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====The evolution of Sherlock Holmes====
[[File: Sherlock two.png|200px|thumbnail|left|Arthur Conan Doyle]]
The best-known fictional detective was created by the British writer Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). He was a remarkable man, the son of an alcoholic Irish artist he became a medical doctor, writer, freemason, and spiritualist. Conan Doyle created the character of Holmes when he was 27 and he initially found it very difficult to find a publisher. The first Sherlock Holmes story was ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887) and it proved a minor success. Later stories soon followed and they became a sensation and made their author a celebrity. Soon the British public had an insatiable demand for the stories of Conan-Doyle.<ref>Edwards, Owen Dudley, The Quest for Sherlock Holmes: A Biographical Study of Arthur Conan Doyle (Edinburgh: Mainstream, 1983), p 114</ref> He Doyle wrote over a dozen stories and two novels, but soon he became bored with the adventures of Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson. Despite pleas from his publishers he apparently killed off Sherlock Holmes in 1893. This led to a public outcry and it is reported that many fans of the investigator cried when they heard that their hero had died.<ref>Edwards, p 119</ref>
For ten years Conan-Doyle concentrated on historical fiction, which was well received. In 1901 he returned to writing stories about Holmes, after pressure from his writing public and lucrative offers from publishers. In total, some four novels and 57 short stories were written by Doyle on the adventures of the detective over his career. He wrote the last story about his most famous creation was in 1927. Since the death of Conan Doyle, many authors have continued to write stories based on the British doctor’s creation. There have been many movies about the great detective and perhaps the most popular was Basil Rathbone, who portrayed the detective on the silver screen in Hollywood’s Golden era (the 1930s and 1940s). Robert Downey Jr. portrayal of Holmes was very well received in 2009 and in a sequel in 2011.
Many of the movies are not based on the Conan Doyle stories but only use the unforgettable character in new plots. A good example of this was ''Mr. Holmes'' (2015), which is a re-imagining of the detective's later years in retirement. In recent decades there have been numerous television series based on the character including ''Sherlock'', which has the master-investigator living in modern London and stars Benedict Cumberbatch (2010-2017). Many believe that Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of the detective in the ''Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1984-1994) was one of the greatest ever.
====The fictional biography of the master detective====
