American Literature

From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
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American Literature is an editorial of the Review of Books published in The New-York Times on 14 march 1915.

At the end of the editorial the author mentioned Arthur Conan Doyle's complaint over his treatment by American press.


American Literature

The New-York Times (14 march 1915, section 6, p. 94)

Below is reproduced the part about Conan Doyle:

In his latest chapter of reminiscences of his recent travels in this country, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle complains, with somewhat bitter humor, of his trials and sufferings at the hands of interviewers. Sir Arthur admits that the newspapers have a perfect right to take mental toll of the stranger within their gate — but he objects to more than one toll gate. On his first visit to America, he tells us, Major Pond arranged his passage through the "literary customs" for him in the way that he still thinks the best. Thus, at an appointed hour, Sir Arthur was "turned loose in a room full of journalists, like a rat among terriers." After the ordeal was over, he tells us, "that finished my troubles, whereas on this recent visit I have never been able to get to the end." Hence, Sir Arthur suggests that, "to reconcile the admitted rights of the Press on one side, and the reasonable convenience of travelers upon the other," the incoming visitor "be permitted to name a time and place where he will meet the Press." After that the properly and thoroughly interviewed stranger should be given, metaphorically, a literary bill of health that would insure him against further journalistic attacks. The plan seems simple and efficacious enough. When one thinks it over, however, it seems amazing that the creator of Sherlock Holmes should have found any difficulty in eluding the vigilance of the newspaper men.