Hose nodded. “Yes, something of a poet, aren’t we, Chandler? Great things are expected of you in that field of endeavor, young man. Well then, read on, if you will.”
The boy cleared his throat, scratched the remains of a spot on his cheek, and proceeded to read his essay to the assembled class. He took his seat again, and following a discussion, it was time for another boy to read. Hose called upon Weston. Rotten Weston.
“I’ve chosen Philip Marlowe, sir.” He looked across at Chandler and grinned. “Oh—oh dear, oops, I mean Christopher Marlowe.”
The class laughed.
“That’s enough! Indeed, more than enough of your particular strain of humor, Weston. A joke’s only a true joke the first time. Now, what sort of Faustian pact have you made with the gods of true literature?”
Chandler, the boy who had, in his own estimation, made rather a hash of detection, even though he had been tutored at home by the esteemed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, cast his eyes down to his notebook and doodled a name in the margin.
Jacqueline Winspear—author of the award-winning
Raymond Chandler, acclaimed mystery novelist and screenwriter, creator of the iconic detective Philip Marlowe, was born in Illinois in 1888 but moved to London in 1900 with his mother. He attended a local school in Upper Norwood and after attending public school at Dulwich College, London, he became a naturalized British citizen and entered the civil service. In 1912, he moved to Los Angeles, where (with brief periods of absence) he resided for the rest of his life.
A STUDY IN SHERLOCK: AFTERWORD
The following is a transcript of a conversation conducted via Twitter between Leslie S. Klinger (whose Twitter address is @lklinger) and Mary Russell (@mary_russell) in the fall of 2011. Klinger is the editor of
(Les Klinger) @mary_russell Am editing w/LRKing “stories inspired by SH” & wd love an interview w/him or you. OK 4 LRK 2 giv me yr contact info?
(Mary Russell) @lklinger No, my literary agent Ms King does not have permission to give you my private contact information.
(LK) @mary_russell But wouldn’t u prefer to talk in private?
(MR) @lklinger “Private” conversations undergo changes in the mind of the interviewer. I prefer that such exchanges be on public record.
(LK) @mary_russell U want me 2 interview u on Twitter?
(MR) @lklinger I do not wish you to interview me at all, but clearly that is not an option.
(LK) @mary_russell We could call it a Twinterview.
(MR) @lklinger Mr Klinger, if you wish my participation, I must ask that you refrain from whimsy. And excessive abbreviations.
(LK) @mary_russell Sorry, Ms Russell. Okay, no whimsy, & I’ll keep the questions suitable for all eyes.
(MR) @lklinger I should hope so. And I prefer “Miss.” Now, may we proceed with this conversation? I have an experiment awaiting me.
(LK) @mary_russell First, how does Mr Holmes feel about having inspired the creativity of more than a century of crime writers?
(MR) @lklinger My husband does not care to discuss his feelings.
(LK) @mary_russell OK, how do YOU feel re his having inspired 100 yrs of crime writers? People other than (sorry must make this 2 Tweets)
(LK) @mary_russell—than Dr Watson were telling Holmes stories even as the originals were coming out. Why do u think they felt that urge?
(MR) @lklinger They admired Holmes. They wished to speculate about him. So they made up stories.
(LK) @mary_russell That’s it? Just a desire for more?
(MR) @lklinger Nicholas Meyer (your friend?) claimed that Dr Watson was such a great writer, others saw the stories as a challenge.
(LK) @mary_russell But NM was explaining why he wrote his books & doesn’t speak for others. I’m not even sure I believe his excuse.
(MR) @lklinger I said claimed. I met Meyer when he was young. I think he wrote them through frustration with a mere 60 published tales.
(LK) @mary_russell Does it bother u that writers make up fictions about your husband? Some of their stories are pretty outrageous.
(MR) @lklinger I was young when I realised that since Holmes was seen as fictional, by contagion I would be so viewed as well.
(MR) @lklinger Thus I have lived a long life with one foot in the real world and the other in the world of being perceived as a fiction.
(MR) @lklinger My own literary agent, Laurie King, claims that it is necessary to categorise my memoirs—mine!—as novels.
(MR) @lklinger And since I expect that you will now ask how that makes me “feel,” I will admit that the sensation of being fictional is—
(MR) @lklinger—is indeed peculiar. What our—Holmes’s and my—friend Neil Gaiman calls the sensation of being “the idea of a person.”
(LK) @mary_russell Neil is one of those contributing to this current volume—which we’re calling A Study in Sherlock.
(MR) @lklinger I grasp the reference to the initial Conan Doyle story, but this assumption of first-name familiarity jars, a bit.
(LK) @mary_russell Publishers, you know? This is the modern world. & you are after all American.
(MR) @lklinger Half American, and I retain very little of the accent, or attitudes.
(LK) @mary_russell Back 2 the questions. How did Dr Watson react? Some stories came out while his were still appearing in The Strand.
(MR) @lklinger Uncle John had many shouting matches down the telephone with Sir Arthur, demanding solicitors be hired. To no avail.
(LK) @mary_russell Well, we know what Shakespeare thought should be done with lawyers.
(MR) @lklinger That may be a bit drastic. Some of my best friends have lawyer relatives.
