Sherlock Holmes, el detective más famoso de la historia

Source:National Geografic

A finales del siglo XIX, el escritor británico Arthur Conan Doyle forjó un detective singular, cuyas novedosas técnicas de investigación serían emuladas por los investigadores reales.

Texto: José Luis Ibáñez

Actualizado al 29 de marzo de 2024

Sherlock Holmes y el Dr. Watson en tren hacia Devon para investigar un asesinato y la desaparición de un famoso caballo de carreras. Relato de Arthur Conan Doyle publicado en The Strand Magazine.

acido en Edimburgo, en 1859, con ascendencia irlandesa, Arthur Conan Doyle era hijo de un dibujante, mientras que la genealogía de su madre se remontaba a los primeros Plantagenet, reyes medievales de Inglaterra y señores de Irlanda. Tras estudiar medicina, empezó a ejercer en Southsea, una zona residencial de Portsmouth, en el sur de Inglaterra. Con una clientela escasa, el joven médico mataba el tiempo escribiendo ficción En 1887, cuando tenía 28 años, publicó su primer relato en el anuario navideño Beeton’s Christmas. La historia se titulaba Estudio en escarlata y no tuvo una especial repercusión. Pero en ella aparecía un personaje destinado a convertirse en un mito universal: el detective Sherlock Holmes. O más bien una pareja de personajes, porque junto a Holmes aparece siempre el doctor Watson, su amigo, consejero y narrador de las historias.

En 1887, cuando tenía 28 años, publicó su primer relato en el anuario navideño Beeton’s Christmas. La historia se titulaba Estudio en escarlata y no tuvo una especial repercusión. Pero en ella aparecía un personaje destinado a convertirse en un mito universal: el detective Sherlock Holmes. O más bien una pareja de personajes, porque junto a Holmes aparece siempre el doctor Watson, su amigo, consejero y narrador de las historias.

Pese a que no obtuvo un éxito inmediato, Estudio en escarlata llamó la atención del editor norteamericano Joseph M. Stoddart, que publicaba en Filadelfia la revista Lippincott’s. Stoddart viajó a Londres en 1888.

En esta novela, la figura del detective se acerca más a la que se popularizó a través de los posteriores relatos cortos. Arranca cuando una mujer le pide ayuda para que la acompañe en una enigmática cita; al mismo tiempo, la joven recibe unas valiosas perlas de parte de un anónimo benefactor

El 30 de agosto cenó en el hotel Langham con dos autores a los que quería encargar sendas novelas: Oscar Wilde y Conan Doyle. El resultado del encuentro fue El retrato de Dorian Gray, la única novela de Wilde, y El signo de los cuatro, la segunda aventura de Sherlock Holmes.

En esta novela, la figura del detective se acerca más a la que se popularizó a través de los posteriores relatos cortos. Arranca cuando una mujer le pide ayuda para que la acompañe en una enigmática cita; lal mismo tiempo, la joven recibe unas valiosas perlas de parte de un anónimo benefactor.

En el primer capítulo, titulado «La ciencia del razonamiento deductivo», Holmes nos deslumbra con varios ejercicios de observación y deducción que ilustran la facultad que distingue al personaje por encima de ninguna otra.

«La observación me indica que ha estado usted en la oficina de correos de Wigmore Street, y gracias a la deducción sé que allí puso un telegrama», le dice Holmes a Watson. «¡Exacto! ¿cómo ha llegado a saberlo?», se sorprende el doctor. Holmes no puede evitar reírse de la sorpresa de su amigo. «Es la sencillez misma –asegura, antes de marcar los límites entre observación y deducción–.

La observación me dice que lleva usted un pegotito de barro rojizo en el borde de la suela. Delante de la oficina de correos de Wigmore Street han levantado el pavimento y esparcido algo de tierra, de tal modo que resulta difícil no pisarla al entrar».

 

Cuando Watson le pregunta cómo dedujo lo del telegrama, el detective le revela que estuvo atento a lo que había hecho aquella mañana, lo que le permitió saber que no había escrito una carta ni había tocado los sellos ni las postales del escritorio. «Así pues, ¿a qué iba a entrar en la oficina de correos si no era para poner un telegrama?», concluye Holmes, antes de pronunciar una de sus citas más célebres: «Una vez eliminadas todas las demás posibilidades, la única que queda tiene que ser la verdadera»

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, el padre de Sherlock Holmes El 7 de julio de 1930, un ataque cardíaco se llevó a la tumba al genial escritor escocés, considerado como uno de los maestros de la narrativa policíaca.

Con afecto,

Ruben

10 Fascinating Facts about Arthur Conan Doyle

10 Fascinating Facts about Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is best known as the creator of the world’s most famous fictional detective, Sherlock

Holmes.

 However, his life and work extend far beyond 221b Baker Street. From his medical training to his interest in spiritualism, Doyle was a man of many contradictions and talents. Here are ten fascinating facts about this literary legend.

1. He Was a Qualified Doctor

Long before Holmes ever picked up a magnifying glass, Arthur Conan Doyle was studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He qualified as a doctor in 1885 and opened a small general practice near Portsmouth. Patients were few and far between, which allowed Doyle to write in the quiet hours—time that would ultimately launch one of literature’s most iconic careers.

2. A Real Person inspired. Sherlock Holmes

 

Holmes’s legendary powers of deduction were inspired by Doyle’s medical school professor, Dr. Joseph Bell. Bell stunned students by diagnosing illnesses and deducing personal details simply by observing his patients. In one demonstration, he famously determined a man’s occupation and ailment simply by examining his cuffs, hands and boots. Doyle credited Bell with being the model for Holmes, writing that the character “owes his genesis” to him.

3.  His Detective Was Nearly Called Something Else

Sherlock Holmes was not the detective’s original name. When Doyle was first developing the character, he named him J. Sheringford Holmes. Over time, the name evolved into the more memorable “Sherlock.” Much of the character’s defining features—his violin playing, chemical expertise, and sidekick Dr. Watson—were there from the start.

4. 221b Baker Street never existed

Sherlock’s residence never actually existed. Doyle was not familiar with London, having visited it only a few times. When it came to choosing where his detective would live, he spread a map of London on a table, closed his eyes and poked a finger down at random, landing on Upper Baker Street. Despite its fictional roots, 221b Baker Street has since become one of the most iconic addresses in all of literature.

5. He Grew Tired of Sherlock Holmes

Despite Sherlock's popularity, Doyle grew resentful of his fame. He believed that they were cheap detective stories, and wanted to write something grander. So, in 1893, just four years after his creation, Doyle sent Holmes plummeting to his death at the Reichenbach Falls in a story called The Final Problem. The public reaction was instant and furious. Readers wrote angry letters to newspapers and Doyle himself. Some mourned as if a real person had died, wearing black armbands in the street.

 

 

6. He Wrote More Than Just Detective Fiction

Though Sherlock Holmes dominates his legacy, Doyle was a prolific and versatile writer. He explored science fiction (The Lost World), historical adventure (Sir Nigel, Micah Clarke), horror, poetry, plays, and even political pamphlets. He viewed the Holmes stories as commercial work, and hoped his more serious fiction would define his literary reputation.

7. He Was Knighted—But Not for Writing

In 1899, the Second Boer War broke out in South Africa, and Doyle volunteered as a civilian doctor with the British army. Here, he witnessed the horrors of war first-hand, treating wounded soldiers in atrocious conditions on the battlefield. His short stint on the front resulted in a new book. Titled The Great Boer War, it provided a detailed patriotic defence of Britain’s actions and would later help earn him a Knighthood from King Edward VII in 1902.

 

8. Holmes Made a Triumphant Comeback

A Sherloc Holmes illustration in the Strand by Sidney Paget 

Despite his creator’s resistance, Holmes returned. In 1901, Sherlock made his long-awaited return to the pages of The Strand Magazine in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This tale of moorland menace was a clever workaround–the story was set well before Holmes’s visit to the Reichenbach Falls. Then, in 1903’s The Adventure of the Empty House, Holmes was officially resurrected when it was revealed that he never actually fell to his death at all. He faked the whole thing, slipping away to dismantle Moriarty’s criminal web in secret. Readers rejoiced—and The Strand saw its circulation soar once again.

9. He Was a Devoted Spiritualist

After suffering personal losses—including the death of his son Kingsley in World War I—Doyle became a vocal proponent of spiritualism, the belief in communication with the dead. He even participated in séances, including one famously intended to help Harry Houdini contact his deceased mother.

Doyle's interest was piqued after the First World War. Ultimately, he wanted to help society try to find meaning in all this death and destruction.

 

​​Tim Hubbard, creative director and global licensing representative for the Conan Doyle estate

 

10. He Investigated Real-Life Mysteries

Doyle’s detective instincts weren’t confined to fiction. Most notably, he investigated a real-life criminal case: the wrongful conviction of George Edalji. The son of an Indian-born vicar in Staffordshire, Edalji was convicted of mutilating livestock. Doyle reviewed the evidence and quickly spotted inconsistencies. After consulting with experts, it was determined that a wild dog likely caused the animal injuries. Thanks to Doyle’s legwork, George Edalji was granted a royal pardon, though he received no compensation, and his conviction was never fully overturned.

With affection,

Ruben