The Birth of a Detective: 'Arthur and George'

Fresh Air | By Maureen Corrigan

Published January 26, 2006 at 11:10 AM CST

Detail from the cover of <i>Arthur and George</i>. — Detail from the cover of *Arthur and George*.

An infamous case of wrongful conviction -- which took the efforts of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to resolve -- is the subject of the new novel from Julian Barnes.

Arthur and George vividly details how the lives of two utter strangers intersected in what was known as "the Great Wyrley Outrages" 100 years ago.

In the process, Barnes weaves in echoes of the modern world.

Maureen Corrigan

Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR's Fresh Air, is The Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown University. She is an associate editor of and contributor to Mystery and Suspense Writers (Scribner) and the winner of the 1999 Edgar Award for Criticism, presented by the Mystery Writers of America. In 2019, Corrigan was awarded the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing by the National Book Critics Circle.

See stories by Maureen Corrigan