16. März 1897

Brenda Tregennis

wird auf schauerliche Weise durch das Gift des "Teufelfuß" ermordet. Sherlock Holmes gelingt es, den Fall durch einen Selbstversuch, der ziemlich dramatisch verläuft, aufzuklären.

(Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Devil's Foot" aus "His Last Bow", 1917)

Tja, das wäre wirklich ein wahrer Juwel in meinem literarischen Geburtstagskalender gewesen:

06. Januar 1854

Sherlock Holmes

wird geboren.

(Arthur Conan Doyle, "???", 18??)

Aber leider, leider, es scheitert schon an dem literarischem Beleg. Tatsache ist nun einmal, daß in keiner der 56 Kurzgeschichten und 4 Romane ein genaues Geburtsdatum verzeichnet ist, vielmehr haben sich offenbar einige übereifrige Sherlockians dieses Datum ausgeklügelt:

It is generally concluded by the Sherlockians that Holmes was born on January 6, 1854. The evidence for the year is fairly conclusive since Holmes is described as a man of 60 in His Last Bow, which takes place in 1914. The date of January 6th is more speculative. Among the most credible reasons are two: in The Valley of Fear, Holmes appears unusually grumpy on the morning of January 7th, suggestive of a hangover. It was concluded by some scholars that Holmes had celebrated his birthday the night before. Another reason, perhaps less credible, if possible, was that Holmes liked to quote from Twelfth Night, which is, of course, the 6th of January. However, Conan Doyle was by no means disposed to provide a clue to this important fact. How could one rely on the author anyway, for the Canon is filled with inconsistencies? The most notorious example is Watson's war wound suffered in Afghanistan from a Jezail bullet, which involved his shoulder in A Study in Scarlet, and his leg in The Sign of the Four. Given this example, there may be some question as to whether Holmes was really 60 in 1914.

Wirklich schade. Sherlock Holmes als Dreikönigstags-Geburtstagskind, das wär's doch :-) Aber was solls. Muß ich mich eben mit Professor Moriarty's Todestag (4. Mai 1891) begnügen. Das zumindest ist eindeutig bei Doyle nachlesbar und anders als Holmes ist der Professor auch nicht aus dem Reichenbach Falls wieder aufgetaucht ...