If life sometimes imitates art, one nice instance is the mysterious disappearance of well-known crime novelist Agatha Christie. In 1926, the Englishwoman disappeared for eleven days, spurring a nationwide search. Feared useless, she was ultimately discovered alive, supposedly affected by amnesia. But many had doubts about this explanation. Was this actually a publicity stunt to spur e-book gross sales? Revenge in opposition to her adulterous partner? No one will ever know for sure - perhaps as a result of she meant it to be that approach. Agatha Christie is considered the bestselling novelist of all time, having penned 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections that together have sold greater than 2 billion copies. That determine is just surpassed by gross sales of the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. She additionally wrote "The Mousetrap," the world's longest-running play, which first debuted in 1952 and continues to be going sturdy. Her father was American, her mom British. The youngest of three youngsters, Agatha spent a contented childhood making up stories, writing, playing piano and singing.
Unfortunately, her father died when she was 11, and the family's funds became problematic. As a technique to assist, her mom hoped her youngest would marry up a social class when she was older. Instead, she fell in love with Archibald Christie. Archie, as he was known, was a dashing aviator in the Royal Flying Corps, and from a lower social class. Shortly after the 2 began relationship, Archie was sent to France to struggle in World Battle I. When he came dwelling just a few months later in Dec. 1914, the couple hastily married. Their solely baby, Rosalind, was born in 1919. Through the war, Christie volunteered on the local Crimson Cross Hospital and labored within the dispensary, where she realized lots about poisons, data that will are available in handy when she turned to writing detective novels. It was the first look of the quickly-to-be-celebrated detective Hercule Poirot. In the spring of 1926, Agatha's beloved mom died, leaving her devastated.
To make matters worse, Archie (who had earlier advised her he did not prefer to deal with sickness or dying) promptly went to London as an alternative of serving to his spouse to clear out her mom's dwelling in Torquay. Agatha became depressed, and in subsequent weeks appeared to be on the verge of a mental health crisis. In the meantime, Archie began an affair with Nancy Neele, a household pal, approaching Agatha for a divorce that August