Author Focus: Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie, the famous crime novelist, was born September 15th, 1890 in Torquay, England. At birth she was named Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller by her mother Clara Boehmer, a Belfast-born Englishwoman, and Frederick Alvah Miller, an American stockbroker. She grew up in a wealthy family, and was often quoted as saying that she had a very happy childhood. Agatha taught herself to read by the time she was five, despite her mother's wishes that she not learn until she was eight. As a child Agatha developed a love for children's stories, poetry and thrillers. By the age of 18 Agatha was writing short stories. During World War I Agatha began writing detective stories and shortly after the war ended her first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published.

Interesting Agatha Christie Facts:
Agatha Miller married Archibald Christie in 1914.
Agatha served in the Voluntary Aid Detachment during World War I at the hospital in Torquay.
When Archibald returned from the war they had one daughter Rosalind, born in 1919.
In 1922 Agatha Christie's novel The Secret Adversary was published.
In 1926 Archibald asked for a divorce, and shortly after Agatha disappeared for 11 days. She was found in the Swan Hydropathic Hotel in Yorkshire under an alias.
During her marriage to Archibald Agatha published six novels, a short story collection, and several stories in magazines.
Agatha Christie married Max Mallowan, an archaeologist, in 1930. The marriage lasted until Agatha's death in 1976.

The Agatha Christie books published in the 1920s include The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), The Secret Adversary (1922), The Murder on the Links (1923), The Man in the Brown Suit (1924), The Secret of Chimneys (1925), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), The Big Four (1927), The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928), and The Seven Dials Mystery (1929).
Agatha Christie had 17 more novels published in the 1930s.
Characters in her early books included Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, and Hercule Poirot. These characters were used continuously in her novels until her death.
Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pen name of Mary Westmacott including Giant's Bread (1930), Unfinished Portrait (1934), Absent in the Spring (1944), The Rose and the Yew Tree (1948), A Daughter's a Daughter (1952), The Burden (1956).
Agatha Christie wrote in other mediums in addition to novels. She wrote many plays, short stories, radio plays, television plays, non-fiction, poetry, and several co-authored works.
Many of Agatha Christie's written works have been adapted into plays, television shows, and movies.
The last public appearance Agatha Christie made was in 1974, to attend the opening of the film Murder on the Orient Express. She thought that Poirot's moustache in the movie was not luxurious enough but she like the film.
At one time the British Intelligence agency MI5 as investigating Agatha Christie because of one of her characters, a spy, was believed to be real. Agatha laid their fears to rest and the case was closed.
In 1971 Agatha Christie was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
When her husband became a knight she could also be called Lady Mallowan.
Agatha Christie died on January 12th, 1976 and is buried in St. Mary's churchyard in Chosley.