Stephanie Zubiri and AA Patawaran sleuth around the life of the creator of Sherlock Holmes to celebrate the release of Montblanc’s latest Writers Edition pens

“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important,” wrote Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his 1891 novel A Case of Identity, which tells us that the celebrated British author was into the finer details.

For writers, some of the simplest pleasures are derived from a swig of coffee, a puff on a cigarette, the clack of a good keyboard or typewriter, or the swish of a quality pen gliding on paper. These elements help create essays, articles, novels, sagas…

Writing by hand has become a choice, since there is a premium on the unique rather than the infinitely reproducible. Daisy Goodwin of the Sunday Times has deduced that people are beginning to rediscover the thrill of pen and ink. That said, fountain pens have become a lifestyle statement an elevated status accessory. For personal letters, handwritten notes are considered intimate. On the other hand, documents signed with fountain pens hold more weight and a loftier air of importance than those signed with Bic pens.

Back to Conan Doyle. Montblanc has recently launched in the Philippines its latest “Writers Edition” collection dedicated to the man who revolutionized detective fiction. It has been Montblanc’s custom to honor writers every year since 1992, whose works have a long-lasting impact, the likes of Hemmingway, Agatha Christie, Wilde, Voltaire, Dumas, and Dostoevsky. This time around it is Conan Doyle in the spotlight.

In a webinar called “Discover Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,” the life of the literary legend was examined in a comprehensive and highly engaging discussion between writers, readers, co-members of The Very Extra Book Club Stephanie Zubiri and AA Patawaran.

The session was casual, a conversation between friends, which the two are in real life. It was an evening of impassioned talk dedicated to the Scottish-born writer and physician who authored nearly 200 novels, including the famous Sherlock Holmes, short stories, poems, historical texts, as well as pamphlets, whom AA described as “a man of honor, a man of such rare elegance.”

Having penned a chronicle that decried the shortcomings of the British forces during the Boer War (1899-1902) in South Africa earned Conan Doyle a knighthood from King Edward VII. This period was where AA began the dialogue.

Holding up a beautiful platinum coated brown pen, AA introduced the Limited Edition 1902. “This is named after the year he was knighted,” he began. “Conan Doyle was very self-effacing. He refused to be knighted. He never wanted to use the word ‘Sir’ next to his name. It was only his mother who convinced him to accept the recognition.”

The color of the Limited Edition 1902 pen is a reference to the smoking pipe of Sherlock, which is also why the cap top and cone features wood. The cap ring has the ACD initials, A Study in Scarlet logo, and the date at which Conan Doyle and his wife opened a psychic book shop in London—February 1925. There is tartan pattern combined with a street map of London in the cap and barrel.

The map was of Victoria Street, where the psychic bookshop was erected, and of Baker Street, the residence of Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, the clip on the cap is inspired by the magnifying glass used by Sherlock Holmes. Behind the clip is a hound in Superluminova from the Holmes novel The Hound of Baskervilles. Inside, the nib is engraved with the name “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle” and an image of a magnifying glass. The pen of metal, lacquer, and wood is considered “a tribute to the Stories of Sherlock Holmes.”

“Sherlock Holmes was just a portal into his life. His life was much richer, and bigger than the world of Sherlock Holmes,” says AA. “You could see that Conan Doyle had a very complex character just like Sherlock Holmes. But Sherlock Holmes kept him away from doing ‘better’ things.”

“He was quite the vagabond, wasn’t he?” replies Stephanie, “He was described as restless despite having a successful medical practice, and being a successful author. He had the thirst for knowledge and the world.”

“The most interesting thing about my great uncle is his personal sense of adventure. His characters were drawn from his remarkable experiences in his own life,” says Richard Doyle, the great nephew of Conan Doyle, in a video interview.

Conan Doyle who worked as a harpooner and surgeon on a whaler, a ship that hunts whales, lived on the edge. He would also occasionally play cricket with W. G. Grace, who dominated the sport at the time. The crime-fiction writer was a fan of the early motorcycles, and he was interested in the advancements of technology back in the day, explains Richard. “One thing that makes me particularly proud of my great uncle was his respect for the common man, in his readers,” he adds.

After the short video, Stephanie continues the lively treatise by presenting the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Special Edition pen. The gray slate color is inspired by the dark foggy streets of London. It is made of precious resin and ruthenium coated fittings. Both cap and barrel are decorated with a pattern based on the original Shelock Holmes tartan, and excerpts from an old street map of Victorian London spotlighting Upper Wimpole Street where Conan Doyle had his medicine practice, as well as Baker Street, home of the fictional detective. Behind the clip are the initials JB, which stands for Joshua Bell. The red lacquer dot above the magnifying glass represents ophthalmoscope from the 19th century. It also has an Au750 solid gold nib with ruthenium coating engraved with the portrait of Conan Doyle as well as a pterodactyl from the science fiction novel The Lost World. Like the Limited Edition 1902, the cap ring is decorated with Conan Doyle’s signature, the vine symbol from A Study in Scarlet, and the date at which the publishers wrote to him about obtaining the copyrights, Oct. 30 1886, considered to be his first big success as a writer.

Stephanie went on to read the last few paragraphs of the first chapter of A Study in Scarlet, an exchange between Sherlock and Dr. Watson on the first day they met. “The real inspiration behind Sherlock Holmes was Joseph Bell, Conan Doyle’s medicine professor,” says AA. “Sherlock is a lovable character because he is relatable. He is very keen at reading people, at making conclusions out of little details, but he has a problem dealing with people. He doesn’t really know how to go about having a relationship with women. Sherlock is an imperfect person.”

“He’s like an anti-hero right? At the time, heroes were usually black and white. This is the first time you have a character who’s likeable, who you are cheering for but has all this flaws and faults,” adds Stephanie.

“Conan Doyle got his sense of storytelling from his mother, but his sense of drama from his dad. He had a difficult time accepting his father from most of his childhood and early adulthood,” says AA.

Conan Doyle found his father a disappointment, “a tragedy of unfulfilled powers and underdeveloped gifts,” and yet he spent the latter years of his life after his father's pursuits in the realm of the supernatural. While he was a man of science, a practicing doctor, his adult life was punctuated by an acknowledgement of his father in terms of spiritualism, in believing in fairies, elves, and seances or communicating with the dead.

“Each pen has a different milestone in Conan Doyle’s life,” concludes Stephanie.

‘If Arthur Conan Doyle—or the way he lived his life—could teach us anything here and now, in this Selfie Era, it would be honor, that while our mantra these days is we can have it all, there is really something vulgar about having your cake and eating it too.’

“If I were to tell you what I think Arthur Conan Doyle—or the way he lived his life—could teach us here and now, in this Selfie Era, it would be honor, that while our mantra these days is we can have it all, there is really something vulgar about having your cake and eating it too,” wrote AA.

Part of the evening was a cocktail mixing class using one of the best kept secret single malts, Mortlach, brought in by Diageo Philippines. Participants were given an impressive cocktail mixing set composed of a crystal mixing glass, a jigger, spoon, strainer, and muddler.

A special Conan Doyle Old-Fashioned was concocted using a 50 ml Mortlach 20 year old single malt whisky, 15 ml chilled brewed lapsang souchong tea, 10 ml honey syrup, garnished with lemon. The outcome is a smoky but sweet cocktail with caramel and floral notes. 

The Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection is available at the Rustan’s boutique at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri La Plaza, Alabang Town Center, Cebu, and Greenbelt 5.