Well, I interviewed an Indianan last month, so on to something different, right? Nope! We are keeping our Sherlockian interviews in the Hoosier state again this month, this time getting to know The Well-Read Sherlockian herself, Leah Guinn.
You never know where Leah's writing will show up. She, of course, has her own blog, The Well-Read Sherlockian, where she sporadically reviews Sherlockian pastiches, interviews authors, and oversees the best Sherlockian internet event in my opinion, the annual 12th Night Giveaway. But she's also been published on Undershaw's blog, has a chapter in About Being a Sherlockian, and has co-authored a must-own almanac, A Curious Collection of Dates: Through the Year with Sherlock Holmes.
I've known Leah through the internet for a while now, but I was lucky enough to get to meet her and her husband Brett at Nerve and Knowledge II earlier this year. I spent a good portion of the after party with the two of them and never wanted the night to end. Leah Guinn is definitely an interesting Sherlockian!
How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?
To me, a "Sherlockian" is someone who likes Sherlock Holmes (any version) to the point where they seek out more information about him (or her, because "versions"), and who, in most cases, wants to make a connection with others who feel the same. This could be someone who rereads the Canon and attends scion meetings, or it could be someone who likes to watch and rewatch film/tv incarnations while writing "coffee shop AU" fics for the internet. If you're a Sherlockian, you know it.
How did you become a Sherlockian?
In a very long, roundabout process. I think I have almost always been aware of Sherlock Holmes, but I encountered him in many different ways. The first one was probably through Eve Titus' Basil and the Pygmy Cats, which I bought at a school book fair in the second grade--1974 or 1975. Two years later, when I was in 4th grade, I bought a collection of Holmes tales (again at the book fair). The first story had to be SIGN, because I remember immediately seeing the word "cocaine." I was a very good, religious girl, so I was utterly shocked and never read that book again. I didn't read any more Holmes until sometime in college. The first one was actually a pastiche by Edward Hanna, The Whitechapel Horror. I really liked that, so (now able to handle the mention of drugs) I decided to try the Canon again. This time it was HOUN, and to be honest, I was underwhelmed--too much Watson for my taste (I am definitely a Holmes woman). Skip ahead a couple of decades to 2010: I had just barreled my way through Preston and Child's Agent Pendergast series and felt lost, the way you do when you've fallen in love with a book or a character. I knew that P&C had based some aspects of their hero on the Great Detective, so I reread Hanna, then went on to Lyndsay Faye's Dust and Shadow, a truly wonderful book. After that, I loaded STUD onto my kindle, and read (I kid you not) nothing but the Canon and Holmes-related work for an entire year.
What is your favorite canonical story?
Definitely ILLU. I've met (nonmurderous) people like the Baron; he was instantly familiar, and it was a lovely thing, seeing him get his comeuppance. I was also completely amazed by Conan Doyle's ability to write about psychopathy and sexual perversion in a way that was subtle enough to adhere to his time's moral standards, yet at the same time make it so recognizable to a 21st-century adult. It was obvious to me that he knew what kind of person he was writing about, and I find that fascinating.
Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?
Oh, we're all fascinating! There is a young Sherlockian, however, in Minnesota--Soren Eversoll--whom you might want to interview. I met him briefly at the Norwegian Explorers conference in 2013. He's a teenage member of the Norwegian Explorers. Although I am a relatively new Sherlockian myself, I am in my fifties, and I like seeing "the young people" getting involved.
What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?
I really, really love researching 19th century crime, and I am an unapologetic BBC Sherlock fan. Yes, even S4.
What things do you like to research related to Sherlock Holmes?
Well, 19th century crime and detection, as well as the development of medicine during Holmes' and Watson's lifetime--or, rather, their earlier adulthood, as we know that they are both still with us.
Your blog, The Well-Read Sherlockian, focuses on pastiches. What makes pastiche so interesting to you as a reader?
I was brought into the fandom through pastiche, and I see it as a way to extend the adventure when you've read the Canon and need more. It's interesting to see how many ways one can write about Holmes and Watson, and still have them be completely recognizable. I began the blog because I honestly thought I'd be able to read and review ALL of the pastiche out there. But, as we all know now, that first entry was published right on the cusp of a pastiche explosion, so I really have no hope of achieving that goal! As time has gone on, I have become more interested in what makes a good pastiche, and pointing those stories out to other readers. When I first started, I put out some bad reviews, but honestly, I enjoyed ranting about poor writing and being a Canonical Zealot far too much. I was a bit of a jerk. I've gravitated away from that, I hope. There are a lot of people out there writing and publishing pastiche, hopefully because they find it artistically fulfilling, and I really don't want to discourage them. While I have no problem giving a (gentle) private critique, I'm at the point right now where I want to promote good work and be more of an encourager than a critic. And in my blog, I've tried to expand the meaning of being a "well-read Sherlockian" to include not only pastiche, but historical, biographical, and other works as well. The more you know about Holmes, Watson, and their world, the more you can appreciate them--and, if you choose, bring them to life in your own way.
What was the impetus behind your collaboration with Jaime Mahoney for A Curious Collection of Dates?
It all came from a throwaway post on the WRS Facebook page. I have a weird love of dates--the calendar kind, not the fruit kind, which are kind of icky. One night, I posted something to the effect that "wouldn't it be nice if there were some kind of calendar of important Sherlockian dates?" (This was, by the way, at an innocent, carefree time where I was only aware of Baring-Gould's chronology.) Jaime saw that post and messaged me, asking me if I were serious about that. Well, of course I was! And I was completely in awe that Jaime N. Mahoney, blogger at Better Holmes and Gardens, the brilliant website that had inspired me to do my own, was actually messaging me about doing a project. After some research into the tear-off kind of calendar, we both realized that we want to do something a little more in-depth. This resulted in a 4 hour-long phone conversation, at the end of which we were committed to an almanac, and to a wonderful friendship. This is Sherlockiana, really--you come for the detective, but you stay for the friends. I have to wonder if we're not all being set up by our patron saint, Stamford.
What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?
This is such an unfair question, hahaha. Of course I am going to give you several.
For traditional pastiche: Dust and Shadow (Lyndsay Faye)
For non-traditional Sherlockian fiction: Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles (Kim Newman)
For Conan Doyle: The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes (Andrew Lycett); Arthur and Sherlock (Michael Sims); Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters (Lellenberg, Stashower, et al.)
Holmes in our culture: From Holmes to Sherlock (Mattias Bostrom)
I also believe that we can all benefit from reading Conan Doyle's own biography, Memories and Adventures, as it gives you a sense of the man himself, and how he viewed his life. He's not chatty about his personal life, but that is interesting in and of itself.
Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?
I definitely think we will be around, about five years away from the Next Big Sherlock Holmes Thing with all of its attendant excitement and angst. We are getting more diverse, as we should be, and that trend will hopefully continue. The BSI will probably be on the verge of having its first female leader, if it hasn't happened already. think it's important for local scions to remain healthy, and for others to spring up (I keep meaning to start one in Ft Wayne, but honestly, I don't have a lot of time at this point in my life). There are so many people out there who, even if they don't become obsessed with Holmes to the point of building large collections and being invested in the BSI, would still benefit from meeting others with like interests and finding outlets for their talents on a local scion level. And I would like to think that we would finally be done with arguing over the definition of a "real Sherlockian," but we all know that that is likely a three-pipe dream.
No comments:
Post a Comment