Biographie Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

Biography

English writer (1890-1976)

About Agatha Christie

birth : 15th September 1890 at Torquay, South Devon Coast

death : 12th January 1976 at Winterbrook, United Kingdom

• 66 detective novels
• 14 short collections
• her autobiography

She wrote :

Her family

Father : Frederick Miller Mother : Clara Boehmer Elder brother : Monty Miller (10 years older) Elder sister : Madge Miller (11 years older)

Agatha's childhood

• She was born with the name of Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller

• She lived at Ashfield, in a large home with a big garden near to the sea

• Her father home-schooled her

• She learned herself to read when she was 5 years-old

What her creativity came from ?

• Her mother's made-up tales

• The children stories of her time

• The thrillers and poetry from America

Her first publication

In 1901, Agatha wrote a poem about new electric trams in Ealing (London). It was published in the local newspaper : it is her first writing appear in print.

1910 : The marriage in mind

Because of her mother health, they went to Cairo (Egypte's capital). There, the Agatha's Cairo friends invited her to house parties. Severals marriage proposals was made to her, but she rejected all.

Ghezirah Palace, Zamalek district, 1906

Finally, she accepted the hand of her friend Reginald Lucy ("Reggie"). This last insisted to wait two years for let Agatha free to break off the engagement.

An eventful period

1912 : Agatha was at a party at Ugbroke House when she met Archibald Christie ("Archie"), an aviator who had applied to join the Royal Flying Corps.

Agatha broke off her engagement to Reginald and married Archibald on Christmas Eve 1914. Because of the war, they didn't see each other until January 1918.

Agatha Christie and Archibald Christie (1889-1962)

The born of Poirot

During the First World War, in 1916, her sister Madge challenged her to write a detective story.

In october 1920, her first novel released in United States, titled "The Mysterious Affair at Styles".

In this novel, her famous character Hercule Poirot investigates on the murder of Emily, the matriarch of Styles Court, who was poisoned.

See here how Agatha found the inspiration for Poirot

Agatha Christie's daughter

5th August 1919 : Rosalind is born

Rosalind Margaret Clarissa Christie was the only child of Agatha Christie and her first husband. She was married to Hubert de Burr Prichard, then to Anthony Arthur Hicks. Rosalind was died the 4th October 2004.

A period full of enexpected developments

After her first book, Agatha continued to write. She has released other Poirot novels, the second was "The Murder on the Links", in 1923.

In 1926, after changing publishers, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" was released. It is one of the most famous murder mytery novels of her time which defined her carrer.

But at the same time, in April 1926, her mother died at Ashfield. Agatha went alone clearing out the family house while trying to write. Because of the distance and the grief of her wife, Archibald broke off their relationship when he falled in love of Nancy Neele, his fellow golfer and friend of the family. He married her two years later.

Ashfield, the first home and birthplace of Agatha Christie at Torquay

The disappearance of Agatha Christie

The night of 3th December 1926, Agatha, troubled by recent events, leave her home after let her daughter to the care of maids. Agatha took the train to Harrogate at Kings Cross station and stayed into the Swan Hydropathic Hotel under the name of Theresa Neele. Later, she was recognized by members of the hotel. This affair has agitated the press and the public, who have indulged in a variety of speculations.

The appearance of Miss Marple

After this, Agatha settled in London with Rosalind and Carlo, a secretary and close friend and followed a psychiatric treatment in Harley Street.

In the end of 1927, Agatha created Miss Jane Marple, an amateur detective. Miss Marple appeared for the first time in "The Tuesday Night Club", a short story published in the Royal Magazine.

Agatha's cover

In 1928, Agatha wrote her first novel under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott : "Giant's Bread", which isn't a detective story, but a fiction.

This pseudonym allowed her to write sincerely about personal things, her life's experiences.

A new impetus in her life ...

The same year, she went in Middle East on the Orient Express, realising her lifelong ambition to travel on this luxury train.

She journeyed alone, and accrossed the desert to archaelogical site at Ur, in Irak.

There, Agatha became friend with a couple of archaeologists, Leonard Woolley and his wife Katherine.

The couple invited her at the site in 1930. It is at this time that Agatha met Max Mallowan, an archaeologist-in-training.

Max proposed in the end of his visit at Ashfield. They married on 11th September 1930 at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh, in Scotland.

Agatha Christie and her second husband, Max Mallowan

... and for her writing

In October, the same year, she published the first full lenght novel of Miss Marple : "The Murder at the Vicarage".

They returned to the digs sites where Agatha often wrote. In fact, Middle East gave inspiration to Agatha, and she realised novels as "The Murder on the Orient Express" or "Death on the Nile".

Also, she wrote many short stories like Parker Pyne tales and published a second novel under her pseudonym.

As well, she started her autobiography.

A new home

1938 : Agatha selled Ashfield after found another property which remembered her childhood : Greenway, near to banks of River Dart, in Devon. She falled in love of this property which inspired her three novels.

Agatha and her family at Greenway

The return of the war

After heard that Britain was at war with Germany, Agatha decided to work again in the hospital dispensary in Torquay.

In 1940, they went to London where Max found work, leaving Greenway to evacuees.

The novel "N or M ?" is the Agatha's war effort.

A productive period

During this time, Agatha was particulary focused and productive : she wrote and published new novels which became classics, including her most famous book : "And Then There Were None".

In 1940, she penned last Poirot and Miss Marple novels - "Curtain" and "Sleeping Murder" - which were kept for publication posthumous.

She also wrote plays. Her adaptation of "And Then There Were None" was playing in 1943 for the first time. It is this year that Agatha became grandmother, when Rosalind gave birth to a son, Mathew Prichard. Sadly, the father of this last, Hubert Prichard will died one year later in the war. As well, Agatha penned "Death Comes As the End", a murder mystery inspirated from ancien Egypt and Middle East.

After the war

After the war, she wrote one novel a year because of the tax implications of writing so much and focused on playwriting.

In 1946, Agatha was identified as Mary Westmacott by an American reviewer of " Absent in the Spring ". She had enjoyed the freedom of her pseudonym so she was disappointed.

As brilliant as ever

1947: Agatha wrote "The Mousetrap", a radio play at the request of the BBC, for the 80th anniversary of Queen Mary. Her work became the longest running play in Britain history in September 1956. Other of her stories were adapted in play during the 1950s like the short story "Witness for the Prosecution".

The last years

From 1971 : Agatha released her lastest books. Among them we can quote "Nemesis" for Miss Marple or "Postern of Fate", a novel of Tommy and Tuppence, two other detectives who appeared in "N or M ?". The real last novel of Miss Marple will come out a few years later.

In November 1974, Agatha Christie made her last public appearance for the premiere of Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express,

with

Albert Finney in the role of Poirot. She found that was a good adaptation.

During the event, she rose from her chair to be greeted by Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne.

Queen Elizabeth II (left) and Agatha Christie (right)

The end of a life

After a long life and a succesful career, the one nicknamed the "Queen of Crime" died peacefully the 12th January 1976, at the age of 85.

She is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's Cholsey, near Wallingford.

Her books are her memory

The year of her death, "Sleeping Murder" was released, "Curtain" finally being published one year earlier. Her autobiography appeared in 1977.

Since then, there was a succession of works based on her writings and her characters, as movies, plays or else games.

Opposite, a poster of the movie "Murder on the Orient Express" from 2017.

Agatha Christie was a famous authoress, who stood out for her talent for murder mystery. Through the years, she remains famous and her books are still successful. Despite a life sometimes hard, Agatha drawed in her knowledge and found inspiration through her environment for write very good works and make her mark in the history of literature.

"What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all the love that has been given to me."

-Agatha Christie, An Autobiography

Agatha read books of Edith Nesbit (The Story of the Treasure Seekers, The Railway Children) and Luisa M Alcott (Little Women) for example

The two were engaged in the war. Archibald has fought in France as pilot in Royal Flying Corps. Agatha was worked as a nurse with Voluntary Aid Detachment in a Red Cross Hospital. She continued her wartime work until 1915 where she joined an hospital dispensary before passed the exam of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in 1917.

Billions copies in English and a billion in translation

Joan Hickson (1906-1998) was an English actress who played Miss Marple in the series "Miss Marple" in 1984-92.

Frederick Alvah Miller (1846-1901) was a American stockbroker. He died when Agatha was 11 years-old.

Eight people, all strangers to each other, are invited to Indian Island, on the English coast. When they arrive on the island, the butler and housekeeper report that the host, Mr. Owen, will not arrive until the next day. That evening, all the guests gather in the drawing room after an excellent dinner. They hear a recorded voice accusing each of them of a specific murder committed in the past and never uncovered. After this, they all dead one by one, and everybody things that the murderer is among them.

For economicals problems, her family rented out their house and went to France for a time : it's the start of her love for travels

During First World War, thousands of belgians refugees fled the fightings and arrived in England. At Torquay, Agatha found inspiration for her detective Hercule Poirot through a Belgian refugee who was a former great policeman.

Clarisa Margaret Boehmer (1854-1926) was the Irish niece of the second wife of Frederick's father

Agatha and her mother

The Orient Express has made its first journey in 1883. At that time, and until 1962, it linked London to Paris and Paris to Istanbul.

The warm climate of Egypt was beneficial for Agatha's mother's health. They stayed at Gezirah Palace Hotel for three months.

For write "Death on the Nile", Agatha was inspirated by a trip with her husband and her daughter.