April 09, 2019
Agatha Christie is a name that stands out prominently in the Mystery Genre. The author has made a remarkable contribution to English Literature, and she is the World’s Best Selling Author of all time.
Very few of us are what we seem. -Agatha Christie
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on 15 September 1890 into an affluent English family. Agatha Miller was a precocious child who taught herself to read at age four and quickly developed what would be a lifelong devotion to books. She was the youngest of three children.
Her first husband was Archibald Christie, they married in 1914 and had one child together, Rosalind. By the time her marriage to Archie fell apart, Agatha had published five well-received detective novels, but she could hardly have expected the success that awaited her.
On a trip to Iraq Christie met a young archeologist Max Mallowan. Christie and Mallowan married in September 1930. Their marriage was successful and lasted until Christie's death in 1976.
Christie died peacefully on 12 January 1976 at age 85 from natural causes at her home Winterbrook House, Winterbrook, Oxfordshire.
In her glorious writing career of more than 55 years, also enjoyed her greatest success, becoming the best-loved author on earth, with over 70 best-selling novels as well as the longest-running play in history. Her work in any genre remains unprecedented. In 1971 Agatha was made a Dame of the British Empire.
Agatha Christie is a classic mystery Writer; her work got appreciation during the years of World War II. There was crime and restlessness everywhere, and people wanted to relax and forget the daily tensions of war. Christie's mystery and crime novels helped people escape from the anxiety of bombings and war.
Christie's earliest released book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published in 1920 and the sleuth Hercule Poirot made his debut. Poirot became a long-running figure in Christie's mystery novels, appearing in thirty-three books and more than fifty short stories.
She selected a genre and stuck to it. Her writings keep readers cognitively challenged and intellectually engaged in the premise of the story. Christie's novels take you so deeply into the plot and characters of the story and give you inside peek into scenarios and realities you couldn’t otherwise live yourself. And you find it hard to put the book down.
Agatha used to study people around her for creative inspiration. She noted greed, revenge, longing for power, jealousy are the reasons that lead to the desperate behavior of people. It was Agatha Christie who beautifully converted attributes of people to do things; she could not imagine them doing in reality.
Thriller is the genre; anyone can write comfortably. But this is only Agatha Christie who can plot a fascinating and engaging thriller story from a simple, harmless.
Agatha Christie penned 82 detective novels, also an autobiography. Surprisingly Christie also wrote six romance novels. If you are confused, she wrote these under the pseudonym, Mary Westmacott.
Have you seen any of the 19 plays she wrote? The most famous is The Mousetrap, the world's longest-running theatrical play in London.
The Mirror Crack’d” and “Murder In Our Midst” (a tripartite) are great detective fiction in which Agatha beautifully plots a mystery. These are among the best Miss Marple series.
In “By The Pricking Of My Thumbs,” Agatha Christie had done a fantastic job. You can’t resist that poor shivering after reading about the scary old lady. In this novel, Christie sets for herself a tough challenge, and she amazingly lived up to it.
The novel adapted into a television movie in 2006 and proved to be very popular. The plot of the film differs from the original story, and Miss Marple added to the cast.
The thing that makes Christie’s work extraordinary is her characters. She beautifully created memorable and exciting characters which any reader can relate to.
All the characters are thought out and described. It gives a sense of adventure, wit, and charm. Hercule Poirot and Mrs. Marple are the best examples of Christie’s skill to develop classic characters.
Hercule Poirot, a fictional Belgian detective who lives in London and enjoys solving crimes, is my choice for the best fictional detective. I enjoyed reading about the magical little grey cells in action. He is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, featured in many of Christie's novels and short stories.
He first appeared in the thriller The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Poirot asks a series of irrelevant questions that finally proves relevant and help to uncover the truth.
He is an analytical and meticulous person in dress and appearance. Poirot has a unique look; often, people make fun of it. He is famous as much for his magnificent mustaches as his little grey cells.
Agatha beautifully used this character in her novel “Spies Among Us,” where every figure is a little mysterious. It tells us when crimes are committed in well-bred and civilized people, every one of them can be a suspect.
Christie’s other well-known detective is Miss Marple. She is different from other detective characters because of her age. She was first featured in the novel “Murder of Vicarage.”.
Miss Marple is an elderly spinster of indeterminable age who lives in the English village of Saint Marys Mead. She looks so innocent that no one can imagine she has dealings with police.
But one shouldn’t underestimate her. She uses her knowledge of human nature to solve a crime.
Agatha Christie’s novels have been translated to approximately forty-five languages and have sold more than two billion copies have made Agatha “The Most Read Novelist “of history.
It was the last great mystery that Agatha Christie left unsolved – claiming amnesia after she disappeared for 11 days in 1926. Now writer Andrew Wilson has unveiled a new theory as to why she vanished with no explanation: that she had left her home intending to take her own life
The Telegraph has an intriguing article with a theory of how Agatha Christie spent those 11 days. The mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance is 'solved, head over to the Telegraph and read more.
To shop for Agatha Christie novels or other good old fashioned mystery books head over to the Vintage Mystery Book Collection of Reading Vintage. You will be glad you did.
For much more information about Agatha Christie, her books movies play television shows, news, and details about Tommy and Tuppence. The Home of Agatha Christie, this website is considered the home of Agatha Christie.
What is your favorite novel by the Queen of Crime? Favorite Detective, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot? Comment Below We Would Love to Hear Your Thoughts.
Well written timeless stories never go out of style. Ian Fleming's fantasy crime dramas series is one of them. Learn more.
The words antique, vintage, and retro are often used when shopping at Antique Festivals, Antique stores, and flea markets. Learning what these terms mean can only help you in the bargaining process. Knowledge can help you add an elusive piece to your shelves at a fair price.
Reading a book allows us to transport ourselves to another world, learn new things, and escape reality. Now your passion for books and reading can help the environment.
Happy Reading,
Pam of Reading Vintage
“Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.”—Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet
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