Agatha Christie: The Disappearing Author

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller Christie Mallowan (Wow that’s a lot of names) was born the 15th September 1890 and died the 12th of January 1976. Agatha Christie was mainly known for her popular crime novels. According to the Guinness Book of World Records she is the best selling novelist of all time. She has sold around 4 billion copies of her novels world-wide. In 1926, a mystery developed around the crime novelist herself when she disappeared one evening after an argument with her husband. It seems that he was in love with someone else and wanted a divorce from Agatha. The search was on to find Agatha Christie, many fans were upset over her disappearance. 10 days later she was found in a hotel in Yorkshire, refusing to tell anyone what had happened to her. Many people have speculated that she just had a nervous breakdown or that maybe she was trying to frame her husband for her murder. No one knows still to this day why she disappeared and what happened during.

Here are some interesting things that you may not have known about Agatha Christie:

Agatha Christie wrote the longest running play in history ‘Mousetrap’. It has run for approximately 55 years.

Agatha Christie wrote two very popular characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. Both these characters were detectives. Miss Marple was based on Agatha Christie’s grandmother.

Agatha Christie learnt how to play the piano and sing in Paris when she was only 16.

Her first book was written as a challenge from her sister.

Agatha Christie was a dog lover and was especially fond of the colour green. Her favourite flower was Lily of the Valley and a rose was named after her.

She wrote 6 romance novels under the name Mary Westmacott. She also wrote the novel ‘Absent in the Spring’ under this name in one weekend.

Her first manuscript was rejected 6 times before it was accepted and published in 1920.

In World War II she was a pharmiscist in a hospital. This is where she learnt a lot about medicines and poisons that came in handy for her stories later on.

When Agatha Christie died London’s West End theatres dimmed their lights for an hour to show respect.