The most translated author worldwide

According to the UNESCO inventory of book translations, crime queen Agatha Christie is the most translated author worldwide, with 6,598 translations of her short stories, novels and plays.

Biography of Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was an English writer who created "Hercule Poirot", a Belgian detective who appears in 33 of her works and has become one of the most celebrated detective fiction. Agatha was the greatest crime writer of all time. He wrote 93 books and 17 plays.

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller, known as Agatha Christie, was born in Torquay, Devonshiri County, England, on September 15, 1890. She was the daughter of the American FredericK Miller and the Englishwoman Clara.

From a wealthy family, Agatha studied at home with several private tutors. He learned piano and singing. At the age of eight, he began his formal education. He spent most of his time writing poems and short stories.

In 1912, he met the colonel and pilot of the Royal Aviation Corps. In 1914, he married an English pilot, whose surname he adopted.

When World War I broke out, Agatha volunteered for the Red Cross Army.

First book

In 1917, working as a nurse in England, she accepted a challenge from her sister, Madge, to write a police story in which the reader could not discover the identity of the murderer before the end of the plot.

Agatha wrote her first book, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”. The plot takes place in a severe English mansion – Styles – whose owner is found dead in her bed, victim of poisoning.

Hercule Poirot

In his book, “Hercule Poirot” appears for the first time, the small and elegant Belgian detective, with a bowler hat and military mustache, who became one of the most famous names in detective fiction. The book was not published until 1920.

Hercule Poirot would still be the protagonist of a series of other books, but it was in 1926 that she managed to call the public's attention with the book, "The Assassination of Roger Ackroyd", because, some time after its release, she mysteriously disappeared.

Agatha disappeared after her husband revealed he wanted to separate. She was only found after 11 days. Some claim that the disappearance was a plot to sell more books.

In 1930, already divorced and a successful novelist, she marries the archaeologist Max Mallowan and travels with him to the East, where she is inspired to write several books, including "Murder on the Orient Express" (1934), "Death in Mesopotamia" (1936), "Death on the Nile" (1937) and "Adventure in Baghdad" (1951).

Murder on the Orient Express was one of his most famous books, it was adapted for film, theater and television, especially the 1974 version, which gave Ingrid Bergman the Oscar for best supporting actress.

His character, detective Hercule Poirot, appears in 33 books. Another well-known character is the curious Miss Jane Marple, a nice old lady, with a profound knowledge of human nature. His debut took place in the book "Murder in the Pastor's House" (1930).

Teater

Agatha Christie wrote 17 plays for the theater, including "The Mousetrap" (1951), the most popular, which was staged more than 13,000 times in England, and "Witness for the Prosecution", written in 1953.

Agatha Christie died in Wallingford, England, of pneumonia on January 12, 1976.

Other Works by Agatha Christie

Thirteen at the Table (1933)

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1935)

Murder in the Alley (1936)

Death on the Beach (1941)

A Deadly Dose (1941)

A Body in the Library (1942)

The Mysterious Hand (1942)

A Toast of Cyanide (1945)

The Hollow Mansion (1946)

According to the Current (1948)

Invitation to a Murder (1950)

A Magic Pass (1962)

After the Funeral (1953)

Dead Man's Folly (1956)

A Cat Among the Pigeons (1959)

The Christmas Pudding Adventure (1960)

The Pale Horse (1961)

Endless Night (1967)

An ominous presentiment (1968)

A Passenger to Frankfurt (1970)

A Sleeping Crime (1976).