The Narrative of John Smith - Rilegato

Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0712358412 ISBN 13: 9780712358415

Casa editrice: British Library Board, 2011

Riassunto

Before there was the astute detective Sherlock Holmes and his capable compatriot Watson, there was the opinionated Everyman John Smith. In 1883, when he was just twenty-three, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote The Narrative of John Smith while he was living in Portsmouth and struggling to establish himself as both a doctor and a writer. He had already succeeded in having a number of short stories published in leading magazines of the day, such as Blackwood’s, All the Year Round, London Society, and the Boy’s Own Paper—but as was the accepted practice of literary journals of the time, his stories had been published anonymously. Thus, Conan Doyle knew that in order to truly establish his name as a writer, he would have to write a novel. That novel—the first he ever wrote and only now published for the first time—is The Narrative of John Smith. Many of the themes and stylistic tropes of his later writing, including his first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet—published in 1887—can be clearly seen. More a series of ruminations than a traditional novel, The Narrative of John Smith is of considerable biographical importance and provides an exceptional window into the mind of the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Through John Smith, a fifty-year-old man confined to his room by an attack of gout, Conan Doyle sets down his thoughts and opinions on a range of subjects—including literature, science, religion, war, and education—with no detectable insecurity or diffidence. His writing is full of bravado. Though unfinished, The Narrative of John Smith stands as a fascinating record of the early work of a man on his way to being one of the best-known authors in the world. This book will be welcomed with enthusiasm by the numerous Conan Doyle devotees.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

Someone, I think it was the noted Janeite Lord David Cecil, once said that Jane Austen was the kind of writer on whose laundry lists and notes to the milkman any keen reader would pounce. While Conan Doyle may not be considered to be in quite that category there can be no doubt that the heart of every lover of British writing will rejoice at this discovery of an early and as yet unpublished work by the creator of Holmes, Watson, Moriarty and Professor Challenger. The breadth, depth and scope of Conan Doyle's knowledge and curiosity is often overlooked. He was the first popular writer to tell the wider reading public about narcotics, the Ku Klux Klan, the mafia, the Mormons, American crime gangs, corrupt union bosses and much else besides. His boundless energy, enthusiasm and wide-ranging mind, not to mention the pitch-perfect, muscular and memorable prose is all on display here in a work whose publication is very very welcome indeed. --Stephen Fry, May 2011

... Though less a narrative than a pile of meditations, this early piece crackles with the burning curiosity that Doyle brought to all his activities...... Two features of Doyle come across in this book: his modernity and his traditionalism...... The Narrative of John Smith merits publication not as an unfairly neglected novel but as an oddity that sheds fascinating light on the mind of its creator. Equipped with an informative introduction and notes, it raises one question not persuasively answered by the otherwise excellent editors. Why was the book not published when written? --David Grylls, Sunday Times, 18 September 2011

... Though less a narrative than a pile of meditations, this early piece crackles with the burning curiosity that Doyle brought to all his activities. Two features of Doyle come across in this book: his modernity and his traditionalism. The Narrative of John Smith merits publication not as an unfairly neglected novel but as an oddity that sheds fascinating light on the mind of its creator. Equipped with an informative introduction and notes, it raises one question not persuasively answered by the otherwise excellent editors. Why was the book not published when written? --David Grylls, Sunday Times, 18 September 2011

L'autore:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 –1930) was a British physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays, romances, poetry, and nonfiction.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: British Library Board
• Data di pubblicazione: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0712358412
• ISBN 13: 9780712358415
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 138
• Redattore: Lellenberg Jon, Stashower Daniel, Foss Rachel