Guest Author - Nicola Jane Soen

What can one say about English Literature? One of the things England is famous for is its detective novels; and who could be more famous than Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie? Doyle is of course famous for the greatest English mind that ever lived; Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Christie brought many stories to life from Miss. Marple the elderly sleuth to Belgian detective genius Piorot.

Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle was born 22 May, 1859. His writing was not always related to Sherlock Holmes, he also wrote science fiction, poetry and historical novels among other things. Doyle actually practised medicine, before he became famous for his writing. This does show itself in the botanical knowledge and medical profession of both Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. Watson.

Doyle was also known for being a spiritualist. In this time in history psychic phenomena was proving very interesting to the aristocracy it was all the range to attend séances. Sadly Arthur Conan Doyle died aged 71 in 1930.
Thankfully his legacy lives on through Holmes, who at the request of public protest was resurrected in the novel ‘The Empty House,’ after actually being killed off together with his Arch nemesis Dr. Moriarty.

Agatha Christie wrote in a different style to Doyle, indeed a different era. 1930s Britain had changed and gone were the times of Mr. Holmes. Poirot and Miss. Marple were the vogue now along with the Architecture of Clarence Clifford and the Charleston. Born in September 1890 Agatha wrote more novels than many authors ever hope too, and her novels sold, by the billion.

Films of her detectives are watches by thousands, from the elderly insightful Miss Jane Marple, who solved crime in the sleepy village of St. Mary Mead and other towns of quaint England to Hurcule Piorot the Belgian detective who was NOT French- As he so often had to point out!

Piorot with his exacting routine and neatly manicure moustaches and impeccable dress and manner was the same yet different, with his ‘little grey cells’ as Agatha called them; he made the most callous of crimes simple to solve and the lowest of criminals were exposed by his intelligence and observatory behaviour.

So many people have delighted over the writings of both Doyle and Christie, with many young dreamers wanting to be detectives when they grew up. Though Doyle and Christie are both gone their stories still spellbind millions. What was that? Do I hear a scream from the dining room? I better get out my magnifying glass!

Thanks to Wikipedia for their excellent features on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie; which I read for this article. To read more on these detectives look up

www.agathachristie.com
www.sherlockhomlesonline.org
www.englishriviera.co.uk/site/attractions/heritage-and-culture/agatha-christie