The famous British author known as Agatha Christie was born May Clairssa Miller in 1890. In 1914, she married Archie Christie. She was the author of 80 detective novels as well as short stories and screenplays. She is known as the world’s most popular mystery writer. She died January 2,1976.
Hercule Poirot
Christie’s first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which was published in 1920, featured Begian detective Hercule Poirot. Poirot appeared in 33 of Christie’s novels and in numerous short stories.
Poirot is described as being “hardly more than five feet four inches but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound.”
Poirot often used his “little grey cells” to solve complicated crimes. Rather egotistical about his accomplishments, Poirot was quoted as saying “I admit freely and without hypocrisy that I am a great man.” He also referred to himself as “the greatest mind in Europe.”
Poirot often used psychology to solve his crimes. He was not above using his unusual appearance and broken English to his advantage. Like the TV detective Columbo, he often gathered clues by asking a string of apparently pointless questions to encourage a confession or to get to the truth of the crime.
Christie’s most famous books featuring Poirot are The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile. Poirot’s last appearance was in Curtain, which was published in 1975, the year before Christie’s death.
Miss Marple
Miss Marple, who lives in the quaint little village of St. Mary Mead, appears in twelve novels and twenty short stories. Miss Marple’s first appearance was in the novel The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930.
Miss Marple, with her snowy white hair and wrinkled face gives the impression of being the typical spinister aunt. Her ever-present knitting needles and penchant for gossip inspires trust and confession. Like Poirot, Miss Marple is often underestimated by people, which gives her an opportunity to gather clues through village gossip. Beneath her ordinary appearance lurks a keen mind for human nature and solving mysteries.
Miss Marple books are often called tea cozy books, which are a type of light mystery that usually centers around life in an English village. Some of the more popular novels include The Murder at the Vicarage, The Body in the Library, and A Murder is Announced.
Who is the favorite detective? Agatha Christie herself claimed to favor Miss Marple, though in truth she wrote more books featuring Poirot. As for the readers, some swear by Poirot while others fall prey to Miss Marple’s sweet-mannered charm.
Interesting Trivia
- Christie never wrote a novel or short story featuring both Poirot and Miss Marple.
- Poirot is the only fictional character to have been given an obituary in The New York Times. It was published following the publication of Curtain in 1975.
- Miss Marple’s age is never mentioned
- The name Miss Marple was derived from the name of a railway station the author used.
- The character of Jessica Fletcher, of Murder, she Wrote, was based in part on Miss Marple.
- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Christie ranks among the best-selling writers of all times
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