More than 50 years ago, Dame Agatha Christie took part in
a BBC radio programme which `investigated` how her story
ideas evolved into best-selling whodunnits.
In the interview, the Torquay-born crime-writer - who was
then just Agatha Christie without the Dame title -
revealed the secrets behind her success.
Even today, more than three decades after her death in
1976 - Dame Agatha remains one of the most widely read
writers in the world. She was dubbed The Queen of Crime,
and one critic also labeled her The Duchess of Death.
She created two of the most famous literary characters
of all time - Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, and her
works include The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Why Didn`t
They Ask Evans, Witness for the Prosecution, Death on
the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express, and The
Mousetrap.
Agatha would spend evenings in the company of friends or
family, and would sit and knit, with her mind seeming to
be elsewhere. And it was - she was thinking about her
next storyline, mapping out the plot from start to
finish.
By the time she sat down to write the book, it would all
be done and dusted inside her head.
Snippets from the interview with Agatha provide an
insight into how she went about her work.
Agatha was self-taught, which meant she spent much of her
childhood at home - and that`s when she began writing.
In the interview, she said: "I found myself making
up stories and acting the different parts. There`s
nothing like boredom to make you write.
Some of Dame Agatha`s books at Greenway
"So by the time I was 16 or 17, I`d written quite
a number of short stories and one long, dreary novel.
By the time I was 21, I had finished the first book of
mine ever to be published, the Mysterious Affair at
Styles.
"I`d sent it to one or two publishers who didn`t
want it and eventually it went to John Lane. About a year
later, I heard it had been accepted. Well, that`s how it
began."
The rest, as they say, is history. Agatha Christie -
whose family home at Greenway, Galmpton, has been gifted
to the National Trust - became one of the most prolific
writers ever.
In another clip from the interview, she gave us further
insight into how her stories were transferred from her
head onto the page.
"What is your method, they (my friends) want to
know. The disappointing truth is I haven`t much method. I
type my own drafts on an ancient faithful machine I`ve
owned for years.
"No, I think the real work is done in thinking out
the development of your story and worrying about it
until it comes right. That may take quite a while.
Then, when you`ve got all your material together, all
that remains is to find time to write the thing."
Dame Agatha churned out books in rapid fashion, as she
explained: "Three months seems to me quite a
reasonable time to complete a book, if one can get right
down to it.
"On the other hand, plays I think are better written
quickly. Writing plays is much more fun than writing
books. You haven`t got to bother about long descriptions
of places and people or deciding how to space out your
material.
"You must write pretty fast, keep in the mood and to
keep the talk flowing naturally. I prefer to write a play
as a play, that is rather than to adapt a book.
"The only reason I ever did that was because I
didn`t care very much for what happened when other people
tried to turn my books into plays. So in the end I had to
do it myself."
Torquay Harbour
Agatha Christie mystery walk
Torquay forms part of Devon`s English Riviera. It`s
also the place where Agatha Christie was born, and, to
mark the resort`s link with Dame Agatha, a special walk
has been devised - complete with a mystery to solve.
Agatha factfile
Agatha Christie was born in Barton Road, Torquay, in
1890.
All Saints Church in Torre, Torquay, was built thanks
to donations from the Christie family - and it is
where Agatha was baptized.
She later bought a house, called Greenway,
overlooking the River Dart at Galmpton - the house
and gardens are now owned by the National Trust
Dame Agatha used Torquay as the setting for some of
her mysteries.
A clifftop in St Marychurch is believed to have been
the setting for "Why Didn`t They Ask
Evans?"
Agatha wrote over 80 whodunnits, as well as 100-plus
short stories - and some romantic novels under the
name of Mary Westmacott.
She also wrote plays - and one, The Mousetrap, is one
of the biggest West End stage smashes of all time.
Dame Agatha died in 1976.
If you`re not so keen on strenuous moorland hikes, and
prefer something a little more gentle, then the Agatha
Christie Mile in Torquay might be a walk which is right
up your street.
It`s reasonably flat (apart from one hill!), contains
some fabulous views, and, with a mystery to solve, it`s
fun as well.
The Queen of Crime was born in Torquay in 1890, and the
town has several landmarks which are associated with her.
Princess Gardens
The Agatha Christie Mile takes in 10 landmarks - all
dotted around the Torquay harbour and seafront area.
The walk starts at Torquay`s tourism information centre
on the harbourside, where you can pick up the Agatha
Christie Mile leaflet.
That takes you through the landmarks....and at eight of
them, there are clues which spell out the name of a
character linked with Dame Agatha`s books.
The only hill is right at the start, up Beacon Hill to
the Imperial Hotel - used as the setting for some of her
books - and Beacon Cove, where she bathed as a young
woman.
The walk also takes in Torquay Musuem, which has an
Agatha Christie exhibition; the Agatha Christie bronze
bust in Cary Gardens near the harbour; Princess
Gardens; the 12th century Torre Abbey opposite
Torquay`s main beach; and, finally, the Grand Hotel,
where the crimewriter spent her honeymoon.
It`s a gentle stroll around the harbour and main beach,
with plenty of opportunities for a stop for a cup of tea
(or something stronger).
You can also imagine what the place must have been like
during Dame Agatha`s childhood, when Torquay enjoyed its
heyday, and learn about the author`s life and times
The Agatha Christie Festival
With over 40 Agatha Christie events taking place, this
year's Agatha Christie festival looks set to be the
best one yet!
Beginning the 13th September, visitors to the English
Riviera can enjoy a week of plays, cinema screenings,
tea-dances, walks, talks, book launches, murder mystery
dinners and more with thousands of other Christie
enthusiasts.
The highlight of this year's festival is an evening
of Murder Mystery hosted by Mathew Prichard, Agatha
Christie's grandson. Over a three course meal, guests
are invited to experience radio as it was when the
old-fashioned wireless reigned supreme. Actors from The
Agatha Christie Theatre Company present Murder on Air;
two half hour radio plays performed in the glamorous
setting of the Imperial Hotel. The plays were first
performed over 50 years ago and have never been
published. Accompanied by a dedicated sound effects
provider, the cast bring life to these witty stories,
delivering lines whilst stood at microphones and dressed
in evening attire of the period. Booking is essential -
tickets cost £40 - call England (44) 01803 211211 for
more details.
Also, essential for any fan is a visit to see Spider`s
Web. One of Christie's most light-hearted plays sees
Clarissa, the wife of a diplomat, embroiled in a most
deadly game. The Agatha Christie Theatre Company's
latest play has won rave reviews and is performed
throughout the week. Book tickets.Fans of the films can
watch a special open air screening of Murder on the
Orient Express - starring Peter Ustinov, in celebration
of the 75th anniversary of the publication of the novel.
Other delights include a fete based on Christie's
description of one in Dead Man's Folly and an
old-fashioned tea dance.
For more information about Torbay, visit the English
Riviera Website
AGATHA
CHRISTIE`s BIOGRAPHY
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Agatha as a child
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Agatha
Mary Clarissa Miller Christie Mallowan was born on September 15 in
1890 at a house called Ashfield on the outskirts of
Torquay, Devon.
She was
the youngest of three children: brother
Monty and sister Madge.
Her father Frederick Alvah Miller was an American and her
mother Clara Boehmer was English.
Their income was
said to be derived "from a business in New
York". It was a business which seemed to flourish
without any personal attention from Frederick. Her
father was also a president of the Tourqay Cricket
Club.
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Ashfield
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On
October 20 in 1890 she was baptized in the church All
Saints Church which is about a twenty minute walk from
their house.
She received names Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller - Mary
after her grandmother, Clarissa after her mother and
Agatha after a suggestion by a friend on a way to
church.
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Agatha Christie at dancing class in Torquay -
in the center
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She spent her childhood at Ashfield, an Victorian
villa, which she adored and had a very strong influence
on her life.
She didn`t go to school but was educated at home. She
was a bright child, who taught herself to read by the age
of five. She liked reading and she also took piano,
singing, dancing, tennis... lessons.
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Agatha in Paris in 1906
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Then when she was only 11 years old her father
died.
At
the age of sixteen she was sent to Paris where she
studied singing and piano. She considered becoming a
professional opera singer but her voice was not strong
enough. Also she considered becoming a concert pianist
but her music master told her that she was too nervous to
contemplate playing in public. Nevertheless she continued
to play privately at Greenway House and elsewhere.
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Agatha Christie with Archibald in
1919
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After finishing school, Agatha spent three months in
Egypt with her mother. When she returned to England in
1912 she met Colonel Lieutenant Archibald Christie
and they married
on Christmas Eve in 1914, at the beginning of the war. He
went straight off to the war and Agatha worked in the
dispensary of a Red cross hospital in Torquay. There she
learned about chemicals and poisons, which proved very
useful to her in her later career.
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Agatha with her daughter Rosalind
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After long time Archibald returned home and on August
5 in 1919 their daughter Rosalind was born.
Agatha and Archie went in 1922 on a British Empire
Exhibition. They also moved to a house called
"Styles" after her first novel.
But the marriage was unhappy. It didn`t last because
Archie had fallen in love with another woman and so he
asked for a divorce in 1926.
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Agatha Christie
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The same year also her mother died. Because of that
Agatha went missing for 11 days and was eventually found
in a hotel in Harrogate, in the North of England under an
alias. She vanished after crashing her Morris motor car.
But her disappearance is still a mystery.
In
1928 the divorce was finalized and Archibald Christie
then married Nancy Nelle and died in 1962.
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Max Mallowan
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She later found happiness with her marriage to
Max
Mallowan on
September 11 in 1930, an archaeologist who she met on her
travels in Near East in 1927. She later often assisted
her husband on excavations in Syria and
Iraq.
She later often told:"An archaeologist is the
best husband any woman can have. The older she gets, the
more interested he is in her."
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Rosalind and Mathew in 1947
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The Second World War separated them and Agatha again
worked at University College Hospital. During the world
Rosalind, who married Huber deBurgh Prichard and had a
son Mathew in 1943, widowed. She later married Anthony
Hicks.
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Greenway House
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Agatha Christie also become president of the British
Detection Club and in 1971 she was made a Dame of the
British Empire. Max also received a knighthood in 1968
which gave them the titles of Sir Max and Lady Mallowan -
also Dame Agatha Christe.
She and Max had Greenway House in Devonshire and
Winterbrook House near Oxford. Towards the end Max and
Agatha lived at Winterbrook House in Wallingford.
She died on 12 Januar in 1976
and two years later also her second husband Max
Mallowan died.
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