Agatha Christie

Full Name: Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie [also wrote as Mary Westmacott]
Profession: Novelist

Nationality:

Biography: Agatha Christie was an English writer best known for her creation of iconic characters like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and her record-breaking play The Mousetrap (1952). With over two billion copies of her books sold worldwide, she was acknowledged by Queen Elizabeth II with a Damehood for her literary achievements.

Coming from a comfortable background, Christie was educated at home and developed a love for reading and writing early on. The death of her father in 1901 profoundly affected her, and she found solace in writing. Her experiences during World War I, first as a nurse and later as a pharmacy dispenser, would later inform her mystery novels through an intricate knowledge of poisons.

Her literary career blossomed with the arrival of her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), which introduced the world to the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

Subsequently her personal life went through upheavals, including the end of her marriage to Archibald Christie in 1928 and her mysterious disappearance for eleven days in 1926. She found happiness again upon marrying archaeologist Max Mallowan in 1930. Their travels together provided further inspiration for several of her novels.

Throughout her career, Christie maintained a prolific output and was posthumously recognized as the best crime writer by the Crime Writers' Association in 2013. Her legacy has further been preserved through a wide array of adaptations, including films, television series, and stage plays.

Born: September 15, 1890
Birthplace: Torquay, Devon, England

Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Virgo

Died: January 12, 1976 (aged 85)