Agatha Christie: Grande Dame of Mystery Fiction
Nobody does whodunits with the style and flair of Agatha Christie – no one. Known for creating sleuths more clever than the world’s greatest fiction detectives, Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie’s novels and stories have held mystery readers in thrall for almost ninety-five years.
Her novels and stories are timeless.
With over two billion books sold, The Guinness Book of World Records says that Agatha Christie is the best selling author of all time.
Her writing received multiple awards. She also wrote under the pseudonyms Mary Westmacott and Monosyllaba.
Christie started writing young, having written her first poem at ten years of age. She continued to write through her childhood and into adulthood.
Her first novel, Snow Upon the Desert, was rejected on multiple occasions. Her first published novel featuring Hercule Poirot, was The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
One thing that distinguished her mystery novels from those of other writers of the day were the exotic settings in which many of her stories took place.
She traveled to many of the places in which her novels were set. Her activities abroad also figure into many of her stories’ events.
Her play, The Mousetrap has run continuously since 1952 when it opened on the lower east side. Her most famous detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, are known world wide. Many of her books have also been adapted to movies and television.
Not too long ago, in 1970, her notebooks were made available to John Curran, Christie archivist and expert. He wrote Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks. You’ll find a review of that book on Barnes and Noble.
Miss Christie talks about herself here. Agatha wrote her mysteries at Greenway near Galmpton in Devon. She spent the majority of her summers there until her death on January 12, 1976. The house is now open to the public. A few of her stories include scenes that are set in various locations of Greenway. Wiki talks more about Greenway as a source for the writer’s inspiration.
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