Christie, Dame Agatha

Christie, Dame Agatha

▪ British author
in full  Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie,  née  Miller 
born Sept. 15, 1890, Torquay, Devon, Eng.
died Jan. 12, 1976, Wallingford, Oxfordshire
 English detective novelist (detective story) and playwright whose books have sold more than 100 million copies and have been translated into some 100 languages.

      Educated at home by her mother, Christie began writing detective fiction while working as a nurse during World War I. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), introduced Hercule Poirot, her eccentric and egotistic Belgian detective; Poirot reappeared in about 25 novels and many short stories before returning to Styles, where, in Curtain (1975), he died. The elderly spinster Miss Jane Marple, her other principal detective figure, first appeared in Murder at the Vicarage (1930). Christie's first major recognition came with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), which was followed by some 75 novels that usually made best-seller lists and were serialized in popular magazines in England and the United States. Her plays include The Mousetrap (1952), which set a world record for the longest continuous run at one theatre (8,862 performances—more than 21 years—at the Ambassadors Theatre, London) and then moved to another theatre, and Witness for the Prosecution (1953), which, like many of her works, was adapted into a successful film (1957). Other notable film adaptations include Murder on the Orient Express (1933; film, 1974) and Death on the Nile (1937; film, 1978). Her works were also adapted for television.

      In 1926 Christie's mother died, and her husband, Colonel Archibald Christie, requested a divorce. In a move she never fully explained, Christie disappeared and, after several highly-publicized days, was discovered registered in a hotel under the name of the woman her husband wished to marry. In 1930 Christie married the archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan; thereafter she spent several months each year on expeditions in Iraq and Syria with him. She also wrote romantic nondetective novels, such as Absent in the Spring (1944), under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Her Autobiography (1977) appeared posthumously. She was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1971.

Additional Reading
Dennis Sanders and Len Lovallo, The Agatha Christie Companion: The Complete Guide to Agatha Christie's Life and Work, rev. ed. (1989); Laura Thompson, Agatha Christie: An English Mystery (2007).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Christie,Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa — Chris·tie (krĭsʹtē), Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa. 1890 1976. British writer of more than 70 detective novels, including The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), and And Then There Were None (1940). She also wrote plays, including The Mousetrap (1952)… …   Universalium

  • Christie, Dame Agatha (Mary Clarissa) — born Sept. 15, 1890, Torquay, Devon, Eng. died Jan. 12, 1976, Wallingford, Oxfordshire British detective novelist and playwright. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), introduced Hercule Poirot, the eccentric Belgian detective… …   Universalium

  • Christie, Dame Agatha (Mary Clarissa) — (15 sep. 1890, Torquay, Devon, Inglaterra–12 ene. 1976, Wallingford, Oxfordshire). Escritora de novelas detectivescas y dramaturga británica. En su primera novela, El misterioso caso de Styles (1920), estrenó a Hércules Poirot, excéntrico… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie — noun prolific English writer of detective stories (1890 1976) • Syn: ↑Christie, ↑Agatha Christie • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author …   Useful english dictionary

  • Agatha Christie — noun prolific English writer of detective stories (1890 1976) • Syn: ↑Christie, ↑Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author * * * Agatha Christie …   Useful english dictionary

  • dame — /daym/, n. 1. (cap.) (in Britain) a. the official title of a female member of the Order of the British Empire, equivalent to that of a knight. b. the official title of the wife of a knight or baronet. 2. (formerly) a form of address to any woman… …   Universalium

  • Dame — (as used in expressions) Andrews, Dame Julie Ashcroft, Dame Peggy Christie, Dame Agatha (Mary Clarissa) Compton Burnett, Dame Ivy Cooper, Dame Gladys De Valois, Dame Ninette Dench, Dame Judi(th Olivia) Evans, Dame Edith (Mary) Fields, Dame Gracie …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller — Agatha Christie Pour les articles homonymes, voir Christie. Agatha Christie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Agatha Christie — Nombre completo Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller Nacimiento 15 de septiembre de 1890 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Christie — Christie1 [kris′tē] n. pl. Christies [< CHRISTIANIA2] [occas.c ] Skiing any of various high speed turns to change direction, reduce speed, or stop, made by shifting weight, with the skis parallel when the turn is completed: also sp. Christy or …   English World dictionary

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