Early Life
Agatha Mary Clarissa Mille known as Agatha Christie to most readers was the famed playwright, crime novelist, and short story author. She was born on 15th September 1890, in Torquay, Devon, England. She was a brilliant daughter of Frederick Alvah Miller, a stockbroker from New York, while her mother, Clara Boehmer, with an army background. She enjoyed a prosperous childhood with her loving family that admired and valued her choices and provided her with a comfort zone where she could grow, keeping her interests aligned with her personality. Their lives took a tragic turn in 1901 when her father succumbed to chronic pneumonia and kidney disease. His death stole the joys and colors of their lives, throwing the family deep into despair. However, Agatha’s creativity didn’t get restricted by her tragedies.
Education
Agatha Christie was initially home-schooled by her parents who adored her keen interest in reading writing and playing music. Her mother played a significant role in shaping her creative brain. She inspired her to transfer her emotions and ideas on paper. After getting initial grounding from home, she began her formal education at Miss Guyer’s Girls’ School in Torquay. Later, in 1905, she traveled to France and attended three different Persian Schools where she further polished her writing talent. She returned to England in 1910 and composed her first literary piece “The House of Dreams,” which was later published in The Sovereign Magazine.
Personal Life
Christie married twice in life. She met her first husband, Archie Christie, in a dance ball, and they fell in love with each other. The couple tied the knot in 1914 and had one daughter, Rosalind. Unfortunately, they failed to create a strong love bond and parted ways in 1928. After two years, she remarried Max Mallowan, an archaeologist, in September 1930.
Some Important Facts about Her
- Her detective and mystery stories have been adapted to films, video games, and TV screens.
- Agatha Christie was presented with a damehood by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to literature in 1971.
- She is listed as the best-selling fiction writer in the Guinness World Records as more than two billion copies of her writings have been sold worldwide.
- Her writings have also been translated into more than a hundred languages.
- Entertaining the world with her magical writings, her health began to deteriorate in the 1970s. She died on the 12th of January in 1976 at 85 at the Winter Brook House.
Her Career
Agatha Christie became a published writer in 1926 with her first short story “The House of Dreams.” She published her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in 1920, weaving a detective tale revolving around her famous character, Hercule Poirot. Later, in 1926, she came up with another significant work, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which added more glory to her fortune. Her other notable works include A Murder Is Announced, And Then There Were None, Murder in the Calais Coach, Easy to Kill, and Black Coffee.
Her Style
Agatha’s writing style in her murder mystery continues to mesmerize the world as she brilliantly put reality into fiction by developing many characters from scratch. She grabs the reader’s attention by setting a catchy link between delicate storylines, plot structures, and psychological links, such as in Curtain. Also, her succinct use of language and unique characterization make it easy for the viewers to understand the mystery she intends to reveal. A common trait in many of her novels is that she develops the psychological reality in a way that a reader can put himself into the situation. Also, using a catchy description of the character and events, the interaction between characters and captivating conclusion keeps the readers engaging until the end. Regarding literary devices, she often turns toward imagery, symbolism, foreshadowing, and rhetorical statements. Some of the important themes in most of her writings are law versus ethics, violence, psychology, mystery, and detection and intellect.
Some Important Works of Agatha Christie
- Best Novels: Some of her remarkable novels include The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links, The Mystery of the Blue Train, Murder on the Orient Express, Appointment with Death, and The Moving Finger.
- Other Works: Besides writing marvelous novels, she tried her hands in other areas. Some of them include Poirot Investigates, The Mysterious Mr. Quin, Murder in the Mews, “The Million Dollar Bond Robbery”, Star Over Bethlehem, and The Scoop and Behind the Screen.
Agatha Christie’s impacts on Future Literature
Agatha Christie’s remarkable legacy and reader’s interest in her writings speak much about her influence. She is an iconic writer as her works continue to benefit the readers even after the ages of her demise. Her crime fiction equips the readers with problem-solving techniques, visual and auditory perceptiveness, and regional knowledge. Therefore, writers and readers who share interests in puzzles and mysteries keep her popularity going. She expresses her ideas in her pieces so well that writers tend to opt for her distinctly exclusive style to shape their thoughts even today.
Important Quotes
- “As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be safe to tell any man the truth about his wife! Funnily enough, I’d trust most women with the truth about their husbands. Women can accept the fact that a man is a rotter, a swindler, a drug taker, a confirmed liar, and a general swine, without batting an eyelash, and without its impairing their affection for the brute in the least. Women are wonderful realists.” (Murder in Mesopotamia)
- “Why shouldn’t I hate her? She did the worst thing to me that anyone can do to anyone else. Let them believe that they’re loved and wanted and then show them that it’s all a sham.” (The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side)
- “I know there’s a proverb which that says ‘To err is human,’ but a human error is nothing to what a computer can do if it tries.” (Hallowe’en Party)