Arthur And George

''Arthur & George'' (2005) is the tenth novel by English author Julian Barnes which takes as its basis the true story of the " Great Wyrley Outrages".

Plot introduction

Set at the turn of the 20th century, the story follows the separate but intersecting lives of two very different British men: a half-Indian solicitor and son of a vicar, George Edalji, and the world-famous author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Roughly one-third of the book traces the story of Edalji's trial, conviction, and imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. About one-third of the book traces the story of Doyle's life and his relationships with his first wife Louisa Hawkins and his platonic lover Jean Leckie. Roughly one-third of the book concerns Doyle's attempt to clear the name of Edalji and uncover the true culprit of the crime. Julian Barnes called it "a contemporary novel set in the past" and the book does not aim to stick closely to the historical record at every point.

Characters in ''Arthur & George''

* George Edalji, solicitor in Birmingham
*Charlotte Edalji née Stoneham, George's mother
* Shapurji Edalji, George's father, vicar of Great Wyrley
*Maud Edalji, George's sister
*Mr. Meek, George's lawyer
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous author
*Jean Leckie, Conan Doyle's second wife
*Louisa Doyle née Hawkins, Doyle's wife
*The Mam, Arthur's mother
*Connie Doyle Hornung, Arthur's sister
*Willie Hornung ( E. W. Hornung), Connie's husband
*Mary Doyle, Arthur and Louisa's daughter

Dramatisation

Playwright David Edgar has dramatized the work for Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse with the opening performance scheduled for 19 March 2010.

In 2014, for broadcast in 2015, ITV commissioned a three-part television series '' Arthur & George'' based on Arthur & George, starring Martin Clunes as Arthur Conan Doyle.

Reception

On Metacritic, the book received a 79 out of 100 based on thirty-three critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On the March/April 2006 issue of '' Bookmarks'', the book was scored a four out of five stars. The magazine's critical summary reads: "Though this opinion is not stated directly, the general tone of most of the reviews confirms ''Arthur & George'' as Barnes’s best work yet". ''The Bookseller'' reported on reviews from several publications with a rating scale for the novel out of "Top form", "Flawed but worth a read", and "Disappointing": '' Sunday Telegraph'', and '' Independent on Sunday'' reviews under "Top form" and '' Guardian'' review under "Flawed but worth a read" and ''Daily Telegraph'' review under "Disappointing". Globally, '' Complete Review'' saying on the consensus "Impressed, if generally not bowled over".

Awards and nominations

* 2005 Booker Prize shortlist
* 2007 International Dublin Literary Award shortlist

Release details

*2005, UK, Jonathan Cape , Pub date 7 July 2005, hardback
*2005, Canada, Random House , Pub date 9 September 2005, hardback
*2006, USA, Alfred A. Knopf , Pub date 3 January 2006, hardback

References

:3. Oldfield, Roger ''Outrage: The Edalji Five and the Shadow of Sherlock Holmes'', Vanguard Press ()

External links

''Arthur & George'' site
*Risinger, D. Michael. (2006). Boxes in Boxes: Julian Barnes, Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and the Edalji Case. International Commentary on Evidence, 4 (2), Article 3, pp. 1–9

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur and George
2005 British novels
Novels by Julian Barnes
Historical novels
Arthur Conan Doyle
Jonathan Cape books
Great Wyrley
British novels adapted into television shows
Cultural depictions of Arthur Conan Doyle