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Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on September 15, 1890, in Torquay, a seaside town in south-western England. She was the youngest of three children born to Frederick and Clarissa Miller. Agatha had two older siblings named Margaret and Louis. Curiously, little Agatha never went to school and was educated at home. Since early childhood, she loved books, and by the age of five, she taught herself to read. Little Agatha had a rich imagination. As a child she invented imaginary friends and began writing poems. When she was eleven, her beloved father died of a heart attack. This terrible misfortune came out of the blue. In addition to financial hardships, Agatha had to become a support for her mom, who grieved the loss of her loved one. They managed to overcome all life’s challenges, and over time Agatha took piano and singing lessons. She could have become a great pianist, but her natural shyness and stage fright prevented her from pursuing a career in music.
It was in 1912, when Agatha met her first husband Archibald Christie, a military officer in the Royal Flying Corps. They got married two years later, on Christmas Eve 1914. With the outbreak of the First World War, the married couple was forced to live apart: Agatha remained in her hometown Torquay and worked as a nurse in a Red Cross hospital, while Archie went to France. Over time, Agatha became an assistant pharmacist in a hospital, where she learned much about poisons. It was precisely this fact that left an imprint on her work: poison is among fiction’s most popular murder weapons.
Her first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha wrote in 1916 and dedicated it to her mother Clarissa. It introduced Hercule Poirot, the eccentric and brilliant detective. However, the journey to publishing this book was a long one. After being turned down by numerous publishers, Agatha Christie published her debut novel only in 1920.
As the years went on, the relationship between Agatha and her husband hit a dead end. Shortly after the birth of their daughter Rosalind, the couple grew significantly apart. One day, on return from his business trip, her husband Archie a
The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie haunts our minds and imagination to this very day. This intrigue deserves an Oscar. So, what happened that night? According to her biographer, before disappearance Agatha Christie wrote a letter to her secretary Carlo Fisher, asking to cancel the hotel reservation in Yorkshire. She also sent letters to her husband Archie and his brother Campbell. Naturally, the question arises: was it all made up? Perhaps, the “Queen of Crime” was preparing her escape plan. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves! Agatha kissed her little daughter goodnight and drove off.
The next morning, her car and personal belongings were found abandoned. Agatha Christie’s disappearance caused a great public outcry. There was huge speculation over the causes of this mysterious disappearance. Many predicted the worst-case scenario. The media suspected that Agatha Christie had been kidnapped. Some suggested that her husband Archie was involved in this disappearance, others suggested that she drowned herself. There was also speculation that Agatha took revenge on her husband. According to another version, it was a cu
This was one of the biggest country’s manhunts: more than a thousand police officers, up to 15,000 volunteers, and even her beloved dog searched for the missing writer. On top of that, two other famous writers – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers – joined in the search.
Agatha Christie had been missing for eleven days. She was found, safe and well, in Harrogate, Yorkshire. It turned out that she had checked into the hotel under the surname of “Neele,” the last name of Archie’s lady friend,which complicated the search. Agatha Christie didn’t comment on what had happened, claiming loss of memory. Doctors suggested she suffered a nervous breakdown. It’s still unclear whether her loss of memory was staged or caused by stress. Curiously, she didn’t recognize her husband Archie when he came to visit her. Agatha Christie never discussed the circumstances of her disappearance in detail, even with family or friends.
Anyway, the investigation came to a dead end. Amazingly, the mystery still remains unsolved, and we are left with more questions than answers. Who knows, maybe Agatha Christie wanted to let people finish the story for her.
Agatha and Archie split up. The divorce was tough on her. It took a while to cope with painful emotions and move on. Two years after divorcing Archie, Agatha married the archeologist Max Mallowan and joined him for regular expeditions to Iraq and Syria. I guess they bonded over the passion for traveling. Despite the difference in age – Agatha was fourteen years older than her husband – it was a happy marriage.
Agatha Christie was a very private person. And the more famous the writer became, the more she shu
Agatha Christie died on January 12, 1976, at age 85, but she will forever remain in the hearts of her devoted readers.
Vocabulary
every family has a skeleton in the cupboard [ˈevrɪ ˈfæm(ə)lɪ hæz ə ˈskelɪtn ɪn ðiː ˈkʌbəd] – в каждой семье есть свои скелеты в шкафу
be eager [bi ˈiːgə] – жаждать, очень хотеть, стремиться что-либо сделать
action-packed [ˈækʃn pækt] – остросюжетный
puzzle over [pʌzl ˈəʊvə] – ломать голову над чем-то
go missing [gəʊ ˈmɪsɪŋ] – пропасть без вести
missing person [ˈmɪsɪŋ pɜːsn] – пропавший без вести
suspicious [səˈspɪʃəs] – подозрительный, сомнительный
ring a bell [rɪŋ ə bel] – быть знакомым, напоминать о чем-то/ком-то (идиома)
vanish/disappear [ˈvænɪʃ ˌdɪsəˈpɪə] – исчезнуть
without a trace [wɪˈðaʊt ə treɪs] – бесследно
lift the veil [lɪft ðiː veɪl] – приоткрыть завесу
unsurpassed [ˌʌnsərˈpæst] – непревзойденный
be outsold (by) [bi autˈsəuld bai] – иметь меньший спрос, чем что-либо другое
best-selling novelist [ˌbestˈselɪŋ ˈnɑːvəlɪst] – автор бестселлеров, самый продаваемый писатель
novelist [ˈnɑːvəlɪst] – романист, писатель
novel [ˈnɑːvl] – роман
mystery novel [ˈmɪstərɪ ˈnɑːvl] – детектив, детективный роман