Spotlight on: Agatha Christie
It’s time to celebrate all things Agatha Christie!
The queen of crime writing has written 72 books and is the best-selling author of all time, and has arguably influenced crime fiction forever. If that weren’t already enough reason to celebrate her ingenuity, perhaps consider the fact that Poirot and Miss Marple, her two key detective characters, have been featured in countless adaptations. Add the fact that she mysteriously disappeared for eleven days with no explanation, and she is well-deservedly the best crime writer in history.
It’s therefore no surprise that there is an international Agatha Christie festival celebrating her life and legacy. The festival is based in Torbay, Devon, but includes high-profile speakers and performers from all over the world. According to the festival website, it aims to: ‘use the extraordinary power and reach of Agatha Christie’s global reputation to promote engagement and participation in literature and the arts’.
As well as this, Agatha Christie was born on the 15th September 1890, exactly 130 years ago! Therefore it’s the perfect time to reflect back on her body of work and the extraordinary influence she’d had over literature.
Five Fun Facts About The Queen of Crime:
- She worked in a hospital in WW1
- She’s responsible for the world’s longest running play - The Mousetrap opened in 1952 and is still going today!
- She is second only to Shakespeare and the Bible in terms of publishing
- She also wrote six romance novels under the pen name Mary Westmacott
- Her first book waited four years before publication, after having been rejected by six publishers!
