by Moore
First published 1999
Arthur Conan Doyle sits at his desk, wrestling with the character who has made him famous yet threatens to overshadow everything else he writes. Sherlock Holmes brings wealth and recognition, but Doyle dreams of serious historical novels and spiritualist works that critics dismiss. He faces the peculiar burden of a creator trapped by his creation's popularity. Publishers demand more Holmes stories while Doyle yearns to explore other literary territories. His medical background, his friendship with other writers, and his growing obsession with the supernatural pull him in different directions. The tension between commercial success and artistic ambition shapes every decision he makes. Moore captures a writer caught between public expectation and private desire, showing how literary fame can become both blessing and prison. This is the story of a man trying to define himself beyond the detective who lives at 221B Baker Street.
Genres: biography, fiction, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: creator-trapped-by-creation, public-expectation-vs-private-desire
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
Paperback · London : Lilburne Press