 |
| Agatha Christie 1890-1976 |
If you have never heard of Agatha Christie until now, then maybe you had no idea her book sales come in at around 2 Billion. Her books come in third best-selling only after the Bible and Shakespeare. Yes. I'm surprised too. I'd thought it would be JK Rowling, or perhaps S. King, or even D. Koontz, and no other author of romance or any other genre can claim this. She is dubbed the "Queen of Crime".
With 66 crime novels, 14 short stories and the longest running play, a murder mystery called "The Mouse Trap", her best known characters are Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Christie was a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, and was the inspiration for her Hercule. She had only 6 rejections. I say "only" because most of us have many more than a handful before our first publication.
Born in an upper-middle class family, she taught herself to read, and was a voracious reader, and was surrounded by strong and independent women. She was raised in a house of esoteric beliefs, she and her siblings believed her mother a psychic (which I don't doubt).
During WWII, Christie worked in a hospital and learned all she needed about poisons. Well, well. It's a good thing she became a novelist rather than a murderess.
Her first marriage was not to last. Her husband asked for a divorce, having had an affair with another woman. I'm sure this devastated Agatha, as soon after she disappeared and made headlines.
Christie had no memory of what happened to her. Her car and clothes were found at a chalk quarry, and everyone assumed the worst. She was gone from December 3rd to December 14. She made no mention of this there after in any of her writings. This would there after be called her Fugue State.
On a trip to an excavation site at Ur in 1930, she met her second husband, Sir Max Malloway. Her fame as an author far exceeded his in archeology.
I've long wanted to read a Christie book, and I've finally found Murder on the Orient Express, which was not the original title. It was titled "Murder on the Calais Coach" when it first appeared in 1934.
The book now has its newest cover from the latest movie:
I hope to see the movie soon, and so will not read the book as yet. But soon. I'll post on both movie and book and differences.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I read the Orient Express years ago- and enjoyed the recent movie.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when I owned almost every book she wrote. She was fabulous!
ReplyDelete~William, I hope to see it this week. Even though I have seen the older versions and know the ending (and won't give it away for my husband).
ReplyDelete~Mari, I don't doubt it!
I don't think I've ever met anyone, writer or not, who doesn't know Agatha Christie.
ReplyDelete~Norma, you're probably right.
ReplyDelete