The Man Who Never Lived and So Will Never Die

He has often been famously called that (first coined by Orson Welles), which is very accurate since he is, arguably, the most famous fictional character in literature, who has been immortalised in countless small and big screen adaptations, as well as on the stage, and not to mention countless other books dedicated to him in almost every language known to man, and with an occult following spanning DECADES across 2 centuries.

Who is he?

He is the 19th century character Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective who is as much an enigma as he is a genius of a sleuth, and who is just as relevant today in the 21st century as he was then almost 130 years ago, and perhaps even more so. Since his first appearance in 1887, in A Study in Scarlet, millions of people has been OBSESSED with him and he has an occult following either in the form of The Sherlockians or The Doyleans (from his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) or such other lesser known followings, and according to UK's Daily Mail, he is indeed the most portrayed literary character of all time (second is Shakespeare's Hamlet)- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2146091/Sherlock-Holmes-portrayed-literary-character-TV-film.html, with the most contemporary portrayals being the one by Robert Downey Jr in the Guy Ritchie's film franchise and by the English actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the award-winning BBC series (my personal favourite, both in terms of the portrayal as well as the totally outstanding series).

Although the younger generation (as if I'm that old! haha) might argue that Harry Potter is the most famous fictional character in literature, however, Harry is too recent to be compared to the voluminous following that Sherlock Holmes has received for decades since the 19th century, and it remains to be seen whether Harry can stand the test of time, as Sherlock definitely has proven!

I personally has always been, and yes, will always be, equally OBSESSED with Sherlock Holmes and owns God-knows how many Holmes-related materials. In fact, the first time I arrived at the shores of England (poetic, much?!) the first place I went to visit was 221B Baker Street! (They have a fantastic museum dedicated to Holmes there).

This entry is actually just a teaser on Sherlock Holmes, as I will be writing a more detailed entry on Sherlock Holmes soon, once I have the time to do so.

Me and my friends, Faha and Mak Mal, being silly as usual at 221B Baker Street

221B Baker Street, 2009

I was over-the-moon happy!

An original illustration of Sherlock Holmes (pictured here with Dr. Watson) by Sidney Paget, in the short story The Greek Interpreter, as it first appeared in Strand Magazine in 1893

PS: I know, I know.. a mere teaser is not supposed to be this lengthy, but that's the undeniable effect on you of The Man Who Never Lived and So Will Never Die.....