She was quiet, shy and a lover of books. Who am I speaking of you may wonder…me? No, though I connect with each of those descriptions on an extreme level.
Agatha Christie grew up with a father from America and a mother from London. The youngest of three, Agatha was treated a bit different than her older siblings. While her sisters were sent away to school, Agatha’s mother wanted her youngest to learn her studies while home. Agatha was gifted as a pianist and playing the mandolin.
Agatha often played alone with her imaginary friends and of course invited her pets along for some of the shenanigans. Her curious nature blossomed quite young and by age 4, Agatha was reading without any assistance. Her mother wasn’t even aware she knew HOW to read and was of the opinion she learned at age 8. I have a sneaking suspicion Agatha kept it quiet to avoid being used as entertainment when dinner guests came over. I could have used that tip back in the day!
By the age of 10, her fathers health was on the decline due to heart issues and suspected strokes. At age 11, he passed away and Agatha said this was when her childhood adventures abruptly ended. Money was severely tight and stress was abundant. At 16, her mother sent her to Paris to focus on voice training and playing the piano. Due to her timid nature, Agatha realized this life was not for her. Singing in front of people? Performing in concerts? Eyes staring at me that I can’t run from? See ya, Paris.
She came home to a mother with failing health. The pair decided to escape the cold winter in London and soak in the warmth Egypt had to offer. Agatha and her mother were very close and enjoyed spending the quality time together. They would stay busy observing polo matches and attending dances. Agatha wasn’t intrigued by the archaeology encircling them; that would flourish later on.
At 18, Agatha found herself quite sick. She took advantage of being in bed day after day and completed her first short story, “The House of Beauty”. During this same period, she began working on her first novel, Snow Upon the Desert. Her heart broke a little bit each time a publisher rejected to publish the novel. But she distracted herself with romance until she felt another creative spark.
She had four short-lived relationships with some gentleman callers and one engagement. This engagement was to a fellow name Archibald (Archie) and it only took three short months to make each other fully swoon. The pair fell in love almost immediately! Archie was a Royal Artillery officer.
In 1914, Archie was sent away to France to fight in World War I. The young, enraptured couple married on Christmas Eve in 1914 when Archie was home on leave. Agatha worked with the Red Cross in Torquay. She started out as a nurse, and then a dispenser. In 1918 when Archie was reassigned to London, her service ended and the pair rent a flat to hunker down in. This is officially when married life began for Agatha.
Agatha gave birth to her only child Rosalind in 1919. Archie left the Air Force and began working in the City financial sector. Not the best income, but at least it was a job I suppose. Despite being a busy mother now, it was around this period that Agatha wrote her first two mystery novels. Once her third novel was published in 1923, she was selling books galore and it wasn’t likely any publishers risked rejecting her then. She was a success!
The couple decided they needed some travel time and joined an around-the-world promotional tour for the British Empire Exhibition. They gingerly handed Rosalind over to grandma and off they went! During the 10-month trek they traveled to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada. The pair learned how to surf and were among the first Britons to surf standing up. They even extended their trip 3 months to nail the form down. Agatha enjoyed it immensely saying, “Oh it was heaven! Nothing like rushing through the water at what seems to you a speed of about two hundred miles an hour. It is one of the most perfect physical pleasures I have known.”
Shortly after their return, Agatha’s mother passed away, sending her into a deep depression. Just a few months after, Archie asked Agatha for a divorce. How patient of him to wait a few months. What a swell guy! Archie had fallen in love with a woman named Nancy and yet, the two did not file for divorce immediately. I assume they were talking things out and perhaps working on things? But then four months pass and Archie and Agatha get into a heated argument. He was set on going away for the weekend without her present and obviously, considering the circumstances, this didn’t leave Agatha feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Later that evening, she was gone. Vanished into the night, or did she?
Her car was discovered the next morning. There were clothes and an expired license inside it. Speculations soared that she drowned herself and the disappearance became hot news! There were rewards posted and over a thousand officers, 15,000 volunteers and several planes scoured the area. Despite all the search parties, she wasn’t found for another 10 days. Then, on December 14th 1926, she was found in a hotel in Yorkshire, 184 miles north of her home. She registered into the hotel as Mrs. Tressa Neele (the last name of her husband’s mistress).
The following day, she left for her sisters. She had all of the gates locked, guarded halls, phones cut off and turned ALL callers away. Agatha said it best herself, “Dogs are wise. They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more.”
Doctors diagnosed her with an “unquestionable genuine loss of memory”, though there are several opinions on the reality of what happened. Upon reading a few different perspectives, I’d go with the view that she had a nervous breakdown and severe depression. Losing her mother, then this? She shut down mentally and emotionally need to recover from both deaths. She wasn’t aware of the public spotlight that was shining on her disappearance. She was “licking her wounds” and taking that quiet time to recuperate before her daughter saw her in such a state.
In 1927, Agatha sailed away with her daughter to Canary Islands, returning 3 months later. She petitioned for divorce and was granted a decree nisi against Archie. Archie married Nancy a week later. How sweet.
Agatha became friends with an archaeologist and his wife, who invited her to their dig in 1930. She went. Why the hell not, right? This is where she met Max. I mean, Max is SO much better than Archibald. Come on! Let us all swoon together, shall we? Max was 13 years her junior. They wed soon after. Get it, Agatha! She went with Max on his many expeditions and received a wheel of endless inspirational ideas to include in her novels.
During World War II, Agatha continued to gain inspiration and knowledge as she worked in the pharmacy at University College Hospital. Agatha studied the latest and most potent poisons, giving her mystery novels all of the deadly details necessary to raise the eyebrows of British intelligence agencies. She was actually investigated by them because of one of her book characters. Now that’s how you know you’re a good writer!
Agatha was honored with various awards in recognition of her spectacular literary talents, thankfully before her passing in 1976, at age 85. She passed away peacefully in her home. Her husband did remarry, but was still laid to rest beside her in the plots they had previously chosen together. Agatha led a happy life overall. She loved her family, observing people, gardening, the sun on her face, experiencing unique foods, and traveling. She hated crowds, loud noises and public speaking. Her imagination and witty humor have created countless novels that entertain and puzzle our senses, leaving us eager for more.
References: