner with which Holmes solved murder cases, and he had a highly intelligent and creative mind.Yet Conan Doyle, who was born into a wealthy Edinburgh family in the mid-19th century, had another side to his personality which few devotees of his work realise. The author who perfected the art of reasoning and common sense in his detective novels was entranced by spiritualism and the occult.It is strange to think that the creator of Sherlock Holmes believed in fairies - but it is true.Witches were still being persecuted and killed when, in 1916, Conan Doyle publicly proclaimed his belief in spiritualism and the existence of a life hereafter. It was a risky "coming out" statement and clashed with the prevailing sceptical view of such matters.Conan Doyle lost many friends and his credibility was shattered but there was a compulsive streak to his personality. From then until his death in 1930 he embraced spiritualism with an almost fanatic passion.
View: Full Article | Source: The Scotsman