Episode 135: Helene Yuhasova: Woman of Mystery

"that glamour of mystery and of experience" [VALL]

Generations of Sherlockians are the beneficiaries of the poems penned by Helene Yuhasova. Yet this enigmatic individual has remained something of a legendary, even ethereal presence in the history of the Baker Street Irregulars.

Who was Helene Yuhas(ova)? And were the poems, later ascribed to Edgar W. Smith of the Baker Street Irregulars, actually written by her? Whatever became of this this prolific poetess laureate, this Founding Mother?

Sonia Fetherston, BSI ("The Solitary Cyclist") and Julie McKuras, BSI ("The Duchess of Devonshire") edited the 2017 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual, "A Woman of Mystery": Helene Yuhasova, Poetess Laureate of the Baker Street Irregulars and they joined us to give us a sense of the mighty detective work that went in to tracking down the full story of a woman who left the Sherlockian movement some 70 years ago, leaving a long but thin shadow.

For our Gas-Lamp this time around, Julie and Sonia treat us to some of Helene Yuhasova's Sherlockian poetry: "Sonnet: Mary Morstan to Dr. Watson" and "Ballade of the Bright Stair-Rods."

Information on sponsors, links, and notes available below.

Notes

3:32 Summing up our 24 episodes of the year (plus 52 from Trifles)

7:31 Wessex Press

9:06 Working out the pronunciation of "Helene Yuhasova" and her Sherlockian origins

15:14 What we know about Helene's early life, and how Julie and Sonia uncovered facts (including the common surname)

23:46 Conflicting opinions, unfair criticism

32:50 The Baker Street Journal

34:22 Sonnet: "John H. Watson to Sherlock Holmes"

35:31 Yuhas's ubiquitous job reference

37:55 Yuhasova and Smith: A Case of Identity

41:42 The curious meeting between Russell Merritt and Edgar Smith

46:18 Leaving the Sherlockian world behind

50:50 On the connection with Ben Weingart

59:22 Any big surprises?

1:02:40 One final question

1:07:48 The Editor's Gas-Lamp

1:11:36 Sherlock Holmes Brand

Links

• Trifles podcast
• The Baker Street Journal (where one may subscribe, including the Christmas Annual)
• Past BSJ Christmas Annuals for sale
• Sonia Fetherston on Episode 75
• Evening Fall Harp by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at ihose.co/flipsherlock as well as through our accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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