There is hardly a person in the modern world who has never heard of the English writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite the fact that this author worked in the period from the last third of the XIX century to the first third of the XX century, his works are still read.
Those who are not so close acquainted with his work, Conan Doyle is known mainly as the author of stories about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The novels “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, “Valley of Horror”, “Study in Scarlet” and other works about the famous London detective even today are considered classics of the detective genre.
However, Sherlock Holmes is not the only character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. In the period from 1912 to 1929, the author also wrote a series of science fiction novels, the main character of which was Professor Challenger.
Character Description Appearance, personality and character
The description of Professor Challenger's appearance is found in the first of a series of books about him. The narration is conducted on behalf of the young journalist Edward Malone. It was his first impression of the professor that was conveyed in the novel The Lost World.
Professor Challenger is a man of rather large build, with a rather big head and broad shoulders, but at the same time of small stature. Malone compares it to "a kind of flattened Hercules."
The journalist especially remembered the face of the professor. An unusual impression was made by his large features, high forehead, thick black eyebrows. Challenger's beard is also black, long enough to reach the chest. The eyes are gray-blue. The first time he saw Edward Malone, the professor cast a critical, authoritative look on him.
Challenger's voice also matched his appearance: loud and booming, a bit like an animal roar.
The professor has a somewhat unrestrained disposition and self-confidence, but he is always ready to admit his mistakes in the presence of weighty arguments.
Professor Challenger is a scientist in more than one particular field. He has deep knowledge in many fields of science, such as physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and others. In relation to the professor, the term "Renaissance man" can be used. He received his higher education at the University of Edinburgh, where he studied zoology, anthropology and medicine.
Professor Challenger is married to a woman named Jessica. Spouses have a daughter, Enid.
Books about Professor Challenger. "Lost World"
The first novel of the cycle was first published in 1912 and immediately gained immense popularity among readers. In the year of release, the original work was translated into several other languages, including Russian.
Based on the plot of The Lost World, Professor Challenger travels around South America. The company he is a journalist Malone, Professor Summerly and Lord Roxton.
It all starts with the fact that the scientific community accuses the professor of lying, claiming that the plateau once discovered by him, where dinosaurs live, is nothing more than a fantasy. Challenger wants to prove that he really made a discovery, on Earth there is at least one place where you can still meet prehistoric animals.
The plot was based on Arthur Conan Doyle taking a real-world expedition, which was carried out by Major Fossett, who was looking for lost Indian settlements off the coast of the Amazon.
Poisoned Belt
The second book about the adventures of Professor Challenger is The Poisoned Belt, which was published a year after the release of the first novel.
The reader will meet all the same heroes already familiar from the Lost World. These are Professor Summerly, Lord Traveler John Roxton, reporter Edward Malone and, of course, Professor Challenger himself.
This time, the professor discovers that the planet and all living things that are on it are in mortal danger. According to his observations of space objects, very soon the Earth will cross a strip of poisonous ether. To protect himself and his friends, Challenger stocks up with a large number of oxygen cylinders and equips a completely airtight room, where air can not penetrate.
"Country of fog"
The third book of the cycle was published 13 years after the publication of the second, in 1926. The period from 1918 to 1930 in the life of Arthur Conan Doyle is considered the most tragic: he had to survive the death of his son, brother and two nephews who did not return from the First World War.
That is why The Country of Fog is in many ways different from the previous two novels of this cycle. Not wanting to fully accept the death of loved ones, Doyle became interested in spiritualism and reflected this in the book.
The plot of The Land of Fog is mainly focused on Enid Challenger and Edward Malone, who, like the writer, have become followers of spiritualism.
“When the Earth cried out”
This story was first published in one of the American editions in 1928.
According to the plot of the story, Professor Challenger puts forward another new idea. He concludes that planet Earth is actually a living creature, which, however, does not suspect that it is home to billions of people. The professor wants the planet to finally learn about the existence of humanity, or at least one of its representatives - Challenger himself.
"Disintegration Machine"
The final story by Arthur Conan Doyle about Professor Challenger is The Disintegration Machine, which was published in early 1929.
The apparatus, which is mentioned in the title of the story, allows you to split any material object into its constituent particles - molecules. Its inventor is Theodore Nemor. Wanting to see this invention live, Challenger and Malone pay a visit to Nemor.