Agatha Christie
This article is about the writer. For the Russian band named after her, see Agata Kristi.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE [ˈæɡəθə ˈkɹɪsti] (b. 15 September 1890 in Torquay, County Devon; † 12 January 1976 in Wallingford, born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller) was a British author. The world sales of her books are said to exceed two billion, making her one of the most successful authors in literary history.
She is best known for a large number of detective novels and short stories, which have been adapted for the stage and made into films with great success. Her most famous creations are the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot with his friend Arthur Hastings and the spinsterish Miss Marple. There are also other recurring characters such as the married couple Tommy and Tuppence Beresford or Inspector Battle, Sir Henry Clithering or the mystery writer Mrs. Ariadne Oliver. In addition to her writing, Christie assisted her second husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowan, in his excavations in northern Iraq and Syria, particularly in restoring prehistoric pottery and photo-documenting the finds. She contributed significantly to the funding of these expeditions.
Plaque with photo in honour of Agatha Christie on the outside wall of Torre Abbey in her birthplace Torquay
Lifetime Literary Achievement Awards
- 1955 Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America
- 1972 Grand Master of the Swedish Crime Academy (Svenska Deckarakademin)
- 2000 "Best Crime Writer of the Century" (awarded at the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention)
- 2005 Archie Goodwin Award of the American Nero Wolfe Society
Works and their adaptations
→ Main article: List of works by Agatha Christie and List of adaptations of Agatha Christie's works.
Agatha Christie wrote 66 novels, numerous short stories, two autobiographies, several collections of poetry and 23 stage plays. These have been adapted into five radio plays, 22 feature films, 76 television movies, 19 animated films, and several computer games. Four documentaries have been made about her.
Questions and Answers
Q: Who was Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie?
A: Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie was an English writer of crime stories. She is one of the world's best-selling authors and her books have been translated into at least 103 languages.
Q: How many books has she sold around the world?
A: Christie has sold more than 4 billion books around the world, making her second only to William Shakespeare in terms of total book sales.
Q: What are her stories about?
A: Her stories are about murders and finding out who did them. There is a detective who tries to catch the bad person and readers can try to find the answer too, making it like playing a game.
Q: Who are some of the most well-known characters in her books?
A: The most well-known characters in Christie's books are Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Miss Marple is an old English lady who uses logic to find out who is guilty of the murder while Hercule Poirot is a strange man from Belgium living in London who likes to think through all evidence before coming up with an answer.
Q: What other works did she write besides novels?
A: In addition to writing novels, Christie also wrote plays such as The Mousetrap which remains the world's longest-running play today, as well as romance novels and other works.
Q: How did she learn how to read so early on in life?
A: Despite not going to school, Christie learned how to read by herself when she was four years old due to reading many different books that helped her become a good writer later on in life.
Q: What honour was given to her by Queen Elizabeth II?
A: In 1971, Queen Elizabeth II honoured Christie with the title Dame Commander of the Order of British Empire for her literary achievements.
