14 centrespread centrespread 15 SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2015 SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2015 Meet the Sleuths Unlike Arthur Conan Doyle, who is synonymous with Sherlock Holmes, Christie The Life & Times of created more than one ace detective for her novels, short stories and plays: Dame Agatha Christie September 15, 1890: Born Agatha Mary ers takes them through four novels and Hercule Poirot: A moustache waxed to perfec- Clarissa Miller to an American father and one short story collection and their stories tion that he is inordinately proud of, supreme British mother in Torquay, Devon, now the confidence in his “little grey cells” and a devo- were reportedly the ones Christie enjoyed site of the Agatha Christie festival tion to “order and method” are among the best- writing the most known traits of Monsieur Poirot. A retired December 1914: Following a whirlwind member of the Belgian detective force, Poirot Harley Quinn: This mysterious fig- courtship, Agatha marries Archie Christie, a makes his debut in The Mysterious Affair At ure who seems to appear and disappear qualified aviator Styles and went on to feature in 33 novels and suddenly is supposed to be Christie’s Murder, 54 short stories. When Curtain: Poirot’s Last favourite character. He operates through 1916: Partly because of a bet with her sister, Case was published in 1974, The New York the more worldly Mr Satterthwaite, who he partly to dispel the boredom of her work at a Times gave the detective a front-page obituary, guides in the investigations. Christie dedi- dispensary during World War I, she writes her the only fictional character to get that honour cated the collection of short stories The debut detective novel, she Mysterious Mr Quinn to the character The Mysterious Affair At Miss Marple: A fussy old lady in the village himself Styles of St Mary Mead, Jane Marple is the anti the- sis of Hercule Poirot but is as well known. Parker Pyne: A retired civil 1919: Her daughter, Don’t let the constant knitting and fluffy white servant who decides to cure unhappi- Rosalind, is born. It’s also hair fool you, the amateur detective has outfoxed ness, Pyne sees himself more as a “heart the year she finds a pub- many a murderer across 12 novels and 20 short specialist” than a detective. Hence, he adver- lisher for her first novel, after rejections from stories. Christie has acknowledged that her tises in The Times: “Are you three others WroteSeptember 15 marks the 125th birth anniversary of Agatha Christie, dubbed “The Queen of grandmother was a huge influence on the happy? If not consult Mr Parker character of Miss Marple Pyne, 17 Richmond Street.” Crime”. And with good reason. The creator of the iconic detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple Ariadne Oliver, the crime 1926: Overwhelmed by her husband’s affair with a friend, Agatha disappears for 11 days, Tommy & Tuppence Beresford: novelist who pops in and is the world’s top selling novelist of all time. She wrote over 66 crime novels and 14 short story causing a nation- “Willing to do anything. Go anywhere... No out of Poirot’s novels and al outcry. She collections, and her play, The Mousetrap, is the longest running in history. As a year of festivities unreasonable offer refused” This was the dev- his secretary Miss was finally rec- il-may-care slogan adopted by “Young Adven- Lemon, both appear in to mark her anniversary draws to a close in the United Kingdom, ET Magazine takes you through ognized at a Parker Pyne Investigates, turers Ltd” aka Tommy and Tuppence Berse- hotel she’d the only exclusive collec- the highlights of the popular writer’s life and works: ford, a young couple trying to find their feet checked into tion of his works :: Indulekha Aravind after World War I. Their journey as adventur- under another name, and is thought to have The Christie you might not know had amnesia The record-holder 1928: Her husband, Archie, divorces her. She The intrepid Her intimate knowledge of She might also have In 1976, she helped also writes the first of her six novels writer may well poisons, her weapon of inspired a murderer solve a crime posthumously, published under the pseudonym Mary have been choice, was picked up during or two. In a 1977 case of 4 billion Christie taught when a nurse noticed that the Number of copies of her books Westmacott herself to read at among the first She was investigated by her stint as an apothecary’s symptoms of a 19-month-old a Frenchman arrested for assistant during World War I. 5 and had little formal Britons to surf MI5 for using the name patient resembled that of murdering his aunt using sold. Christie holds the Guinness September 1931: education until she was standing up –she Bletchley, the name of Pharmaceutical Journal victims of thallium described in atropine eye drops, a Miss World Record for best-selling Marries Max Mallowan, 15 or 16, when she was was introduced Britain’s top-secret code noticed, and wrote of her The Pale Horse. Her observation Marple mystery with the novelist of all time an archaeologist she had sent to a finishing to the sport in breaking centre, in her debut work : “This novel was found to be correct, passages on poison met two years ago near school in Paris Cape Town in novel N or M? has the rare merit of being and the girl’s life underlined were found in Baghdad. During this the 1920s correctly written” was saved his apartment 103 time, Christie was aver- Languages her books have been aging 2-3 books a year translated into, making her the 1939-45: The war years The Classics most translated author were a prolific period for (The three most popular titles, according to a recent poll by her estate) On The Miniscreen Christie, and she penned several best-sellers, episode got about Agatha Christie’s Poirot 25,000 including And Then There For most fans, Hercule Poirot is synonymous nine million viewers And Then There Were None (1939) Murder On The Orient Express The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Performances of Christie’s “The Were None, N or M? and with David Suchet, the actor who played the “It was so difficult to do that the idea had (1934) (1926) Belgian detective in the British television Partners In Mousetrap”, the longest running Five Little Pigs fascinated me,” Christie wrote about this When the Orient Express, used by the rich Considered a milestone of detective series spanning 25 years and 70 episodes. Crime play in history, have been staged novel, featuring 10 people and the famous, is stuck in a fiction because of its The series, watched by millions, came to an A new six-part series by 1971: Christie promoted to invited to an island, all of snowdrift, one of its shocking climax, the end last year BBC to commemorate the Dame Commander of the whom die, one after the passengers is murdered. book is considered by author’s 125th anniversary, 100 million Order of the British Empire other. The New York Times The catch? The murderer many to be her master- Agatha Christie’s Marple Partners in Crime is an adaptation of the two Christie Copies of “And Then There Were hailed it as “the most baf- or murderess is still on piece. It came third in a This ITV television series had the late Ger- January 12, 1976: Dies of ladine McEwan playing the title role for the books The Secret Adversary fling mystery Agatha board. The surprise ending poll of readers from None” have been sold, making it natural causes first three series, and Julia McKenzie taking and N or M, featuring the couple Christie has ever written” makes it a Christie classic around the world on the mantle after McEwan retired. Every Tommy and Tuppence the world’s best-selling mystery SOURCE: WWW.AGATHACHRISTIE.COM , THE GUARDIAN, THE INDEPENDENT, BBC.