Biography

The ‘Queen of Crime novels’, Agatha Christie was born on September 15, 1890 at her family home Ashfield in Torquay, Devon, England. The youngest child of Frederick Alvah Miller and Clarissa ‘Clara’ Boechmer, Agatha was christened Mary Clarissa Agatha Miller. She was the youngest of three children with an older sister Margaret (Madge) and brother Louis (Monty) who was ten years her senior. When Agatha was born, her father donated a sum of money to All Saint's Church to mark her birth (She later on became a founder member and the church is always associated with her).[br /]
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Agatha’s childhood was a happy but lonely one. She hardly had any playmates, but never felt lonely for she had created her own fantasy and enchantment. To her, the garden in their house was an enchanting place, with interesting entities. Each tree had a special meaning attached to it. The wooded part of the garden loomed ‘as large as The New Forest,’ in the eyes of young Agatha. She connected it with ‘mystery, terror, secret delight, inaccessibility and distance...’; and then were her companions, albeit imaginary – The kittens : Clover, Blackie and three others with their mother Mrs Benson. Later on there was Mrs Green and her hundred children, three of whom – Poodle, Squirrel and Tree, accompanied Agatha on all her exploits in the garden ! The gift of a canary, ‘Goldie’ sparked off a new secret saga – Dickie and Dicksmistress, later on joined by Lord Tony, (her Yorkshire terrier puppy, named George Washington by Agatha’s father). Sometimes Dicksmistress would become Queen Marguerite and Dickie her son Prince Goldie. Along with the garden and her ‘friends’, stories too formed a major part of her childhood.[br /]
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While her Nanny’s (whom she called Nursie) stories never varied, her mother never told the same story twice. Her stories and her games were full of imagination and were very delightful.
Although Agatha’s mother had been in favor of educating girls and had sent her elder daughter to a boarding school, she now held the view that no child should be allowed to read till he is eight. But Agatha had different ideas. Whenever she liked a story, she would study the pages, which gradually began to make sense. She also started asking about and picking up words written over shops and on hoardings. And much to her mother’s distress, by the age of five the world of storybooks was opened up for Agatha. Arithmetic, which she loved and writing, which she found difficult, as she had learnt to read by the look of a word and not by its letters, were introduced. Agatha’s education began.[br /]
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It was around this time that Agatha’s father had some financial problems. He was a ‘gentleman of means’ and so did not work. But the trustees of the trust, which provided him with the income, died or were incapable of looking after its affairs. Under the new trustees, matters went from bad to worse. Financial worries affected Frederick’s health and the Millers soon decided to let Ashfield on rent and go abroad, to economize. The family set off for Pau in the south of France. When Pau grew hot in the summer, the family moved to Argeles and then to Lourdes and finally to Cauterets in the Pyrenees. By the time the Millers left Cauterets for Paris, it was the end of August and then on to Dinard, in Brittany and Guernsey. After about a year’s tour, the Millers finally returned home.[br /]
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Much to her mother’s consternation and ultimate relief, Agatha finally learned French. All attempts made by her tutors and governesses failed in making Agatha master the French language. But during their stay in France, Agatha’s mother hired a governess, who knew nothing but French, a factor that succeeded in forcing Agatha to learn it ![br /]
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Soon after their return Agatha was introduced to music. She had started learning dance before she left for France, but music lessons were introduced later, which she enjoyed. The Miller family was quite fond of theatre and went there at least once a week. Agatha was also taken there quite often and she liked it a lot.[br /]
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Around this time, Agatha’s father showed signs of deteriorating health. Doctors and specialists were consulted, without much help. His financial worries had also deepened.[br /]
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Life changed for the 11 year old Agatha when her father passed away. Her mother was left with a small income and seriously considered selling Ashfield. But ultimately conceded to the pleadings of her three children and decided to keep their home.[br /]
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The austerity measures taken by Agatha’s mother hardly had any effect on her personally. She kept on with her music, dancing and reading. She read Henty, Stanley Weyman and The Prisoner Of Zenda. She also enjoyed LT Meade’s Books For Girls and The Last Days Of Bruce.[br /]
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Her education continued with the help of Great Events Of History, which she enjoyed, besides learning the spellings of ‘pages of words’. Around this time, her sister Madge also introduced Agatha to the world of Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective: Sherlock Holmes.[br /]
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After attending Miss Guyer’s school in Torquay for about a year and a half, Agatha was admitted to a finishing school in Paris. She was 15 years old. She enjoyed her stay there, learning to be a ‘lady’. From Mademoiselle T’s school in Paris, Agatha was shifted to Miss Hogg’s School at Auteuil, Les Marroniers. Finally, Agatha was admitted to Miss Dryden’s establishment just off the Arc de Triumphe in Paris. Apart from music there were poetry classes and drama classes. This establishment opened a new world to Agatha. She heard real actresses talk about drama and real singers singing – bringing to life a passionate love for the art she heard.[br /]
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Agatha stayed a little more than a year at Miss Dryden’s. Music was her serious study during this period – learning the piano, as well as getting singing lessons. By the time she left Miss Dryden’s, Agatha had matured. It was during this period that Agatha realized that she had terrible stage fear and that she did not have the temperament to play in public. This realization put an end to her dreams of making a career in music.[br /]
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It was time for Agatha to ‘come-out’. Coming-out meant a great deal to a girl in that era. Since there was not enough finance for a London season, and since Agatha was supposed to be shy and not too brilliant socially, Cairo was chosen as her ‘coming-out’ venue. Another reason for going to Cairo was her mother’s health. A doctor had advised warm weather and plenty of sunshine, and Egypt offered just that.[br /]
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Agatha was soon lost into the world of dances, and picnics and young men. She lost her shyness and awkwardness and learned to behave in the accepted way.[br /]
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It was around this time that Agatha started writing poetry, and occasionally won prizes in The Poetry Review. She started writing stories even more casually. While recovering from influenza, Agatha was bored lying in bed. Her mother suggested that she write a story. Hesitatingly, Agatha wrote The House Of Beauty, followed by The Call Of Wings, The Lonely God and The City Of Beautiful Nonsense. She sent these stories to magazines using the pseudonyms Mack Miller and Nathaniel Miller. All were promptly returned with "The editor

Agatha was a very avid party-goer as well as a good dancer. At one of the dance parties she attended, she was introduced to Colonel Archibald Christie, an aviator in the Royal Flying Corps. They got along together very well, and they danced together for a long time. Soon afterwards, the couple fell in love and got engaged.[br /]
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During 1913-14, First Aid and Nursing Classes were quite popular and Agatha joined them, learning the craft of nursing. Soon England was at war. She was already engaged to Archibald Christie for some time. Since neither Archie nor Agatha had any ‘fortune’, they were unable to marry. With Archie away at war, Agatha continued with her nursing.[br /]
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When Archie suddenly got leave during Christmas, Agatha wanted to get married. Initially, Archie was against it, but changed his mind. He wanted to get married the next day – Christmas Eve. They had a tough time organizing the license, but finally got married on Christmas Eve, 1914. The bride had no white dress, no veil or even a smart frock. But Agatha Miller was now Agatha Christie. Archie and Agatha spent Christmas Day together and the next day Archie left for France again. Agatha was not to see him for six months. She resumed her duties at the hospital. After working for quite sometime in the wards, Agatha was asked to work in a newly opened department – the dispensary. For the next two years, Agatha worked there assisting those in charge. She also started studying for the Apothecaries Hall Examination, which would enable her to dispense for a medical officer or a chemist. For her examinations, she had to take some outside instructions from a proper chemist. Between the dispensary and the chemist Agatha learned a lot about poisons.[br /]
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It was around this time that Agatha thought of writing a detective novel. Earlier, her sister, Madge had challenged her to write a detective novel, and that challenge had remained in Agatha’s mind. She started thinking of the who, how, when, where, and whys. Gradually the characters emerged, the plot was formed and she had started forming some idea of the book she wanted to write. After much pondering on the background of her master detective, she, wanting to create a character with a unique touch, created Hercule Poirot, a a former Belgian inspector. She also created other characters which would be a part of the world of Poirot. She began to write her book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. On completion it was sent to Hodder and Stoughton, publishers, who promptly returned it. Agatha sent it off again to another publisher.[br /]
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In the meantime, Archie had come home on a short holiday. He read the book and liked it. He had a friend in the Air Force who was a director of Methuen’s. So The Mysterious Affair At Styles was dispatched to Methuen’s along with a letter of introduction from the director. It was returned from there too. Ultimately, Agatha sent it to The Bodley Head, and forgot all about it.[br /]
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After nearly four years of separation due to the war, Archie came back. He was posted at the Air Ministry in London. Agatha said goodbye to Ashfield and the hospital and went to London to start her married life. With the help of Archie’s soldier-servant and batman, Bartlett, and Mrs Woods who lived in the basement and had agreed to help the Christies, Agatha began her housekeeping. To overcome loneliness, Agatha began to learn shorthand and bookkeeping.[br /]
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The war ended suddenly. Archie decided to leave the Air Force and ‘go into the City’. Shortly afterwards, her daughter Rosalind was born, and Agatha busied herself in looking for a larger home and settling down there with her child, a nurse, and a maid. Archie had already started his job in a city firm. Life was being good to the Christies, especially to Agatha – she had married the man she loved, had a child and had a house to live in. To add to her happiness, Agatha received a letter from John Lane of The Bodley Head. The Mysterious Affair At Styles was accepted, provided certain changes were made. The excitement of knowing that her book was to be published prevented Agatha from realizing the hard bargain that John Lane drove. She signed a contract in which she received very little. But that did not matter; what was important was that the book was to be published. After making the necessary alterations and giving them to John Lane, Agatha’s life went on as it would with a young married couple who were happy and in love with each other, and not at all hampered by the fact that they were not too well off.[br /]
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It was becoming quite difficult to keep-up Ashfield. While talking to Archie about it, he suggested that Agatha write another novel to make some money; it might sell better than the previous one. The Mysterious Affair At Styles had brought Agatha £ 25, being her share of the serial rights brought by The Weekly Times. Agatha saw no harm in it, even if nothing comes out of it, and started writing The Joyful Venture, later renamed The Young Adventurers and finally published as The Secret Adversary. It was a spy book, a thriller and not a detective novel. John Lane published it after some hesitation as its style differed from her first book. But it sold a little better. Agatha earned some royalty on it, as well as £ 50 for the serial rights sold to The Weekly Times. With her third book Murder On The Links, she had started gaining recognition. The editor of The Sketch, Bruce Ingram, asked her to write a series of Poirot stories. Agatha was now tied not only to detective stories, but also to Poirot and his very own ‘Watson’ (Sherlock Holmes accomplice and friend), Captain Hastings.[br /]
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A little after this, Archie’s friend, one Major Belcher, put forward a proposal. It was a chance to go on a paid world tour with a fee of about £ 1,000. Archie was getting a little pessimistic about his job. Since both Archie and Agatha loved to travel, they decided to accept the offer and spend £ 1,000 on Agatha’s hotel and other expenses. Agatha’s mother and sister would look after Rosalind.[br /]
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Arriving home after about a year of traveling, the Christies faced fairly severe financial problems. They had no money and Archie had no job. After a long search, he landed with a job, but was not very happy with it.[br /]
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Agatha had resumed writing and completed The Mystery Of The Mill House. The Evening News offered £ 500 for the serial rights. Agatha and Archie could hardly believe it. Around this time, Archie also secured a job very much to his liking.[br /]
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At last the Christies had no more financial worries. Gradually they shifted to a country house and bought a car, and then another car. They bought another house and called it Styles.[br /]
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But this course of grandeur had a side effect. Their money started melting away ! With a little bit of economizing, the Christies felt, they would be all right. But their misery was just beginning.[br /]
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Agatha’s mother took ill with bronchitis and she took a turn for the worse within two to three weeks. Archie was in Spain when Clara died, and could not attend the funeral. He returned, but had to go there again. He asked Agatha to go with him, so as to distract her from her sorrow. But Agatha wanted to stay back. She also had to clear up Ashfield, in which a lot of things had accumulated in the past several years. The Christies decided to let Styles for the summer. Archie would stay in London at his club and Agatha and Rosalind went to Ashfield.[br /]
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Clearing up an empty house was no easy job, especially if it was full of good memories as Ashfield was to Agatha. Anxious to get over it as soon as possible, Agatha worked like a demon. All the hard work, the sleepless nights and the memories reduced Agatha to a nervous wreck. She was unhappy and confused. She hardly felt hungry and ate less and less. Archie avoided coming there even for a weekend, saying the trip would be unnecessary expense for a short period. Lonely, unhappy and overworked, Agatha realized that she was ill. She would forget her name while signing a cheque and cry when the car did not start.[br /]
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When her sister, Madge, arrived, Agatha was happy and relieved. Archie came thereafter. But the Archie who arrived at Ashfield was a stranger. He went through the motions of greeting and talking, but he was different. Finally Agatha asked him what was bothering him. He confessed to being in love with someone else and wanted a divorce from her. Agatha was plunged further into sorrow, despair and heartbreak. She didn’t want a divorce and waited for more than a year to see if Archie changed his mind, but finally the marriage ended.[br /]
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It was during this turbulent period that Agatha disappeared for about 11 days. There were wild guesses about her disappearance, it was even considered by some to be a publicity stunt to attract attention. She finally surfaced from a hotel explaining that she had lost her memory.[br /]
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Agatha started to pick up the threads of her life. Her first priority was to earn some money and she turned to writing. She took a flat in Chelsea, admitted Rosalind to a boarding school, and attempted to restore her life without Archie.[br /]
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By this time the lawyer had been informed and the procedure for divorce had begun. With nothing much to do, Agatha decided to take a holiday and go to the West Indies and Jamaica. But fate intervened. A conversation at a dinner changed the destination to Baghdad. When Agatha realized that one could go by train – The Orient Express – to Baghdad, she cancelled her plans for the West Indies and started off for Baghdad on The Orient Express.[br /]
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Her trip was a great success, especially the visit to the excavation sites of Ur. She went back to Ur again some time later, on the invitation of the Woolleys, who were overseeing the excavations. It was here that Agatha met her future husband, Max Mallowan. He was an assistant to Leonard Woolley.[br /]
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After an interesting but exhausting tour of the areas around, Agatha finally reached Athens. A pile of telegrams awaited her, informing her that Rosalind was seriously ill with pneumonia. Tickets were to be arranged and Woolley and Max went to the travel agents to book them. Walking around in a state of shock, Agatha put her foot in a hole in which a tree was planted, thereby spraining it. It was Max who changed his plans and accompanied Agatha to England. He helped her and looked after her on the journey back home. Fortunately, by the time Agatha got to England, Rosalind was much better and was recovering fast.[br /]
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After about three months, Max asked Agatha to marry him. It took Agatha a long time to decide, since she was not very sure whether she would like to remarry. Moreover, Max was younger to her – he was a contemporary of her nephew ! Finally Agatha decided to marry Max and they were married in 1930.[br /]
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The Mallowans divided their time between several homes in England and archeological expeditions in the Middle East. During the Second World War, Max served as Intelligence Liaison Officer in North Africa, while Agatha worked again as a volunteer in a dispensary at the University College Hospital in London.[br /]
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Although younger by 14 years, Max made a very good husband, and they had a very happy married life.[br /]
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Her literary career was also very satisfying and she had created such immortal characters as Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Parker Pyne, and others. [br /]
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Agatha had remained very active right up to the end. In 1967, she became the President of the British Detection Club and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1971.[br /]
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Agatha died on January 12, 1976 at her home in England, a very contented lady. In her autobiography, which she finished when she was 75 years old, Agatha wrote, "I live now on borrowed time, waiting in the ante-room for the summons that will inevitably come. And then I go on to the next thing, whatever it is. One doesn’t luckily have to bother about that.[br /]
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I am ready now to accept death. I have been singularly fortunate. I have with me my husband, my daughter, my grandson, my kind son-in-law – the people who make up my world."[br /]
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