Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie is regarded as one of the most renowned authors in literary history. With nearly four billion copies of her novels sold worldwide, her sales figures are only surpassed by William Shakespeare. Christie is celebrated for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, in addition to holding the record for the longest-running play in the world, “The Mousetrap.” Her works have sold over one billion copies in English and another billion in translations.
Early Life and Education
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on September 15, 1890, in Torquay, Devon, in southwest England, to a well-to-do middle-class family with a British mother and an American father.
The nurturing environment of her home significantly impacted her literary career. She learned to read, write, perform arithmetic, and play music from her father, while her mother was an excellent storyteller. This background fostered Agatha’s love for reading from an early age, as she taught herself to read by the age of five.
Agatha received homeschooling during her early childhood until she was twelve. In 1902, she attended a girls’ school in Torquay, Devon, where she studied until 1905. She continued her education in Paris, France, from 1905 to 1910, before returning to live with her remaining family in England.
Writing Style
Known as the “Queen of Crime,” Agatha Christie made her mark through her thrilling literary works, primarily within the mystery and crime genres. She penned her first detective novel, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” while working as a nurse during World War I, publishing it post-war in 1920.
Christie’s captivating narrative style is characterized by a unique approach, beginning with the commission of a crime involving multiple suspects. She expertly unveils hidden secrets to arrive at the truth while building suspense throughout the investigation. Two of her most iconic characters, the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, are among the most prominent figures in her works.
One of the defining features of her novels is the meticulous description of characters and the circumstances surrounding their crimes. Notably, many of her stories employ poison as the murder method. Her experience as a pharmacy assistant at a university hospital during World War II in Wintlebury, Oxfordshire, provided her with additional knowledge about poisons, which she effectively incorporated into her works for added realism.
Notable Works
Some of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels include:
- Death on the Nile
- Murder on the Orient Express
- And Then There Were None
- The Hollow
- A Holiday for Murder
- Evil Under the Sun
- Thirteen Problems
- The Big Four
- Murder in Mesopotamia
- Danger in the Last House
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- Golf Course Murder
- The Man in the Brown Suit
- The Chimneys Murder Case