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Introduction
Dame Agatha Christie is perhaps the most renowned English writer famous for her exceptionally well-written detective stories. It won’t be incorrect to state that Christie was an extremely popular author of the twentieth century who wrote more than eighty books. Her most well-liked characters were Hercule Poirot (a self-centered Belgian), and Miss Jane Marple (an old bachelor). Both these characters were detectives and got featured in a majority of Christie’s books. It won’t be incorrect to state that the woman changed the crime scene literature forever and no other writer enjoys the status she still holds in the literary world. The best thing about her is that she was a self-taught writer who later emerged as the most popular writer in the world.
Major Works
Christie is recognized for her clever plots. Her major works consist of “The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), Murder on the Orient Express (1934), Death on the Nile (1937), And Then There Were None (1940), Death Comes as the End (1945), Funerals Are Fatal (1953), The Pale Horse (1962), Passenger to Frankfurt (1970), Elephants Can Remember (1973), and Curtain (1975)” ("Christie, Dame Agatha"). She was also a playwright and her most famous play was The Mousetrap (1952). The Mousetrap is also unique in the sense that it was one of the longest-running plays in the history of theatre. Witness for the Prosecution (1954) is also among the most famous plays by Christie. It is also important to note here that Christie also had a fictitious name i.e. Mary Westmacott. She used this name for the publication of many other novels written by her. In 1971, the British government honored her with the title of Dame Commander.
Early Life
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, Devon, on September 15, 1890 as Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller. Her father, Frederick Alvah, was an affluent American stockbroker whereas her mother, Clarissa Miller, belonged to an English military family. She had two siblings; a brother and a sister named Monty and Margaret respectively. At the age of eleven, she lost her father as a result of an untimely heart attack. She acquired early education at home from her mother who was also the first person to encourage Christie to write. As a reader, she was especially interested in the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle during her childhood. When she turned sixteen, Christie moved to Paris and started studying singing. She also took music classes to learn to play piano in the French capital (Haynes 20). Her brother joined the Army whereas her sister was married. Although Christie’s mother wanted her to become an opera singer, Christie’s eternal shyness hindered her to become a stage performer. It can be said that her extraordinary imaginative powers “coupled with a basic personal shyness led her to pursue creative writing where she found a natural outlet for her fantasies” (Maida & Spornick 33).
Married Life
Christie married twice. Colonel Archibald Christie was her first husband whom she married in 1914. He was an aviator by profession in the Royal Air Force. Unfortunately, her first marriage was a failure. Christie became the mother of a daughter, Rosalin, but the couple couldn’t continue together and got divorced in 1928. It is also significant to mention here that Christie published The Mysterious Affair at Styles (her first novel) in 1920 during her first marriage. It is astonishing that her first mentioned manuscript was rejected by a number of publishers which later became a great success. She did not concentrate on writing only but also worked at a sanatorium as a V.A.D nurse during the Great War I. Working at the said places inspired Christie a lot and consequently also impacted Christie’s work. This is evident as she has carried out many murders in her novels using poison (Haynes 20).
With the death of her mother and the expected dissolution of her first marriage, Christie mysteriously disappeared for more than a week. It is still a puzzle (just like her mystery novels) that where had she gone for the stated time period. However, no theory has been established about the event till date and it remains a mystery (Haynes 20). According to some, this disappearance was intended to get attention and have more books sold. On the other hand, many perceive this event as an act to make her former husband suspicious in front of the world as a revenge for the deceit she received due to his extramarital affairs.
After the permanent separation from her first husband, Christie travelled to get over the nervous breakdown and met Sir Max Mallowan, an archaeologist, in the Middle East. Although Mallowan was fourteen years younger than her, the couple married in 1930 (Haynes 20). Although the couple lived happily in the earlier years of their married life, Christie again experienced an emotional roller coaster ride as Mallowan was evidently involved in other women. The name of Barbara Parker is very important in this regard as Mallowan had an extramarital affair with her and they married one year after the death of Agatha Christie in 1977. This information is significant to mention as many of Christie’s novels that were based in the Middle East were inspired with her travels with her second husband. There are many novels that had a background as similar to her birth place i.e. Torquay, Devon. In the similar fashion, Murder on the Orient Express (1934) was written by her in Istanbul, Turkey. Most of the content of her Middle-East-inspired-novels was taken from the excavations of her husband. She especially enjoyed Mallowan’s company as both worked towards discovering clues. The couple remained married until Christie’s death.
Literary Journey and Writing Style
If truth be told, Agatha Christie was the most well-known and high-flying writer of her time. She is still considered as the Crime Queen in English Literature. The best thing about her writing style was that she always misdirected her readers through false prediction, discourse, and meaningless propositions. The readers are always captivated by her techniques and are compelled to believe along a convinced lane. Unlike other apparent plots of mystery-novel writers, the murderers in the novels of Agatha Christie stay out of doubt.
Although her work made Christie rich and famous, she remained a modest woman and this quality is rarely found in famous writers. She was always down-to-earth and never got overconfident about her skills and talent. She was the first mystery writer who changed the conventional modes of detective fiction and gave more emphasis to behavioral and verbal clues. She was extremely skillful in constructing plots as she doesn’t confuse the reader but still makes them puzzled about the characterization and plots of the stories (Bargainnier 200). She is loved for easy reading and at the same time makes her readers want to uncover the truth in parallel with her. She plays intellectual games with her readers and increases their curiosity levels to uncover the mystery (Bargainnier 201). For all those extraordinary reasons mentioned above, she was presented with the Edward Grand Master Award in 1955 for her lifetime contributions in the literature world.
Death
Agatha Christie was eighty-five when she died in January 1976 in Oxfordshire.
Conclusion
If truth be told, it is extremely incredible that even after her death, Agatha Christie’s books are still read all over the world with the highest number of readers. The “Mistress of Mystery” would remain a favorite as no other writer has demonstrated such writing skills as Christie’s.
Works Cited
Bargainnier, Earl F.. The Gentle Art of Murder: The Detective Fiction of Agatha Christie. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1980. Print.
"Christie, Dame Agatha." Questia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://www.questia.com/read/1E1-ChristieA/christie-dame-agatha>.
Haynes, Dorothy Elizabeth. Crime Writers: A Research Guide. Santa Barbara, Calif. : Libraries Unlimited, 2011. Print.
Maida, Patricia D., and Nicholas B. Spornick. Murder She wrote: A Study of Agatha Christie's Detective Fiction. Bowling Green: Ohio, 1982. Print.
