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We could easily create a whole mystery class around the time and works of Agatha Christie.

Next on our agenda we’ll read two Christie stories featuring her famous investigators, Hercule Poirot (this week) and Jane Marple (the following week).

This week’s story, “The Italian Nobleman” was first published in 1923 in The Sketch. It was part of Christie’s 1924 collection Poirot Investigates.

As you read this week’s story, be sure to observe how Christie creates the story and characters, and how the clever Monsieur Poirot solves the mystery. How does Poirot compare to our other mystery resolvers so far?

This lesson is a revised version of my earlier Agatha Christie write-ups.

• Her first book was rejected by six publishers (and took four years to publish)

• Her favorite writers were Graham Greene and Elizabeth Bowen

• She did not smoke or drink

• Her favorite color was green

• Lily of the Valley was her favorite flower

• She has a rose named after her

• She loved dogs

• She is the only crime writer to have created two equally famous characters

• When Poirot “died” The New York Times gave him a full-page obituary

• She also wrote 6 novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, whose identity remained a secret for 20+ years 

• She wrote a film script for Charles Dickens’ Bleak House in 1962

• She was also an expert photographer (from her work on archeological digs)

• She was passionate about opera, especially those by Wagner

Christie published The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in 1926, which was a turning point for her. It was extremely popular, and became a genre classic (and one of her own favorites). This was a tough year for Christie, as her mother died, and her husband asked for a divorce (Agatha Christie, 2017).

What explains her incredible productivity? One theory is that World War II created a sense of her own mortality and intensified her need to write/publish. For many years she published three or four books each year (Robinson, 2021). 

Hercule Poirot appears in 26 of her mysteries (and short stories).

I should note that she was also a playwright. “The Mousetrap” is her most famous work: it holds the record as the longest running play in a London theater (8,800 performances over a 21 year period starting in 1952).

Several specials were released recently exploring the work of Agatha Christie. Two of these works are “Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie” and “Agatha Christie’s England. These works explore “what made the world’s most successful crime writer tick” (Robinson, 2021).  Robinson asks: “How did a refined, upper-class British girl evolve into the queen of crime, poison, and murder?”

You might wonder how we know so much about Agatha Christie. Her personal archives contain manuscripts, letters, and 73 notebooks where she recorded everything she heard and saw. There are a number of Agatha Christie experts who have dedicated their research to analyzing her work (such as literature professor John Curran, who worked on the PBS specials).

The world loves a good mystery, and Christie herself became the subject of intrigue and speculation.

Twelve years into their marriage, Archie asked Agatha for a divorce. He was having an affair with his secretary, Nancy Neale. Some biographers attribute their relationship tension to the fact that Christie was keeping a tight control on family finances (she was just beginning to make a lot of money with her writing). On that fateful day in 1926, tensions were especially high. Christie’s mother had recently died, greatly upsetting Agatha. The couple had a fight and Archie left to spend the weekend away.  Agatha also took a trip on her own, leaving her young daughter with the maid (Johnson, 2021).

Agatha’s abandoned car wreck was found the next morning (with headlights on and suitcase in the back seat). A missing person case became front page news!

In the 10 days that followed, Archie and mistress Nancy were considered suspects. A manhunt for Agatha ensued (even resulting in the dredging of a lake).  Johnson writes:

“Famous faces also waded in to the mystery with the then Home Secretary William Joynson-Hicks putting pressure on police to find the writer, and fellow mystery writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle seeking the help of a clairvoyant to find Agatha using one of her gloves as a guide.”

The mystery resolved when a hotel in Yorkshire reported an outgoing South African guest by the name of Theresa Neale appeared suspiciously similar to the missing Agatha Christie.  Archie Christie was contacted and he approached his estranged wife (or South African guest?). She appeared not to recognize him. But apparently she eventually did, they divorced, and life moved on (Johnson, 2021).

No one knows the reason behind this little mystery, and Christie did not even mention it in her autobiography. Some Christie scholars believe the pressure of her divorce, combined with grief over losing her mother led to a nervous breakdown. Others believe she had a concussion from the car accident and was suffering from amnesia.  And others believe the whole thing was a publicity stunt.

In any case, this little story fuels the mystery and imagination of this fascinating writer’s life.

Christie is vague about Poirot’s background, and he is not a reliable narrator regarding his life, since he often made up details.  We can gather that Poirot’s career started in the trenches, so to speak. He served in the Brussels police force from 1893 through World War I, working his way up to the rank of Captain. He apparently retired in 1905 as a police officer, at the age of 55, and devoted the rest of his life to his private detective work (Hercule Poirot, 2021).  He traveled around the world investigating and solving crimes, including murder.

Poirot was a quirky character whose most notable features were his prominent moustache, as well as his short stature, and pince-nez reading glasses. He was a bit fanatical about organization and disorder (today we’d probably call this obsessive-compulsive disorder). He was also very fastidious with his appearance. He constantly fussed over his patent leather shoes, and frequently referred to his pocket watch (he was very punctual). Christie described him for the first time in The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1920. Of course, he dyed his hair as he aged (Facts, 2021).

Christie described Poirot: "He was hardly more than five feet four inches but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side…The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound."

He was not a modest or humble character in the least, and was known for a rather large ego and boasting that he was the greatest detective in the world. Some of his catch phrases were his use of “the little grey cells” and “law and order” (Hercule Poirot, 2021). Poirot’s version of a side-kick (think: Mr. Watson) was his friend and colleague, Captain Arthur Hastings. Captain Hastings narrates “The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman.”

Poirot solved crimes using a combination of knowledge of psychology as well as the workings of the criminal mind.

Poirot, like Miss Marple, engaged people in conversation to reveal clues. He often fabricated details about his own life in order to gain the confidence of witnesses and suspects and get them to talk.  He was not as much of a crime scene investigator as many other detectives of the time, including Holmes and Dupin.

Christie got tired of Poirot by 1930 and quite disliked his character over the following three decades (finding him a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep.” But she kept him alive because the public loved him (Hercule Poirot, 2021).

Hercule Poirot remains a beloved character to this day. When Poirot “died” in 1975, he was the first fictional character to receive a front page New York Times Obituary.

Christie’s Poirot stories have been dramatized for radio, television, and movies. More than 35 actors have taken on the role, including:

• Charles Laughton

• Francis Sullivan

• Albert Finney

• Austin Trevor

• Orson Welles

• Tony Randall

• Peter Ustinav

• Mansai Nomuraand (Japanese!)

…and many more

David Sachet, British actor, is the best-known “Poirot” as he convincingly embodied Hercule Poirot for more than 24 years on the British television series (from 1989 to 2013). The British mystery drama ran for 13 series (70 episodes).

Some final bits of Poirot trivia:

Poirot has recently been resurrected by modern writer Sophie Hannah, who somehow got rights to continue telling his tales (she has published four novels to date).

He is thought to be the inspiration for Benoit Blanc, the detective who saved the day in the recent “Knives Out” movies series.

Agatha Christie thought Poirot’s best role was in Murder on the Orient Express.

There you have it—a quick Hercule Poirot primer to provide some background as you read (or watch) our drama this week. See what you think!

This was an early Poirot story, so a true connoisseur might notice a few rough spots as Christie was still perfecting the inspector’s personality.

Analyzing the various literary elements:

Setting:

London: Regent’s Court was a new block of flats, situated just off St. John’s Wood Road. They had only recently been built, and contained the latest service devices.”

Not much additional description of the setting is provided, but most important is Christie’s re-creation of the Count’s quarters, service elevator, and rooms.  We also get a picture of the table setting, food, and various adornments in the flat.

Characters:

Classic Christie! Notice the good guys and potential bad guys. In this case Christie does not describe—she follows the “show don’t tell” advice and creates her characters and action through dialogue.

Of course we have Hastings and Poirot

Count Foscatini

Dr. Hawker

Graves, Foscatini’s butler

Count Ascanio

Inspector Japp

The plot is again typical Christie: a puzzling theft from a locked room.

Take notes on Poirot’s style of investigation and mode of inquiry.

How does Poirot know to confront Ascanio? What strategy does Poirot use to force a confession?

How does the story end?

[interesting connection to the clue of white teeth—reminded me of Dr. Ottengui’s influence!]

As for the theme, it’s a cut-and-dried case of greed and opportunism, but also interesting to note the international intrigue—possibly because of the post-WW I setting.

Agatha Christie was made a “dame” in 1971. This was a well-deserved honor for all she contributed to the mystery genre. She has indeed become “a household name.”

I like to think about the millions upon millions of readers over the past decades who have opened a Christie book and lost themselves in the pages. A good mystery, as Christie knows, asks a question and launches a journey towards the answer. Through her skillful storytelling and characters, Christie entertains, and resolves order in the world.

Agatha Christie, British Author. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Agatha-Christie

Agatha Christie. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/writer/agatha-christie

Agatha Christie website. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.agathachristie.com/about-christie/christie-experts/john-curran-75-facts-about-christie

Facts about Poirot. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.agathachristie.com/characters/hercule-poirot/facts-about-hercule-poirot

Hercule Poirot. (2021). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercule_Poirot

John Curran: 75 Facts About Christie. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.agathachristie.com/about-christie/christie-experts/john-curran-75-facts-about-christie

Johnstone, A. (2021). Agatha Mystery. Retrieved from https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/2640070/agatha-christie-books-ordeal-by-innocence-published-poirot-miss-marple/

Johnson, B. (2021). The Curious Disappearance of Agatha Christie. Retrieved from https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Curious-Disappearance-of-Agatha-Christie/

Robinson, J. (2021). Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie. Retrieved from https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/jan/13/inside-mind-agatha-christie/