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http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=200362007
From the lead... _Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin has accused government minister Tessa Jowell of "literary snobbery" over her refusal to recognise the Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle as one of Britain's literary giants._
People are trying to save the home where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote "The Hound of the Baskervilles." They asked the culture minister, Tessa Jowell, to give the mansion "Grade I" status -- which would ensure that it is preserved. However, she refused, saying that Doyle "does not occupy a significant enough position in the nation's consciousness".
What?! He doesn't?! That's just insane. Is this the same Conan Doyle whose works are still being adapted years after his death (even on BBC of all things)? The same one whose books are still in print, still discussed by fans, even available in annotated editions? People are still reading his books, when many of the so-called critically acclaimed writers of his time are forgotten by all but people studying for English Lit degrees. There are even societies set up dedicated to Sherlock Holmes.
According to the article, in London, Sherlock Holmes' fictional dwelling gets more visitors than the houses of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. So you'd think they'd want to preserve Conan Doyle real house. Sheesh.
Some people think she's being a literary snob because Conan Doyle's books are too popular to apply for "literary" status. Others wonder if she is doing this because he is Scottish. (I'd forgotten he was Scottish, so I've learned something new today.)
"Culture minister" my foot.
From the lead... _Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin has accused government minister Tessa Jowell of "literary snobbery" over her refusal to recognise the Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle as one of Britain's literary giants._
People are trying to save the home where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote "The Hound of the Baskervilles." They asked the culture minister, Tessa Jowell, to give the mansion "Grade I" status -- which would ensure that it is preserved. However, she refused, saying that Doyle "does not occupy a significant enough position in the nation's consciousness".
What?! He doesn't?! That's just insane. Is this the same Conan Doyle whose works are still being adapted years after his death (even on BBC of all things)? The same one whose books are still in print, still discussed by fans, even available in annotated editions? People are still reading his books, when many of the so-called critically acclaimed writers of his time are forgotten by all but people studying for English Lit degrees. There are even societies set up dedicated to Sherlock Holmes.
According to the article, in London, Sherlock Holmes' fictional dwelling gets more visitors than the houses of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. So you'd think they'd want to preserve Conan Doyle real house. Sheesh.
Some people think she's being a literary snob because Conan Doyle's books are too popular to apply for "literary" status. Others wonder if she is doing this because he is Scottish. (I'd forgotten he was Scottish, so I've learned something new today.)
"Culture minister" my foot.
