Although I’m not usually a fan of mysteries, I recently read Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie as a library-sponsored book club selection.
From the Hercule Poirot Mystery series, Three Act Tragedy is, as the title implies, written in three sections. In the first, mild-mannered Reverend Stephen Babbington chokes on his cocktail at a dinner party and suddenly dies. In the second act, another “accidental death” occurs and with many of the same people present. In the third act master detective Hercule Poirot, together with a team of sleuths, attempt to solve the baffling murder mysteries.
Reading this book made me curious about the author and her amazing writing accomplishments. Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (1890 – 1976) is listed in the Guinness World Records as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies. Her novel, And Then There Were None is Christie’s best-selling novel, with 100 million sales to date, making it the world’s most popular mystery ever, and one of the world’s best-selling books. Her works have been made into plays, films and television series.
Agatha Christie enjoyed a happy childhood in Devon, England. She married Archibald Christie in 1914, and they had one child, a daughter. In 1926 Archie asked for a divorce as he had fallen in love with another woman. Soon afterwards, Agatha disappeared, causing a public outcry of alarm. Searchers found her car, but despite an extensive manhunt, she was not found for 10 days. There never has been an explanation for the disappearance. She says of the experience, “So, after illness, came sorrow, despair and heartbreak. There is no need to dwell on it.”
Christie traveled extensively for several years, writing along the way, frequently using foreign settings for her novels. In 1930 she married an archaeologist 13 years her junior, Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan. Their marriage was happy and lasted until Christie’s death in 1976.
In 1946, Christie said of herself: “My chief dislikes are crowds, loud noises, gramophones and cinemas. I dislike the taste of alcohol and do not like smoking. I DO like sun, sea, flowers, traveling, strange foods, sports, concerts, theatres, pianos, and doing embroidery.” Interestingly, she doesn’t mention writing. But a master in the craft of writing she was. Agatha Christie is known world-wide and her work has been translated into more than a hundred foreign languages. Mystery may not be my favorite genre, but learning about Agatha Christie has somewhat solved the mystery about what it takes to be a great, world-renowned author.