During World War I (also known as The Great War), Christie worked in a pharmaceutical dispensary where she gained a significant knowledge of poisons that she later used in many detective stories. Even her most severe critics gave her credit for devising the most ingenious plots in all of detective fiction. She wrote two memoirs or works of autobiography.īeyond her writings, Christie was a gifted pianist and vocalist as well as an outstanding amateur archaeologist. She created 19 additional dramas in addition to her detective novels and short story collections. It opened in London in 1952 and is still playing there nightly. Her drama, The Mousetrap, is the longest running play in theatre history, also worldwide. One billion of her books have been marketed in the English language and another billion books have been sold in more than 105 foreign languages. Even though she died in 1976, today her works are outsold worldwide only by The Bible and Shakespeare. ![]() She wrote at least 80 books and remains incredibly popular. Readers need to know, however, that in 1933, Italy was ruled with an iron fist by the fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, who was also ruthlessly invading other nations such as Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).Īgatha Christie (1890-1976) is universally recognized as the “Queen of Mystery.” Charles Dickens or Jane Austin she is not, but she was remarkably prolific and successful. The only exception is one character’s disparagement of all things Italian. ![]() ![]() Despite the fact that Murder on the Orient Express was written in 1933, the novel is surprisingly free of racial, ethnic, and religious stereotypes. The virtue of the novels of Agatha Christie is that most of the violence, including murders, takes place off the pages of her detective fiction and the language is especially suitable. The problem with many contemporary adult mystery novels is that they contain graphic violence, sexual situations, and language that is inappropriate for young people. The mystery genre is fine reading fare for secondary gifted students, including those in the upper middle school grades.
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