Biography Example

Biography of Agatha Christie

Introduction

Agatha Christie was an English author born on the 15th of September 1890 in Torquay in the United Kingdom. Her full name was Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, and she was also known as Lady Mallowan. She died on the 12th of January 1976 in Winterbrook, the United Kingdom, from natural causes at the age of 85. Agatha Christie was one of the most mysterious, best-known, and influential authors globally. She wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections during her lifetime.

Birth family

Agatha Christie was born in a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay, Devon. Her father, Frederick Alvah Miller, was American, and her mother, Clarissa Margaret Boehmer, was British. She was the youngest of three siblings. Her mother did not want her to get any education before age eight, but Agatha Christie taught herself reading at the age of five. Sadly, her father died from pneumonia and chronic kidney disease when she was only 11 years old. Later her brother served in the army, and her sister got married. Therefore, her mother was her only support in her childhood, but the mother and daughter were resilient and embraced the motto ‘life has to continue’. Whenever she went to London, she would watch a stage play or musical and was intoxicated by the experience.

Both Agatha and her sister demonstrated a talent for writing when they were young. The bond with her sister over writing helped Agatha get started on her writing path.

Eventually, her mother realised her talent and knew she needed a higher level of education.

Marriage

Agatha Christie's married life started soon after this. She and Archie Christie met on the aeroplane and were deeply attracted to each other in 1912. They soon got married in 1914. But their relationship was disrupted when Archie left because of World War 1. They had a daughter in 1919 named Rosalind Hicks. However, her husband later cheated on her with a woman ten years younger. They divorced in 1928, and Agatha Christie remarried Max Mallowan, a prominent British archaeologist specializing in ancient Middle Eastern history. Mallowan was ten years younger than Lady Mallowan, Agatha Christie’s new title after her second marriage. In Agatha Christie's old age, she started writing romance stories and travelled around the world with her husband.

Author Journey

Agatha Christie's path as an author started soon after her daughter was born. John Lane, from America, bought Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair At Style and signed a contract, which required her to write five more books. In her novels, the detective Hercule Poirot even becomes one of the most popular characters. However, in 1926 her mother died of bronchitis. Agatha Christie couldn't finish The mystery of the blue train and disappeared for a few days. After her return, she made a new detective main character, Miss Marple. Agatha Christie's last book Postern of Fate was written in 1973. She wrote for over 50 years and achieved great success. The total sales of her books exceeded over 2 billion copies, and the queen of England Elizabeth II and the president of France were both loyal readers. Some of her most famous books were The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and The Murder at the Vicarage. Only the Bible and William Shakespeare can surpass her accomplishment.

Mysterious disappearance

Agatha Christie did something that made her even more famous. She disappeared for about 12 days right when her career was at its most prosperous. This happened between her mother's death and her husband's cheating in 1926. In the evening, Agatha Christie left home after checking that her daughter was asleep. The day after she left, people found her car parked above a chalk quarry with an expired driver’s license and her clothes inside.

But Lady Christie was nowhere near. Soon, the disappearance of Agatha Christie shocked the world. Three days later, her sister's husband said he got a letter from her saying she was going to a spa in Yorkshire for rest and treatment. The police believed it was fake and started investigating her whereabouts, but they found nothing in the whole week. The weirdest thing was that when they brought Agatha Christie's dog to the site of her disappearance to judge the author’s whereabouts, the dog started crying. This case had more than a thousand police officers, 15,000 volunteers, and several aeroplanes searching the rural landscape. On the 11th of December, they finally found that Agatha Christie had written another two letters, one to her assistant, including her daily schedule, and the other to her husband. He refused to say what was inside but said that there’s nothing about her whereabouts. On the 15 of December, someone finally found her dancing in the hotel hall. No one saw her because she used the fake name Mrs Teresa Neeled. Her disappearance produced much conjecture, but no one knows why she disappeared for 12 days. Agatha Christie’s disappearance might be the last mystery for her beloved readers.

Conclusion

Agatha Christie was a fantastic author, and she experienced many ups and downs. Her ex-husband's cheating and her parents' death hurt her, but she maintained strength. She had many identities, including Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa, lady Christie, famous author Agatha Christie, Rosalind Hicks's mother, and lady Mallowan. Agatha Christie's life is thriving and happy. She isn't only a fabulous author but also a great model for the world.