Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective created by Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976) has solved dozens of murders since the appearance of the first Poirot book, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in 1920.
Dame Agatha Christie was for more than half a century the foremost British writer of mystery novels. Her books have been translated into every major language and her two creations, detective Poirot and the village-wise Miss Jane Marple are world famous.
Educated at home, she married Archibald Christie in 1914, retaining his surname for professional reasons after their divorce in 1928. In 1930 Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan; her experiences as his assistant on various Middle East excavations formed the basis of “Death on the Nile” in 1937, “Murder in Mesopotamia” in 1936 and “Appointment with Death” in 1938.
Christie's first real success after the “Styles” book was “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” in 1926, which created controversy among mystery fans because of its unorthodox denouement. From then until her death, she produced nearly 100 novels, notably “Murder at the Vicarage” in 1930, which introduced Miss Marple in a starring role; “Murder on the Orient Express” (1934); “Ten Little Indians” (1939) and “Curtain” (1975), in which Christie killed off the intrepid Poirot.
Christie also enjoyed success as a playwright. Her “Witness for the Prosecution” (1954) was made into a popular film in 1958, and “The Mousetrap” (1952) has broken box-office records in London's West End, running almost continuously for more than 25 years. Christie's autobiography was published posthumously in 1977.