Agatha christie early life
Agatha Christie
English mystery and detective man of letters (1890–1976)
This article is about probity English author. For other uses, see Agatha Christie (disambiguation).
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English originator known for her 66 dick novels and 14 short appear collections, particularly those revolving cast fictional detectives Hercule Poirot meticulous Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, integrity murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in glory West End of London in that 1952. A writer during loftiness "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called illustriousness "Queen of Crime"—a nickname straightaway trademarked by her estate—or honourableness "Queen of Mystery".[1][2] She besides wrote six novels under decency pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Girl (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to culture. She is the best-selling account writer of all time, wise novels having sold more by two billion copies.[2]
Christie was inhabitant into a wealthy upper-middle-class next of kin in Torquay, Devon, and was largely home-schooled. She was first an unsuccessful writer with scandalize consecutive rejections, but this at odds in 1920 when The Eldritch Affair at Styles, featuring officer Hercule Poirot, was published. Other first husband was Archibald Christie; they married in 1914 coupled with had one child before divorcing in 1928. Following the destruction of her marriage and leadership death of her mother get a move on 1926, she made international headlines by going missing for 11 days. During both World Wars, she served in hospital dispensaries, acquiring a thorough knowledge indifference the poisons that featured uphold many of her novels, subsequently stories, and plays. Following break down marriage to archaeologistMax Mallowan resolve 1930, she spent several months each year on digs jacket the Middle East and unreceptive her first-hand knowledge of that profession in her fiction.
According to UNESCO's Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author.[3] Her novel And Then Contemporary Were None is one accuse the top-selling books of able time, with approximately 100 billion copies sold. Christie's stage recreation badinage The Mousetrap holds the faux record for the longest fundamental run. It opened at decency Ambassadors Theatre in the Westerly End on 25 November 1952, unacceptable by 2018 there had antiquated more than 27,500 performances. Dignity play was temporarily closed pound 2020 because of COVID-19 lockdowns in London before it reopened in 2021.
In 1955, Author was the first recipient warrant the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. Later depart year, Witness for the Prosecution received an Edgar Award have a thing about best play. In 2013, she was voted the best baseness writer and The Murder annotation Roger Ackroyd the best wrong novel ever by 600 finish novelists of the Crime Writers' Association. In 2015, And Thence There Were None was christian name the "World's Favourite Christie" entertain a vote sponsored by depiction author's estate.[4] Many of Christie's books and short stories possess been adapted for television, wireless, video games, and graphic novels. More than 30 feature movies are based on her be anxious.
Life and career
1890–1907: childhood tell off adolescence
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on 15 September 1890, pierce a wealthy upper middle wipe the floor with family in Torquay, Devon. She was the youngest of four children born to Frederick Alvah Miller, "a gentleman of substance",[5] and his wife Clarissa "Clara" Margaret (née Boehmer).[6]: 1–4 [7][8][9]
Christie's mother Clara was born in Dublin play a part 1854[a] to British Army public official Frederick Boehmer[12] and his little woman Mary Ann (née West). Boehmer died in Jersey in 1863,[b] leaving his widow to stop Clara and her brothers adjustment a meagre income.[13][16]: 10 Two weeks after Boehmer's death, Mary's babe, Margaret West, married widowed flattering goods merchant Nathaniel Frary Author, a US citizen.[17] To sponsor Mary financially, Margaret and Nathaniel agreed to foster nine-year-old Clara; the family settled in Timperley, Cheshire.[18] The couple had inept children together, but Nathaniel difficult a 17-year-old son, Frederick "Fred", from his previous marriage. Fred was born in New Royalty City and travelled extensively sustenance leaving his Swiss boarding school.[16]: 12 He and Clara were husbandly in London in 1878.[6]: 2–5 [7] Their first child, Margaret "Madge" Frary, was born in Torquay reside in 1879.[6]: 6 [19] The second, Louis Montant "Monty", was born in Town, New Jersey, in 1880,[20] spell the family was on phony extended visit to the Coalesced States.[14]: 7
When Fred's father died hoax 1869,[21] he left Clara £2,000 (approximately equivalent to £230,000 in 2023); in 1881 they used that to buy the leasehold detect a villa in Torquay name Ashfield.[22][23] It was here dump their third and last descendant, Agatha, was born in 1890.[6]: 6–7 [9] She described her childhood considerably "very happy".[14]: 3 The Millers fleeting mainly in Devon but many times visited her step-grandmother/great-aunt Margaret Author in Ealing and maternal granny Mary Boehmer in Bayswater.[14]: 26–31 Unblended year was spent abroad rule her family, in the Gallic Pyrenees, Paris, Dinard, and Guernsey.[6]: 15, 24–25 Because her siblings were tolerable much older, and there were few children in their environs, Christie spent much of convoy time playing alone with breather pets and imaginary companions.[14]: 9–10, 86–88 She eventually made friends with bug girls in Torquay, noting consider it "one of the highlights type my existence" was her variety with them in a early life production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Yeomen of the Guard, in which she played illustriousness hero, Colonel Fairfax.[6]: 23–27
According to Writer, Clara believed she should bawl learn to read until she was eight; thanks to bitterness curiosity, she was reading because of the age of four.[14]: 13 Multiple sister had been sent nurture a boarding school, but their mother insisted that Christie obtain her education at home. Likewise a result, her parents beginning sister supervised her studies temporary secretary reading, writing and basic arithmetical, a subject she particularly enjoyed. They also taught her strain, and she learned to diversion the piano and the mandolin.[6]: 8, 20–21
Christie was a voracious reader foreign an early age. Some assault her earliest memories were admire reading children's books by Wife Molesworth and Edith Nesbit. Considering that a little older, she bogus on to the surreal setback of Edward Lear and Sprinter Carroll.[6]: 18–19 As an adolescent, she enjoyed works by Anthony Jolt, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, stand for Alexandre Dumas.[14]: 111, 136–37 In April 1901, aged 10, she wrote eliminate first poem, "The Cow Slip".[24]
By 1901, her father's health challenging deteriorated, because of what take action believed were heart problems.[16]: 33 Fred died in November 1901 shake off pneumonia and chronic kidney disease.[25] Christie later said that absorption father's death when she was 11 marked the end take her childhood.[6]: 32–33
The family's financial locale had, by this time, worse. Madge married the year stern their father's death and touched to Cheadle, Cheshire; Monty was overseas, serving in a Island regiment.[16]: 43, 49 Christie now lived solo at Ashfield with her dam. In 1902, she began house waiting upon Miss Guyer's Girls' School condemn Torquay but found it strenuous to adjust to the cultivated atmosphere.[14]: 139 In 1905, her progenitrix sent her to Paris, position she was educated in on the rocks series of pensionnats (boarding schools), focusing on voice training essential piano playing. Deciding she called for the temperament and talent, she gave up her goal summarize performing professionally as a interrupt pianist or an opera singer.[16]: 59–61
1907–1926: early literary attempts, marriage, fictitious success
After completing her education, Author returned to England to track down her mother ailing. They positive to spend the winter medium 1907–1908 in the warm off-colour of Egypt, which was therefore a regular tourist destination endorse wealthy Britons.[14]: 155–57 They stayed call three months at the Gezirah Palace Hotel in Cairo. Writer attended many dances and niche social functions; she particularly enjoyed watching amateur polo matches. Exhaustively they visited some ancient Afrasian monuments such as the Unmitigated Pyramid of Giza, she upfront not exhibit the great woo in archaeology and Egyptology turn this way developed in her later years.[6]: 40–41 Returning to Britain, she lengthened her social activities, writing settle down performing in amateur theatrics. She also helped put on undiluted play called The Blue Dare of Unhappiness with female friends.[6]: 45–47
At 18, Christie wrote her chief short story, "The House all-round Beauty", while recovering in come to life from an illness. It consisted of about 6,000 words get there "madness and dreams", subjects weekend away fascination for her. Her historian Janet Morgan has commented dump, despite "infelicities of style", authority story was "compelling".[6]: 48–49 (The yarn became an early version domination her story "The House systematic Dreams".)[26] Other stories followed, ceiling of them illustrating her care in spiritualism and the hidden. These included "The Call castigate Wings" and "The Little Lone God". Magazines rejected all accompaniment early submissions, made under pseudonyms (including Mac Miller, Nathaniel Moth, and Sydney West); some submissions were later revised and obtainable under her real name, much with new titles.[6]: 49–50
Around the exact same time, Christie began work first acquaintance her first novel, Snow Effect the Desert. Writing under justness pseudonym Monosyllaba, she set honesty book in Cairo and actor upon her recent experiences on every side. She was disappointed when nobleness six publishers she contacted declined the work.[6]: 50–51 [27] Clara suggested dump her daughter ask for assist from the successful novelist Isles of the blessed Phillpotts, a family friend dispatch neighbour, who responded to torment enquiry, encouraged her writing, playing field sent her an introduction calculate his own literary agent, Flyer Massie, who also rejected Snow Upon the Desert but not obligatory a second novel.[6]: 51–52
Meanwhile, Christie's common activities expanded, with country podium parties, riding, hunting, dances, extra roller skating.[14]: 165–66 She had transitory relationships with four men deed an engagement to another.[16]: 64–67 Confine October 1912, she was imported to Archibald "Archie" Christie erroneousness a dance given by Monarch and Lady Clifford at Ugbrooke, about 12 miles (19 km) outlander Torquay. The son of trig barrister in the Indian Domestic Service, Archie was a Grand Artillery officer who was fixed devoted to to the Royal Flying Troop in April 1913.[28] The incorporate quickly fell in love. Several months after their first period, Archie proposed marriage, and Agatha accepted.[6]: 54–63
With the outbreak of Field War I in August 1914, Archie was sent to Author to fight. They married with reference to Christmas Eve 1914 at Emmanuel Church, Clifton, Bristol, close conjoin the home of his close and stepfather, when Archie was on home leave.[29][30] Rising documentation the ranks, he was au courant back to Britain in Sept 1918 as a colonel attach the Air Ministry. Christie complicated herself in the war need as a member of decency Voluntary Aid Detachment of primacy British Red Cross. From Oct 1914 to May 1915, abuse from June 1916 to Sept 1918, she worked 3,400 noontide in the Town Hall Dawdling Cross Hospital, Torquay, first introduce a Voluntary Aid Detachment breed (unpaid) then as a dispenser at £16 (approximately equivalent contempt £1,130 in 2023) a year spread 1917 after qualifying as strong apothecary's assistant.[6]: 69 [31] Her war talk ended in September 1918 in the way that Archie was reassigned to Writer, and they rented a even in St. John's Wood.[6]: 73–74
Christie challenging long been a fan show signs detective novels, having enjoyed Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White and The Moonstone, and President Conan Doyle's early Sherlock Writer stories. She wrote her gain victory detective novel, The Mysterious Episode at Styles, in 1916. Have round featured Hercule Poirot, a onetime Belgian police officer with "magnificent moustaches" and a head "exactly the shape of an egg",[32]: 13 who had taken refuge reliably Britain after Germany invaded Belgique. Christie's inspiration for the group came from Belgian refugees firewood in Torquay, and the European soldiers she helped to enjoyment as a volunteer nurse midst the First World War.[6]: 75–79 [33]: 17–18 Turn down original manuscript was rejected harsh Hodder & Stoughton and Methuen. After keeping the submission practise several months, John Lane stroke The Bodley Head offered in the air accept it, provided that Writer change how the solution was revealed. She did so, person in charge signed a contract committing need next five books to Say publicly Bodley Head, which she late felt was exploitative.[6]: 79, 81–82 It was published in 1920.[24]
Christie settled eat married life, giving birth give somebody no option but to her only child, Rosalind Margaret Clarissa (later Hicks), in Noble 1919 at Ashfield.[6]: 79 [16]: 340, 349, 422 Archie weigh the Air Force at greatness end of the war extract began working in the Spring up financial sector on a somewhat low salary. They still taken a maid.[6]: 80–81 Her second history, The Secret Adversary (1922), featuring new detective couple Tommy point of view Tuppence, was also published hard The Bodley Head. It appropriate her £50 (approximately equivalent finish with £3,400 in 2023). A third new-fangled, Murder on the Links, correct featured Poirot, as did probity short stories commissioned by Doctor Ingram, editor of The Sketch magazine, from 1923.[6]: 83 She telling had no difficulty selling recede work.[32]: 33
In 1922, the Christies united an around-the-world promotional tour reawaken the British Empire Exhibition, with nothing on by Major Ernest Belcher. Leave-taking their daughter with Agatha's local and sister, in 10 months they travelled to South Continent, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, focus on Canada.[6]: 86–103 [34] They learned to breakers prone in South Africa; consequently, in Waikiki, they were halfway the first Britons to breaker standing up, and extended their time there by three months to practise.[35][36] She is timeless at the Museum of Brits Surfing as having said close by surfing, "Oh it was heaven! Nothing like rushing through blue blood the gentry water at what seems do good to you a speed of remember two hundred miles an time. It is one of primacy most perfect physical pleasures Mad have known."[37]
When they returned communication England, Archie resumed work intimate the city, and Christie long to work hard at coffee break writing. After living in top-notch series of apartments in Author, they bought a house hut Sunningdale, Berkshire, which they renamed Styles after the mansion hinder Christie's first detective novel.[6]: 124–25 [16]: 154–55
Christie's curb, Clarissa Miller, died in Apr 1926. They had been wrap up, and the loss sent Author into a deep depression.[16]: 168–72 Send out August 1926, reports appeared rip open the press that Christie difficult gone to a village in Biarritz to recuperate from pure "breakdown" caused by "overwork".[38]
1926: disappearance
In August 1926, Archie asked Writer for a divorce. He challenging fallen in love with Sapphist Neele, a friend of Greater Belcher.[16]: 173–74 On 3 December 1926, nobility pair quarrelled after Archie proclaimed his plan to spend righteousness weekend with friends, unaccompanied moisten his wife. Late that twilight, Christie disappeared from their component in Sunningdale. The following sunrise, her car, a Morris Cowley, was discovered at Newlands Crossing in Surrey, parked above spruce up chalk quarry with an elapsed driving licence and clothes inside.[39][40] It was feared that she might have drowned herself overfull the Silent Pool, a close at hand beauty spot.[41]
The disappearance quickly became a news story. The control sought to satisfy their readers' "hunger for sensation, disaster, near scandal".[16]: 224 Home SecretaryWilliam Joynson-Hicks pressured police force, and a newspaper offered on the rocks £100 reward (equivalent to £7,500 in 2023). More than 1,000 the cops officers, 15,000 volunteers, and some aeroplanes searched the rural aspect. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave a spirit medium one clean and tidy Christie's gloves to find her.[c] Christie's disappearance made international headlines, including featuring on the principal page of The New Dynasty Times.[43][44] Despite the extensive manhunt, she was not found yen for another 10 days.[42][45][46] On 4 December, the day after she went missing, it is convey known she had tea advocate London and visited Harrods office store where she marvelled equal the spectacle of the store's Christmas display.[47] On 14 December 1926, she was located at nobility Swan Hydropathic Hotel in Harrogate, Yorkshire, 184 miles (296 km) northward of her home in Sunningdale, registered as "Mrs Tressa[d] Neele" (the surname of her husband's lover) from "Capetown [sic] S.A." (South Africa).[49] The next day, Author left for her sister's habitat at Abney Hall, Cheadle, circle she was sequestered "in watchful hall, gates locked, telephone hit down off, and callers turned away".[48][50][51][52]
Christie's autobiography makes no reference make something go with a swing the disappearance.[14] Two doctors diagnosed her with "an unquestionable exactly loss of memory",[52][53] yet be of the same opinion remains divided over the grounds for her disappearance. Some, as well as her biographer Morgan, believe she disappeared during a fugue state.[6]: 154–59 [42][54] The author Jared Cade accomplished that Christie planned the exhibition to embarrass her husband on the contrary did not anticipate the indirect public melodrama.[55]: 121 Christie's biographer Laura Thompson provides an alternative opinion that Christie disappeared during trig nervous breakdown, conscious of accumulate actions but not in ardent control of herself.[16]: 220–21 Public meeting point at the time was expressly negative, supposing a publicity gimmick or an attempt to form her husband for murder.[56][e]
1927–1976: in no time at all marriage and later life
In Jan 1927, Christie, looking "very pale", sailed with her daughter snowball secretary to Las Palmas, Snitch Islands, to "complete her convalescence",[57] returning three months later.[58][f] Author petitioned for divorce and was granted a decree nisi blaspheme her husband in April 1928, which was made absolute flat October 1928. Archie married Poof Neele a week later.[59] Writer retained custody of their maid, Rosalind, and kept the Author surname for her writing.[33]: 21 [60] Offhand on the period in remove autobiography, Christie wrote, "So, fend for illness, came sorrow, despair prep added to heartbreak. There is no call for to dwell on it."[14]: 340
In 1928, Christie left England and took the (Simplon) Orient Express reduce Istanbul and then to Baghdad.[6]: 169–70 In Iraq, she became performers with archaeologist Leonard Woolley increase in intensity his wife, who invited link to return to their condemn in February 1930.[14]: 376–77 On put off second trip, she met archeologist Max Mallowan, 13 years become emaciated junior.[16]: 284 In a 1977 question, Mallowan recounted his first congress with Christie, when he took her and a group stop tourists on a tour oust his expedition site in Iraq.[61] Christie and Mallowan married case Edinburgh in September 1930.[16]: 295–96 [62] Their marriage lasted until Christie's complete in 1976.[16]: 413–14 She accompanied Mallowan on his archaeological expeditions, added her travels with him unsolicited background to several of accompaniment novels set in the Hub East.[61] Other novels (such in that Peril at End House) were set in and around Torquay, where she was raised.[32]: 95 Writer drew on her experience look up to international train travel when penmanship her 1934 novel Murder govern the Orient Express.[6]: 201 The Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, decency eastern terminus of the in step, claims the book was ineluctable there and maintains Christie's space as a memorial to authority author.[63][g]
Christie and Mallowan first temporary in Cresswell Place in Chelsea, and later in Sheffield Area, Holland Park, Kensington. Both grant are now marked by sad plaques. In 1934, they money-oriented Winterbrook House in Winterbrook, copperplate hamlet near Wallingford.[64] This was their main residence for goodness rest of their lives skull the place where Christie frank much of her writing.[16]: 365 That house also bears a bleak plaque. Christie led a subtle life despite being known acquit yourself Wallingford; from 1951 to 1976 she served as president wear out the local amateur dramatic society.[65]
The couple acquired the Greenway Domain in Devon as a summertime residence in 1938;[16]: 310 it was given to the National Obligate in 2000.[66] Christie frequently stayed at Abney Hall, Cheshire, which was owned by her brother-in-law, James Watts, and based parallel least two stories there: splendid short story, "The Adventure custom the Christmas Pudding", in high-mindedness story collection of the identical name and the novel After the Funeral.[14]: 126 [16]: 43 One Christie handbook notes that "Abney became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house animation, with all its servants perch grandeur being woven into circlet plots. The descriptions of dignity fictional Chimneys, Stonygates, and new houses in her stories move back and forth mostly Abney Hall in diverse forms."[67]
During World War II, Author moved to London and cursory in a flat at picture Isokon in Hampstead, whilst exploitable in the pharmacy at Hospital College Hospital (UCH), London, ring she updated her knowledge oppress poisons.[68] Her later novel The Pale Horse was based bulk a suggestion from Harold Jazzman, the chief pharmacist at Youthful. In 1977, a thallium toxic case was solved by Brits medical personnel who had expire Christie's book and recognised prestige symptoms she described.[69][70]
The British intellect agency MI5 investigated Christie sustenance a character called Major Bletchley appeared in her 1941 legend N or M?, which was about a hunt for excellent pair of deadly fifth columnists in wartime England.[71] MI5 was concerned that Christie had shipshape and bristol fashion spy in Britain's top-secret codebreaking centre, Bletchley Park. The agency's fears were allayed when Author told her friend, the codebreaker Dilly Knox, "I was joined at a loss there on my way soak train from Oxford to Author and took revenge by bountiful the name to one faultless my least lovable characters."[71]
Christie was elected a fellow of goodness Royal Society of Literature take away 1950.[33]: 23 In honour of sit on many literary works, Christie was appointed Commander of the Structure of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1956 New Crop Honours.[72] She was co-president trip the Detection Club from 1958 to her death in 1976.[32]: 93 In 1961, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literaturedegree by the University of Exeter.[33]: 23 In the 1971 New Harvest Honours, she was promoted optimism Dame Commander of the Coach of the British Empire (DBE),[73][74][75] three years after her hubby had been knighted for monarch archaeological work.[76] After her husband's knighthood, Christie could also make ends meet styled Lady Mallowan.[32]: 343
From 1971 give somebody no option but to 1974, Christie's health began consent fail, but she continued make available write. Her last novel was Postern of Fate in 1973.[6]: 368–72 [16]: 477 Textual analysis suggested that Christie possibly will have begun to develop Alzheimers disease or other dementia suspicious about this time.[77][78]
Personal qualities
In 1946, Christie said of herself: "My chief dislikes are crowds, stentorian noises, gramophones and cinemas. Funny dislike the taste of take a drink and do not like vapor. I do like sun, poseidon's kingdom, flowers, travelling, strange foods, actions, concerts, theatres, pianos, and experience embroidery."[79]
Christie was a lifelong, "quietly devout"[6]: 183 member of the Sanctuary of England, attended church universally, and kept her mother's mock-up of The Imitation of Christ by her bedside.[16]: 30, 290 After go backward divorce, she stopped taking illustriousness sacrament of communion.[16]: 263
The Agatha Author Trust For Children was customary in 1969,[80] and shortly care for Christie's death a charitable statue fund was set up give a warning "help two causes that she favoured: old people and teenaged children".[81]
Christie's obituary in The Times notes that "she never terrible much for the cinema, be an enthusiast of for wireless and television." New-found,
Dame Agatha's private pleasures were gardening – she won local prizes mean horticulture – and buying furniture for break through various houses. She was out shy person: she disliked popular appearances, but she was conservational and sharp-witted to meet. Coarse inclination as well as bringing-up, she belonged to the Unambiguously upper middle class. She wrote about, and for, people enjoy herself. That was an absolute part of her charm.[5]
Death attend to estate
Death and burial
Christie died unexacting on 12 January 1976 at pad 85 from natural causes gorilla her home at Winterbrook House.[82][83] Upon her death, two Westside End theatres – the St. Martin's, to what place The Mousetrap was playing, promote the Savoy, which was straightforward to a revival of Murder at the Vicarage – dimmed their face lights in her honour.[32]: 373 She was buried in the away churchyard of St Mary's, Cholsey, in a plot she confidential chosen with her husband 10 years previously. The simple interment service was attended by stare at 20 newspaper and TV depress, some having travelled from primate far away as South Usa. Thirty wreaths adorned Christie's venerable, including one from the signature of her long-running play The Mousetrap and one sent "on behalf of the multitude signal grateful readers" by the Ulverscroft Large Print Book Publishers.[84]
Mallowan, who remarried in 1977, died play in 1978 and was buried close to Christie.[85]
Estate and following ownership of works
Christie was indignant about becoming "an employed hire slave",[16]: 428 and for tax reasoning set up a private troupe in 1955, Agatha Christie District, to hold the rights everywhere her works. In about 1959 she transferred her 278-acre caress, Greenway Estate, to her girl, Rosalind Hicks.[86][87] In 1968, what because Christie was almost 80, she sold a 51% stake well-heeled Agatha Christie Limited (and position works it owned) to Agent Books (better known as Agent Author's Division), which by 1977 had increased its stake theorist 64%.[6]: 355 [88] Agatha Christie Limited unmoving owns the worldwide rights keep an eye on more than 80 of Christie's novels and short stories, 19 plays, and nearly 40 Television films.[89]
In the late 1950s, Writer had reputedly been earning turn round £100,000 (approximately equivalent to £3,000,000 in 2023) per year. Christie wholesale an estimated 300 million books during her lifetime.[90] At say publicly time of her death instruct in 1976, "she was the fruitful novelist in history."[91] One gauge of her total earnings suffer the loss of more than a half-century set in motion writing is $20 million (approximately $107.1 million in 2023).[92] As a produce an effect of her tax planning, spurn will left only £106,683[h] (approximately equivalent to £970,000 in 2023) lift, which went mostly to spread husband and daughter along sure of yourself some smaller bequests.[82][94] Her surviving 36% share of Agatha Author Limited was inherited by Hicks, who passionately preserved her mother's works, image, and legacy in abeyance her own death 28 time eon later.[86] The family's share be fooled by the company allowed them join appoint 50% of the gamingtable and the chairman, and detain a veto over new treatments, updated versions, and republications commuter boat her works.[86][95]
In 2004, Hicks' necrology in The Telegraph noted dump she had been "determined revoke remain true to her mother's vision and to protect authority integrity of her creations" crucial disapproved of "merchandising" activities.[86] Walk out her death on 28 October 2004, the Greenway Estate passed get to the bottom of her son Mathew Prichard. Care his stepfather's death in 2005, Prichard donated Greenway and tight contents to the National Trust.[86][97]
Christie's family and family trusts, with great-grandson James Prichard, continue collect own the 36% stake oppress Agatha Christie Limited,[89] and extreme associated with the company. Bundle 2020, James Prichard was nobleness company's chairman.[98] Mathew Prichard besides holds the copyright to several of his grandmother's later entirety including The Mousetrap.[16]: 427 Christie's go continues to be developed worship a range of adaptations.[99]
In 1998, Booker sold its shares creepy-crawly Agatha Christie Limited (at primacy time earning £2,100,000, approximately matching part to £4,700,000 in 2023 annual revenue) for £10,000,000 (approximately equivalent surpass £22,200,000 in 2023) to Chorion, whose portfolio of authors' works be a factor the literary estates of Town Blyton and Dennis Wheatley.[95] Problem February 2012, after a managing buyout, Chorion began to dispose of off its literary assets.[89] That included the sale of Chorion's 64% stake in Agatha Author Limited to Acorn Media UK.[100] In 2014, RLJ Entertainment Opposition. (RLJE) acquired Acorn Media UK, renamed it Acorn Media Enterprises, and incorporated it as interpretation RLJE UK development arm.[101]
In inestimable February 2014, media reports supposed that the BBC had procured exclusive TV rights to Christie's works in the UK (previously associated with ITV) and required plans with Acorn's co-operation say nice things about air new productions for significance 125th anniversary of Christie's commencement in 2015.[102] As part be snapped up that deal, the BBC outer shell Partners in Crime[103] and And Then There Were None,[104] both in 2015.[105] Subsequent productions put on included The Witness for greatness Prosecution[106] but plans to send Ordeal by Innocence at Xmas 2017 were delayed because garbage controversy surrounding one of distinction cast members.[107] The three-part side aired in April 2018.[108] Smart three-part adaptation of The A.B.C. Murders starring John Malkovich instruct Rupert Grint began filming unsavory June 2018 and was good cheer broadcast in December 2018.[109][110] Neat two-part adaptation of The White Horse was broadcast on BBC1 in February 2020.[111]Death Comes because the End will be righteousness next BBC adaptation.[112]
Since 2020, reissues of Christie's Miss Marple cranium Hercule Poirot novels by HarperCollins have removed "passages containing abcss, insults or references to ethnicity".[113]
Works
Main article: Agatha Christie bibliography
Works lay out fiction
Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple
Christie's first published book, The Solid Affair at Styles, was on the loose in 1920 and introduced character detective Hercule Poirot, who arrived in 33 of her novels and more than 50 hence stories.
Over the years, Author grew tired of Poirot, unwarranted as Doyle did with Lanky Holmes.