Around a century and three decades ago, a little girl took up a voracious hobby of reading. Although her mother homeschooled her, the latter’s made-up tales fueled her imagination, ultimately earning her the title of the ‘Queen of Crime’. Amusing herself, little Agatha loved making up imaginary friends, playing with animals, and writing poems. Author and family friend Eden Philpotts often remarked on Agatha’s mother’s aversion to the girl’s writing and poetic whims by saying, “The artist is only the glass through which we see nature, and the clearer and more absolutely pure that glass, so much the more perfect picture we can see through it. Never intrude yourself.”
She loved travelling, and often found herself a visitor of many cities, from living in the French capital to the archaeologically affluent city of Cairo. As she grew more in love with her husband, Archie Christie, she also had to face long years of loneliness while he was away at war, fighting for the Allied powers. The atrocities of the First World War affected both spouses. Archie, posted in France, and Agatha, on the Home Front, each played their part in the war, with Agatha working as a nurse with the Voluntary Aid Detachment in a Red Cross Hospital in Torquay.
Agatha Christie is a household name today among the all-time bestselling authors in the world, courtesy of the Belgian, methodical detective with the waxed moustache, Hercule Poirot. Known for his wit and keen understanding of the real world, Poirot’s character was inspired by a Belgian refugee and former great policeman who had settled in Torquay. As for the murder method in her novels, she naturally settled on poison, putting her knowledge and experience of the dispensary to use.
According to UNESCO’s Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author and was also voted the best crime writer, while The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was voted the best crime novel ever by 600 professional novelists of the Crime Writers’ Association. Following the war, Agatha continuously experimented with different kinds of mystery and thriller novels. Her well-renowned novel that lifted her to fame was the debut novel featuring Hercule Poirot, The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
Towards the end of 1927, Agatha had created another intriguing amateur detective—a white-haired old lady from a seemingly sheltered village named Miss Jane Marple.
Her mother’s death and her inevitable divorce in 1928 brought a significantly dark turn in her career. This marked the moment when, writing was no longer pleasure but a profession.
Alongside writing novels, Agatha also began to take an interest in playwriting ; following the disappointing adaptation of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd into 'Alibi' by Michael Morton in 1928. In 1930, she wrote a brand-new play featuring Poirot, Black Coffee, after which she decided to remove Poirot from future stage productions, arguing that he took attention away from the plot. In 1947, Agatha was approached by the BBC to write a radio play for the 80th birthday of Queen Mary, who was an avid admirer of her work. The result was Three Blind Mice, which ultimately became The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in history.
Agatha’s writings were gaining critical popularity. In 1948, Penguin published 100,000 copies of ten of her novels; then, in 1950, Collins printed 50,000 copies of her 50th book, A Murder Is Announced. Her works are consequential proofs of the phenomenal events of her life.
From being a young girl immersed in creativity to rightfully becoming the ‘Queen of Crime’, who imprinted her creative soul on the pages of more than a hundred literary works.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, along with her merited fame, has also earned an evergreen place in the hearts of those of us who are mystery and crime-fiction enthusiasts through her extraordinary skill in weaving some of the most sophisticated yet gripping thriller tapestries of all time. As we celebrate her 136th birth anniversary, her stories remind us that great mysteries may be solved, but the fascination of her world of secrets, suspense, and human nature never truly ends.
-Krutika Mali
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