Skip to content
- 1. Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes: The detective who “went too clever”
- 2. Anthony Burgess and A Clockwork Orange: Fame or curse?
- 3. Bram Stoker and Dracula: The success he never saw
- 4. JD Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye: “Leave me alone!”
- 5. Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughterhouse-Five: “This Again?”
- 6. Mary Shelley and Frankenstein: A success that became a burden
- And you, what do you think?
In the fascinating world of literature, not everything is admiration for the works created. Yes, it sounds strange, but some of The most famous authors came to detest their own books or iconic characters. Imagine! These stories remind us that behind the literary genius, there are people like you and me, with their quirks, contradictions and frustrations.
📚 Books you should have in your Emergency Kit
7 peculiar houses where famous books were written
Where and how to sell used and second-hand books
Essential Books on Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies
Tsundoku: The art of accumulating books and not reading them
The 7 best financial education books to understand your money
Today I'm going to tell you the most curious stories of authors who got fed up (to put it bluntly) with their own creations.
1. Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes: The detective who “went too clever”
If I say “Sherlock Holmes” to you, you probably think of detectives, mystery and a funny hat. But, Did you know that Arthur Conan Doyle, its creator, hated it? Doyle was fed up with Holmes being more famous than his other works.
"I'm sick of his shadow; he steals my time and space for better things."
He was so fed up that he decided to finish him off. The final problem, sending Holmes tumbling down the Reichenbach Falls along with Moriarty. But fans didn't take it well.
Imagine it: letters, protests, angry peopleIn the end, Doyle had to resurrect the detective, although he did so reluctantly. Moreover, it was not easy for him to return to the character, because he felt that the pressure from readers forced him to give up his own creative vision.
- RBA Collectibles (Author)
2. Anthony Burgess and A Clockwork Orange: Fame or curse?
A Clockwork Orange It's one of those stories you never forget. But Anthony Burgess, its author, saw it more as a burden than an achievement. Burgess said the novel was «a monster» which overshadowed the rest of his booksAnd he was right. Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation was so controversial that it brought him many problems.
“I wish I hadn’t written it”, he once confessed. And for him, A Clockwork Orange It wasn't his best work, even though it was his most famous. Moreover, the film did him no favors and attracted so much criticism and misunderstanding that Burgess spent much of his life making clear that his original message was much deeper. than the violence that people associated with the story.
3. Bram Stoker and Dracula: The success he never saw
If we talk about vampires, Dracula is the king. But do you know what Bram Stoker thought of his masterpiece? Truth be told, we'll never fully know. What we do know is that Stoker died poor, even though his book was a success. And of course, that had to hurt…
Maybe his frustration came from not having received the recognition (or money) he deserved for his work. Who knows, Maybe that contributed to a love-hate relationship with Dracula. Curiously, during his lifetime, Dracula It was not seen as the classic we know today, but as another work in the gothic horror genre, which could have increased the author's feeling of disappointment.
4. JD Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye: «Leave me alone!»
The Catcher in the Rye It is one of those books that we have all heard of at some point, and if you were lucky enough to discover it as a teenager, it may have even changed your life. But JD Salinger was not at all happy with his fame.The attention he received after its publication overwhelmed him so much that he became a hermit.
Salinger He avoided interviews, refused adaptations and lived the rest of his life writing in secret.Imagine how much he must have hated fame to shut himself away and disappear from the public eye. He even left clear instructions that none of his later works were to be published after his death, leaving a halo of mystery that still fascinates his followers.
I highly recommend this book. It has been one of my favorites, even though I read it for the first time when I was well into my thirties.
- Salinger, J.D. (Author)
5. Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughterhouse Five: «This again?»
Slaughterhouse Five It's a classic, but for Kurt Vonnegut it was a constant reminder of his own demons. He wrote it to deal with his war traumas, but what he managed to do was keep those experiences vivid, with all that it entailed for him.
“I wrote Slaughterhouse Five to exorcise a demon, and all I achieved was to perpetuate it,” he said.
Although the novel brought him fame and recognition, it also pigeonholed him as a writer, something that deeply frustrated him. However, despite everything, Vonnegut never failed to take advantage of recognition to speak of the horrors of war., something he considered a moral responsibility.
- Vonnegut, Kurt (Author)
6. Mary Shelley and Frankenstein: A success that became a burden
We cannot forget Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Although the novel made her famous, it also became a point of tension in his lifeShelley was always in the shadow of her best-known work, which overshadowed the rest of her writings.
Besides, Frankenstein was often misinterpreted by critics and readers, who reduced it to a simple horror story, leaving aside the deep philosophical themes that Shelley wanted to explore.
Mary Shelley He also dealt with the tragic loss of his loved ones., which marked his life and his relationship with literature.
And you, what do you think?
Do you know any authors in this same situation? These stories prove that success is not always rosy. For some authors, Their most famous works became a burden they had to carry for the rest of their lives.But what would become of us without Sherlock Holmes, Alex DeLarge, Holden Caulfield or Frankenstein's monster? Those would be different lives, for sure!
Do you think success can be a curse? What would you do if you created something that made you famous but that you couldn't stand anymore? Tell me in the comments, this story doesn't end here.