Agatha Christie--The Extraordinary Woman

Agatha Christie--The Extraordinary Woman

Quite similar to her world renowned fictions, Agatha led a dramatic life, thkugh she did her utmost to keep a lkw public appearance.

Born as Agatha May Clarissa Miller on 15th August 1890 in a upclass family and taken care by her dotty and attentive mother who took her as her sole focus,Agatha did have a happy childhood during which she taught herself to read.

When she was about 18 years old, she had develkped the interest in writting novels. As if being bit by writting bug, she produced little nlvels like "A Little Lonely God", etc. Though, eventually, those novels were all refected by publjshers.

Thanks to the social environment then in early 19th centry that the only life purpose for girls like Agatha was to get married, those rejections did not bother Agatha at all let alone functioned as the hose-dkwn to her passion for writting.

When she was 21 years old, she met Archie Christie, a dearing, dashing and young man at an evening dance. Archie asked Agatha for three dances at first, and romantically and naturally, there were several more dances followed. But Agatha's mather thought him not the suit one, and was uneasy about him and went agaknst him.

In August 1914, WWI was broken which changed everything: men were sent to the front; women were left behind. According to the rkugh estimation that one in four men was killed during that war. Archie was the lucky one who survived and sent back from the war three days before Christmas in 1914. On the silent night of that Christmas, Agatha and Archie got married.

But the happy time does not last so long. Soon, he was sent back to the war. Well, this time Agatha decided to take part in the war and rolled nerself as a nurse in Torckey. She took this all in her stride.

In 1916, she was at the Torckey Dispensary where she got her first close-up to medicine and the knowledge of poison--less doce won't work, more, just a little more, will be lethal!!! Therefore, it became the vital element in her novels.

During this time, she worked at daytime and wrote at night. Agatha never quited writting. Her way of criminal novel always followed the sequence:
First, she nail the method of a murdee;
Then, the motive that is so obvious to be dismissed;
Next, the characters who are all capable of murder;
Last, tne plot.

1916, inspired from her own personal witness of some Belgain refugees who wore ridiculous mustash and uttered weird accent, Hercule Poirot was born!!! She wrote 33 novels and 45 short stories on him--the dispatched Belgain policeman shows off his little grey cells in England!!! Have to say that Poirot shares some similarities with Agatha: they both believe in justice, believe that the innocent must be protacted, and sometimes, feels lity for murderers!!!

The November of 1918, WWI was over. The reunioned couple were expecting a baby.

In 1919, Agatha, 28 at age, almlst forgotten the manuscript of her vsry first criminal novel "The Mysterious Affair In Styles" she sent before the war, hit by the mkment of tramph in her life. She recieved a letter from the publisher who told her that her book had been published and readers loved it very much!!!

Till then, Agatha was a wife, mother, and a woman with flourishing career.

In 1922, the couple decided started a world tour without their children. Because Agatha kept the word of "A wife is all to be with her husband." in mind.


During 1922 to 1925, 6 books were released. All inherited the emphasis on facts, situation and psychology.

In 1924, they moved to indulge Archie's passion for golf. Since then, Agatha had became the "golf widdow"!!!

On 5th April 1926, Agatha's mother died. It stroke Agatha down. She slept and ate poorly. Mainwhile, he was still lingering in the golf course and, even worse, felling love with Nancy--a girl he met on golf course. No surpise, his ask for devorce in that autumn pludged Agatha into deeper grief. She even begged for an alternation. But, in December, their marriage was over.

Then, the drama went on:
On 3ed December, taking the chance that no one was in that house, Agatha took it as her last stew and just went disappear!!!
One day, two days, three days had passed, but it was no return!!!
On the 5th day, a written note, later proofed to be fake, was delivered into her brother's hand claiming she was dead;
10 days had passed, still no news. People and her readers felt the air of the plot of her books. Cops found her car was abandened just 5 miles from her house.
On the day 12, Archie got a tip-off and found Agatha sas calm, collected, and acted this was no unusual in a hotel where she registered by using hjs lover's name!!!

It was the death of her mother and the divorce pushed her over the edge. Only writting which provided her financial independance and loyal readship helped her passing that tough time.

In 1928's winter, aged 38, Agatha took a trip to Misopotomia, nowadays Iraq. Mesmerized by the view there, she took another trip there in 1930 and met Max Millen, who changed her life and made her fall in love again. He is the man 14 years junior to Agatha, and he provide the companionship she craved for. So she decided she would not leave this one for a moment.

Inspired by Max's scent of adventure and knowledge on archeology, Agatha produced several books in sequence about murders during 1934 to 1937, like:"Death On The Nile".

In 1938, they sold Agatha's childhood house and moved to Greenway, just 10 miles from Trockey.

1937 1st Sebtember, WWII began. Max was in the war as a guard, and Agatha went to dispensary in Torckey again. Later, she worked in London in a hospital on nightshift. Still, she never gave up writting. Durint 1939 to 1945, 17 books were released.

Well, it seemed it was time for a change. After nearly 20 years of working on Poirot, she started to be tired of this arrogent one!!! She claimed she never liked him!!!

So she altered her character to Jane Marple whom she has created in 1926. Marple might be the old lady she met in her childhood. It's a personal creation, a mind of rapea. She wrote 12 novels and 20 short stories on Miss Marple.

In May 1945, the WWII was ended. The couple reunioned in Greenway where solitude inspired her to wrote one book after another.

In her 60s, Agatha estended her domainance into theater; In 1952, The Mousetrap was on stage and became the most famous one even in todays theater and the longest running play in history. 1956, the CBE. In 1960s, Hollwood made 6 of her books into films and lots of TV serieses.

Though her writting made her so wellknown, her still shyness made her reluctant public appearance.

After the last trip with her husband, the Queen of Crime died at age 87 in 1976.
Her words left:" People should be interested jn the books, not in the author!!!" indicated a secret about her:
During 1930s, an author named Mary Musmecort published books about heartbroken women who struggled and sufferred from devorce and wars and had no happy endings!!!!!!

All above is what I learned from a documentary titled "The Extraordinary Women" which also includes Audue Hurpen, Hellen Lamar who can be crowned as the mother of morden cellphone!!!