A NIGHT AMONG THE NIHILISTS by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
From 1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Arthur Conan Doyle
April 26, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
The episode explores Arthur Conan Doyle's satirical take on the Russian Nihilists in a light-hearted narrative.
"A Night Among the Nihilists" by Arthur Conan Doyle AT 1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories and the Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Tonight's story comes from an early chapter in Arthur Conan Doyle's writing life, when he was still experimenting with tone, satire, and the strange political fascinations of the late Victorian world. "A Night Among the Nihilists" is Doyle having a bit of fun — a light, good‑natured poke at a movement that had captured the British imagination: the Russian Nihilists . In the 1880s, the word Nihilist didn't mean what it does today. It referred to a loose, underground network of Russian revolutionaries — young idealists, radicals, and political dreamers who rejected the old order and sometimes turned to violence to overthrow it. To the British public, they were half‑myth, half‑menace: mysterious figures whispered about in newspapers, rumored to meet in smoky rooms and plot against czars and empires. Doyle, who loved a good cultural curiosity, couldn't resist. He took the popular image of the Nihilist — brooding, dramatic, and endlessly conspiratorial — and gently exaggerated it. The result is a story that blends adventure , satire , and a touch of comic mischief…
Topics covered
- satire
- political movements
- Nihilism
- Victorian era
- adventure
- comedy
Keywords
- Nihilists
- satire
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Victorian
- political revolution
- adventure
- comedy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: British
Books & works: A Night Among the Nihilists
Places: Russia, Victorian, Czar, Empire
More episodes of 1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE-THE LAST OF THE LEGIONS, CHAPTER 2- THE LAST GALLEY · June 12, 2026 · 20 min
- SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES: ITEM OF CARTOGRAPHY and THE MAN WHO LOVED BEETLES STORIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES RADIO SHOW · June 10, 2026 · 50 min
- SHERLOCK HOLMES: DR. WATSON'S MEMOIRS #5: THE WESTMINSTER TERROR AND THE GHOST OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH · June 7, 2026 · 48 min
- ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE-THE LAST OF THE LEGIONS & OTHER TALES (CHAPTER 1) -THE LAST OF THE LEGIONS · June 5, 2026 · 18 min
- Start here: Welcome to 1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories! · June 5, 2026 · 1 min
- SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE HAUNTED BAGPIPES and THE ADVENTURE OF THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES W TOM CONWAY · June 3, 2026 · 59 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the 1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle podcast page.