Agatha Christie
1890–1976 · The Queen of Crime
| Agatha Christie | |
| File:Agatha Christie.jpg Dame Agatha Christie DBE | |
| Biographical Details | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 September 1890, Torquay, Devon, England |
| Died | 12 January 1976 (aged 85), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, playwright |
| Known for | The Mousetrap, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple |
| Notable works | And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd |
| FHODS productions | A Murder is Announced (2024), Love from a Stranger (2025), The Mirror Crack'd (2026) |
Dame Agatha Christie DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English novelist, short story writer and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer of detective fiction who ever lived. Born in Torquay, Devon, she is the best-selling fiction writer of all time, with her works having sold over two billion copies worldwide — outsold only by the Bible and the works of Shakespeare.
Christie wrote 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections, and the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which opened in London's West End in 1952 and has never closed. She created two of the most iconic detectives in literary history: the meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the quietly observant Miss Jane Marple. She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.
Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), introduced Poirot to the world. Among her most celebrated works are And Then There Were None (1939), Murder on the Orient Express (1934), and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), all of which have been adapted repeatedly for stage, film, television and radio. Christie holds the world record as the only female playwright to have three plays running simultaneously in London's West End. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1971.