With Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Agatha Christie became the world's bestselling author after Shakespeare and the Bible. Here's a look at the Queen of Crime, born 125 years ago, and other great mystery writers.
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The best detectives from Miss Marple to Sherlock Holmes
Arguably the world's most famous mystery writer, Agatha Christie, would have turned 125 on September 15. While she created the hot-headed Miss Marple, here are other world-famous fictional detectives you should know.
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Miss Marple
Miss Marple is a cranky elderly lady with a sharp wit and a keen interest in gossip. Her character was created by British writer Agatha Christie, who would have turned 125 on September 15. One of the most famous amateur detectives in the world, Miss Marple was featured in numerous hit films in the 1960s. She was portrayed by Margaret Rutherford.
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Philip Marlowe
He's the prototype of the tough, unerring and yet sentimental detective. With Philip Marlowe, American writer Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) drafted a modern cowboy - a hard-nosed private investigator who stuck to moral principles in the midst of evil and upheld the law.
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Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
It was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) who sent the unusual duo off to investigate in England. Theft, blackmail, organized crime, suspicious deaths, and government secrets - there was nothing that could bring analytical thinker Holmes to capitulation. His down-to-earth friend Dr. Watson constantly has to bring him back to a sense of normalcy.
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Martin Beck
The character stems from the pen of Swedish author duo Per Wahlöö (1926-1975) and Maj Sjöwall (*1935). The chief inspector from Stockholm, Martin Beck, investigated crimes in a series of 10 books collectively titled "The Story of a Crime," which were released between 1965 and 1975. The novels were a huge success and have been adapted into numerous movies.
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Kurt Wallander
Based on his introverted nature and permanent state of mid-life crisis, he could almost be Martin Beck's brother. It was Swedish writer Henning Mankell (*1948) who created Kurt Wallander as a multifaceted detective who struggles with personal hardships like illness, relationship stress and excessive alcohol consumption. As an inspector, he is upright, courageous and authentic.
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Commissario Guido Brunetti
His stomping ground is Venice and it's there that Commissario Guido Brunetti goes about his Sisyphean task of cleansing the world of crime. The cultivated, sensitive officer is only partially successful in his aim: Most of the criminals manage to get away. Brunetti's creator, American writer Donna Leon (*1942), resides in the Italian city. Her novels have been translated into 35 languages.
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Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers
The creation of American writer Elizabeth George (*1942), Lynley and Havers work in Britain. Lynley, the noble criminal investigator, and his proletarian assistant are an unusual duo. In addition to the cases they take on, the private lives of these two characters also play a significant role in George's successful novels. The books were adapted into a television series for the BBC.
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Agatha Mary Clarissa was born 125 years ago, on September 15, 1890, in an English seaside town called Torquay. By marrying Archie Christie in 1914, she acquired the name by which she would become world famous.
Her first crime novel, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles," was published in 1920 and featured the debut of her long-lived character Hercule Poirot, the eccentric Belgian detective. He would appear in 33 novels and over 50 short stories.
Altogether, she's written 80 novels and short story collections, along with six romance novels published under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott.
Her novels have sold an estimated two billion copies - not counting the ones that can be found everywhere in yard sales. She is also the most-translated author, as her works have been translated into at least 103 languages.
She died on January 12, 1976, aged 85. Now the world celebrates her literary legacy: An International Agatha Christie Festival will be held from September 11-20 in Torquay, her birthplace, and several other commemorative events are taking place worldwide.
