10 Things You May Not Know About Agatha Christie
- She is the best-selling novelist in history. Popular worldwide, Christie’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold an estimated 2 billion copies (and counting). ...
- She received virtually no formal education. Christie was born in 1890 in Torquay, a seaside resort town in southwestern England. ...
- Her father was a gentleman of leisure.
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What makes Agatha Christie so popular?
Christie's mysteries were so popular because, not only were they one of the first murder mysteries ever written, but because they had compelling detectives, colorful suspects, and because they created the true rules of murder mystery.
What is Agatha Christie's most famous book?
Murder on the Orient Express1934Agatha Christie Books1986Death on the Nile1937The Murder of Roger Ackroyd1926The A.B.C. Murders1936The Mysterious Affair at St...1920Agatha Christie/Books
What famous story did Agatha Christie wrote?
Agatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBELiterary movementGolden Age of Detective FictionNotable worksMurder on the Orient Express The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Death on the Nile The Murder at the Vicarage Partners in Crime The A.B.C. Murders And Then There Were None The Mousetrap14 more rows
What genre is Agatha Christie?
Agatha Christie (1890–1976) was an English crime novelist, short-story writer and playwright. Her reputation rests on 66 detective novels and 15 short-story collections that have sold over two billion copies, an amount surpassed only by the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare.
Is Agatha Christie worth reading?
But don't just take the films' word for it: Agatha Christie is a master storyteller and practically all of her books are worth reading.
What age is Agatha Christie suitable for?
Amazon.com: Agatha Christie - Ages 9 To 12 / Children's Books: Books.
Why you should read Agatha Christie?
Race, class and sexuality. Because her main detectives barely age over the course of 50 years, Christie's novels seem timeless, but besides twisty plots and vivid characters, they also reflect the society she lived in.
What did Agatha Christie suffer from?
Agatha Christie never spoke about the missing eleven days of her life and over the years there has been much speculation about what really happened between 3 and 14 December 1926. Her husband said that she'd suffered a total memory loss as a result of the car crash.
What is the meaning of the name Agatha?
goodnoun. a female given name: from a Greek word meaning “good.”
Who is the best-selling author of all time?
Agatha ChristieHeralded as the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time, outsold only by Shakespeare and the Bible. According to a recent study conducted by Harper Collins, Christie has sold more than 1 billion copies in the English language alone.
Why is Agatha Christie the best author?
Her novels have been translated in more than 100 languages, making her the world's most-translated writer. 30% of readers in the US mark Christie as their introduction to the mystery genre. In her life, Christie wrote 66 crime novels, 6 other novels, 24 plays, and more than 150 short stories.
How many books did Agatha Christie right?
Murder on the Orient Express1934Agatha Christie Books1986Death on the Nile1937The Murder of Roger Ackroyd1926The A.B.C. Murders1936The Mysterious Affair at St...1920Agatha Christie/Books
In what order should you read Agatha Christie?
For more details, go to the Hercule Poirot reading order.The Mysterious Affair at Styles.The Murder on the Links.While the Light Lasts (short stories)Poirot Investigates (short stories)Poirot's Early Cases (short stories)The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.The Big Four.The Mystery of the Blue Train.More items...•
Which Miss Marple is the best?
1 Margaret Rutherford The first, best, and most definitive portrayal of Miss Marple belongs to Margaret Rutherford, the London-born actress who first played the part in the 1962 adaptation of The Mirror Crack'd Side to Side.
Who is Agatha Christie's most famous character?
Hercule PoirotMiss MarpleTommy and TuppenceArthur HastingsInspector JappAriadne OliverAgatha Christie/Created characters
Is Death on the Nile a good book?
Death on the Nile is among Agatha Christie's best-loved and most famous works and is a sweeping mystery of love, jealously and betrayal. Agatha Christie drew inspiration for this novel from her travels in Egypt, picking up geographically and historical details throughout her time there.
Who is Agatha Christie?
Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie was a mystery writer who was one of the world's top-selling authors with works like 'Murder on the Orient Express' and 'The Mystery of the Blue Train.'.
When did Agatha Christie write her first book?
Best-selling author Agatha Christie published her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in 1920 , and went on to become one of the most famous writers in history, with mysteries like Murder at the Vicarage, Partners in Crime and Sad Cypress.
What books did Christie write?
Though she also wrote romance novels like Unfinished Portrait (1934) and A Daughter's a Daughter (1952) under the name Mary Westmacott, Christie's success as an author of sleuth stories has earned her titles like the "Queen of Crime" and the "Queen of Mystery.".
When did Agatha Christie publish The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?
Books and Disappearance. In 1926 , Christie released The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a hit which was later marked as a genre classic and one of the author's all-time favorites. She dealt with tumult that same year, however, as her mother died and her husband revealed that he was in a relationship with another woman.
When did Christie die?
In 1974, she made her last public appearance for the opening night of the play version of Murder on the Orient Express. Christie died on January 12, 1976.
Where did Christie disappear?
Traumatized by the revelation, Christie disappeared only to be discovered by authorities several days later at a Harrogate hotel, registered under the name of her husband's mistress. Christie would recover, with her and Archibald divorcing in 1928.
When was Christie's first book published?
She published her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in 1920; the story focused on the murder of a rich heiress and introduced readers to one of Christie's most famous characters—Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.
Who is Agatha Christie?
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE ( née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which was performed in the West End from 1952 to 2020, as well as six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
How did Agatha Christie become unhappy?
Christie was unhappy about becoming "an employed wage slave", : 428 and for tax reasons set up a private company in 1955, Agatha Christie Limited, to hold the rights to her works. In about 1959 she transferred her 278-acre home, Greenway Estate, to her daughter, Rosalind Hicks. In 1968, when Christie was almost 80, she sold a 51% stake in Agatha Christie Limited (and the works it owned) to Booker Books (better known as Booker Author's Division ), which by 1977 had increased its stake to 64%. : 355 Agatha Christie Limited still owns the worldwide rights for more than 80 of Christie's novels and short stories, 19 plays, and nearly 40 TV films.
How many acres did Agatha Christie own?
In about 1959 she transferred her 278-acre home, Greenway Estate, to her daughter, Rosalind Hicks.
What was Agatha Christie's first novel?
She wrote her first detective novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in 1916.
Why did Christie take a break from nursing?
While she subsequently found dispensing in the hospital pharmacy monotonous, and thus less enjoyable than nursing, her new knowledge provided her with a background in potentially toxic drugs. Early in the Second World War, she brought her skills up to date at Torquay Hospital.
Why was Christie made a Dame?
In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies. Christie was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay, Devon, and was largely home-schooled.
What was Christie's first book?
Around the same time, Christie began work on her first novel, Snow Upon the Desert. Writing under the pseudonym Monosyllaba, she set the book in Cairo and drew upon her recent experiences there. She was disappointed when the six publishers she contacted declined the work. : 50–51 Clara suggested that her daughter ask for advice from the successful novelist Eden Phillpotts, a family friend and neighbour, who responded to her enquiry, encouraged her writing, and sent her an introduction to his own literary agent, Hughes Massie, who also rejected Snow Upon the Desert but suggested a second novel. : 51–52
When did Agatha Christie die?
33. Agatha Christie died in 1976, at the age of 85.
When did Agatha Christie's new game come out?
40. She’s even inspired a new video game: “Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders,” set to be released in February, 2016.
How did Christie kill her victims?
In addition to using poison to dispatch her characters, Christie killed her fictional victims in the following ways: strangled by a raincoat belt, strangled by a ukulele string, jabbed in the neck with a venom-tipped dart, stabbed with a corn knife, stabbed with an ornamental Tunisian dagger, drowned in an apple tub, crushed by a bear-shaped marble clock, and electrocuted by a chessboard rigged to deliver the fatal charge upon completion of the third move of the Ruy Lopez opening.
Why did Christie keep Miss Marple in a safe?
16. Christie wrote the final Miss Marple novel in 1939, but kept it locked in a safe for fear it would be destroyed in the Blitz during World War II.
How much did Christie get for her first story?
5. Christie received £25 for her first story.
Who blasted the Christie style of British drawing room mysteries?
31. Novelist Raymond Chandler also blasted the Christie style of British drawing room mysteries in his polemic “The Simple Art of Murder,” in which he accused the genre of being preoccupied with the “utterly incomprehensible trick of how somebody stabbed Mrs. Pottington Postlethwaite III with the solid platinum poignard just as she flatted on the top note of the Bell Song from Lakmé in the presence of fifteen ill-assorted guests.”
What is the last name of the woman with whom her husband was having an affair?
22. Neele was the last name of the woman with whom her husband was having an affair.
Who is Hercule Poirot?
Hercule Poirot. The world-renowned Belgian private detective, unsurpassed in his intelligence and understanding of the criminal mind, respected and admired by police forces and heads of state across the globe. Famous as much for his magnificent moustaches as his little grey cells. Read more.
What is the sweet little old lady from St Mary Mead?
The sweet little old lady from St Mary Mead with an uncanny knack for solving crimes that baffle the police. Her seemingly sheltered village life in fact provides a microcosm of human nature that forms the basis of her intuitive deductions.
Who is Ariadne Oliver?
Ariadne Oliver. A foremost writer of crime and other sensational stories, often stumped by the exploits of her fictional Finnish detective Sven Herjson. She accompanies Poirot on several of his most famous cases, offering solutions based on her astute female intuition. Read more.
How did Agatha Christie get inspiration?
Agatha regularly looked for “creative inspiration” by studying the people around her ; however, her chosen genre, the murder mystery, stunted her writing process because it was difficult at times to put reality into fictional environments; for example, she sometimes had trouble using attributes of acquaintences to do things she couldn’t imagine them doing, like murder, and this often caused writer’s block. To overcome this obstacle, she would develop many characters from scratch. She would note physical appearances of strangers whom she saw and met in public and then would use their likeness and subtle mannerisms to develop relatable characters for her mysteries.
What is the most famous character in Agatha Christie's book?
It’s not a coincidence that Agatha’s most famous protagonist, Hercule Poirot, constantly referred to his approach to solving mysteries as using his “little gray cells,” a reference to his brain. Similarly, Agatha applied her “little gray cells” to the written page. She was an exceptionally smart and gifted writer, deftly combining sharp structure with a psychological spin that still feels fresh today. She refused to write down to her readers, but instead invited all types of readers into her stories. She left a library of work that’s both intelligent and timeless. A reader can pick up a book published decades ago and not feel any passage of time. Murder and good writing—a combination that made the “Queen of Crime” one of the best writers in history.
What was Agatha good at?
Agatha was adept at combining period subject matter with delicate story development, creative plot structure, and psychology. This is evident in her novel, Curtain, her brilliant finale. Written long before her death and placed in a bank safe with instructions to be published only after her demise, Curtain is a masterpiece that utilizes the best of her talents.
What are some examples of Agatha Christie's skill to develop “high society” characters with mainstream appeal?
She created memorable and dignified characters which any class of readers could relate to. Her most memorable and popular characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, are great examples of her skill to develop “high society” characters with mainstream appeal. Agatha’s novel, “ The Mysterious Affair at Styles ” (published in 1920) ...
What is Agatha Christie's little gray cells?
Similarly, Agatha applied her “little gray cells” to the written page. She was an exceptionally smart and gifted writer, deftly combining sharp structure with a psychological spin that still feels fresh today. She refused to write down to her readers, but instead invited all types of readers into her stories.
Why did Agatha Christie restrain herself from using misleading clues?
Second, she would factor in the various suspects and their own intents. Third, she would concoct potential clues and diversionary tactics to pull readers in different directions. She restrained herself from including excessive misleading clues because it would stifle the plot.
How many languages have Agatha Christie's books been translated into?
Her novels have been translated into over 100 languages. To avoid stagnation, Agatha developed a habit of writing more than one book at a time. Despite being raised by an affluent upper-class family in England, her language was always simple, using a writing style that every reader could understand and enjoy.
What is the most famous Christie story?
Murder on the Orient Express. Murder on the Orient Express is the most famous of Christie’s detective stories featuring Monsieur Poirot and his formidable "grey cells.". Since publication in 1937, it has been adapted many times for radio, film, television, and even as a computer game.
How many novels did Agatha Christie write?
But if you aren’t, then this article just might change your life. With more than seventy novels, plays, and short stories to her name, Christie remains one of history’s most prolific and influential writers.
What is Christie's story about?
Drawing inspiration from her own trips to Egypt, Christie expertly weaves together a story of jealousy, love, and betrayal that has become one of her most beloved works. It has been adapted to radio, television, a graphic novel, and will soon return to the big screen as a follow-up to Kenneth Branagh’s 2018 film of Orient Express.
Who did Caroline Crale write a letter to?
Sixteen years after being convicted for the murder of her husband, Caroline Crale writes a letter to her daughter, Carla, pleading her innocence. After her mother’s death, Carla reaches out to none other than Hercule Poirot — in a desperate attempt to discover what really happened the day her father was killed.
Who is Roger Ackroyd?
Roger Ackroyd is a a wealthy widower whose fiancée has recently committed suicide after being blackmailed. Then, after receiving a mysterious letter revealing the blackmailer, Ackroyd too is murdered in his locked study.
Is Poirot retired?
Enter Poirot. Though he’s now retired in the small village of King's Abbot, he must now investigate a list of suspects that seems ever-increasing. While The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a classic detective story, the absolute jaw-dropper of an ending has led to it being widely regarded as one of Christie's finest.
Overview
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West …
Life and career
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on 15 September 1890, into a wealthy upper middle class family in Torquay, Devon. She was the youngest of three children born to Frederick Alvah Miller, "a gentleman of substance", and his wife Clarissa Margaret "Clara" Miller, née Boehmer.
Christie's mother Clara was born in Dublin in 1854 to British Army officer Frederi…
Death and estate
Christie died peacefully on 12 January 1976 at age 85 from natural causes at her home at Winterbrook House. When her death was announced, two West End theatres – the St. Martin's, where The Mousetrap was playing, and the Savoy, which was home to a revival of Murder at the Vicarage – dimmed their outside lights in her honour. She was buried in the nearby churchyard of St Mary's, Cho…
Works
Christie's first published book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was released in 1920 and introduced the detective Hercule Poirot, who appeared in 33 of her novels and more than 50 short stories.
Over the years, Christie grew tired of Poirot, much as Conan Doyle did with Sherlock Holmes. By the end of the 1930s, Christie wrote in her diary that she …
Critical reception
Christie is regularly referred to as the "Queen of Crime" or "Queen of Mystery", and is considered a master of suspense, plotting, and characterisation. In 1955, she became the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. She was named "Best Writer of the Century" and the Hercule Poirot series of books was named "Best Series of the Century" at the 2000 Bouchercon World …
Legacy
In 2016, one hundred years after Christie wrote her first detective story, the Royal Mail released six stamps in her honour, featuring The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, And Then There Were None, The Body in the Library, and A Murder is Announced. The Guardian reported that, "Each design incorporates microtext, UV ink and thermochromic ink. …
Interests and influences
During the First World War, Christie took a break from nursing to train for the Apothecaries Hall Examination. While she subsequently found dispensing in the hospital pharmacy monotonous, and thus less enjoyable than nursing, her new knowledge provided her with a background in potentially toxic drugs. Early in the Second World War, she brought her skills up to date at Torquay Hospital.
In popular culture
BBC television released Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures in 2004, in which she is portrayed by Olivia Williams, Anna Massey, and Bonnie Wright (at different stages in her life). ITV's Perspectives: "The Mystery of Agatha Christie" (2013) is hosted by David Suchet.
Some of Christie's fictional portrayals have explored and offered accounts of her disappearance in 1926. The film Agatha (1979), with Vanessa Redgrave, has Christie sneaking away to plan reveng…