The Tragedy of the Korosko and The Fires of Fatewith The Nile Journal

Brings together Arthur Conan Doyle’s Egyptian-themed works, based on his imperial travels

• Gathers three texts by Conan Doyle, in three genres, dealing with contemporary Egypt at the time of the ‘Dervish Wars’
• Includes two texts that have never before appeared in print
• Enables a serious study of Conan Doyle’s ideas about empire and race
• Displays Conan Doyle’s gifts in narrative and drama
• A full scholarly treatment, including introduction, essays on the texts, textual apparatus and full explanatory notes

Arthur Conan Doyle’s visit to Egypt in 1895–96 included a trip up the Nile from Cairo to Wadi Halfa in a Cook’s steamer, which he documents in The Nile Journal, published here for the first time. His trip also included a month reporting on Kitchener’s expeditionary army’s march south to confront the ‘Dervish’ forces of the Khalifa. Both experiences informed the novella The Tragedy of the Korosko, a tale of abduction and rescue on the Sudanese frontier, published serially in the Strand in 1897 and in book form in 1898. This edition is the first scholarly treatment of this important book, a key text for the understanding of Conan Doyle’s imperialism.

A decade later saw the staging of The Fires of Fate, his dramatisation of the tale, with significant changes to characters and story. This play had a modest success on the stage, but has never appeared in print. Juxtaposing these two works highlights Conan Doyle’s mastery of two forms of storytelling, while the differences between the two illustrate his evolving views and practices in the middle years of his literary career.