Biography
The undisputed Queen Of Crime, Agatha Christie created two of the most popular detectives of all time, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and penned the world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which has been performed continuously (apart from during COVID lockdowns) in the West End since 1952.
Born into a wealthy family in 1890, Agatha Miller was home-schooled for much of her childhood, and was a voracious reader from a young age. Aged 18, Agatha wrote her first short story while recovering from an illness, which was rejected from publication. At the same time, she started work on her first novel, Snow Upon The Desert, which was rejected by six different publishers. She married Archibald Christie in 1914, and worked for the British Red Cross throughout the First World War. It was during the war that, inspired by her love of detective novels and her work with Belgian refugees, she wrote her first mystery novel, starring former Belgian police officer Hercule Poirot. Although originally rejected, it was published in 1920 following some revisions. Several more Poirot detective novels followed; none were rejected from publication, and 1927 saw the first appearance of the fiercely inquisitive amateur detective Miss Jane Marple.
The author of 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, Agatha Christie was made a Dame in 1971 for her contributions to literature. Having sold over 2 billion copies of her books, she is the bestselling fiction writer of all time.
