Agatha Christie – Mystery Writer Queen

Agatha Christie is credited with being the most translated authors of all time. Not only are her works available in 56 different languages, but she is also credited with having sold more books than any other author. According to Guinness, only the bible has sold more copies! So just where did this amazing author come from?

Agatha Miller was born in 1890 in the small town of Torquay which is located in Devon, England. She was the youngest of three children born to the Millers. Agatha was educated at home by tutors until the age of sixteen when she went to study in Paris. She studied singing and piano in Paris but was too shy to consider a career in music.

In 1914 Agatha married her first husband, Archibald Christie. He was a member of the Royal Flying Corps. During the war Agatha worked in a hospital where she acquired much of her knowledge of poisons. Their only child Rosalind was born in 1919.

After the war Agatha published her first novel in 1920, which she called “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”. This novel introduced her famous detective Hercule Poirot to the world.

It was in 1926, that her famous disappearance occurred. Agatha’s mother had recently died and her husband informed her that he was leaving to be with a younger woman, Nancy Neele. Agatha told her secretary that she was going to Yorkshire, but this never happened. She disappeared. Agatha was found eleven days later registered into the Swan Hotel under the name of Teresa Neele.

Some say that Agatha had suffered a nervous breakdown, while others have speculated that this was all a big publicity stunt. Agatha never spoke of that time, always maintaining that she did not remember anything that had happened during the eleven days she was missing. Indeed, two doctors both agreed that she had amnesia.

Unsolved Mysteries–(Agatha Christie II)

Agatha married her second husband in 1930, Max Mallowan. He was an archaeologist and Agatha often travelled with him to his many sites. These travels were reflected in many of her novels including “Murder on the Orient Express”.

Agatha died on January 12th 1976, at her Winterbrook home at the age of 86. She was survived by her only daughter Rosiland Margaret Hicks and her son Mathew Prichard.