Egyptian film ‘Feathers’ wins big at Joburg Film Festival

DUBAI: In a sold-out, hour-long convention astatine nan Emirates Literature Festival, British historiographer and broadcaster Lucy Worsley and Icelandic thriller writer Ragnar Jonasson talked astir each things Agatha Christie (1890-1976), nan venerable British detective author. Actively penning for much than 5 decades, nan best-selling “Queen of Crime” led a singular life and profession of highs and lows.

She taught herself to publication astatine 5 years old, wrote 66 detective novels, surfed successful Hawaii, and survived infidelity and a achy divorce. She sold complete 2 cardinal books and was knighted by nan queen successful her 80s. One tin opportunity that Christie was a fighter, and nan pen was her limb of choice.

Both Worsley and Jonasson are long-time admirers of Christie. Worsley has a caller curriculum vitae astir nan writer, while ever since his teens, Jonasson has translated much than a twelve of Christie’s novels into Icelandic. “You spell backmost to nan books again and again, conscionable for illustration comfortableness reading,” he said.

“Somebody for illustration Agatha Christie tin sometimes beryllium put into this container that’s marked pinch nan words ‘difficult women.’ You aren’t instantly likable, aren’t instantly knowable, aren’t each saccharine and light,” Worsley told nan Dubai audience. “It strikes maine that very often erstwhile a female is put into that class successful people’s minds it’s because she is breaking nan rules arsenic they are perceived for women astatine nan time.”

Worsley, who wrote her book during nan pandemic, had entree to Christie’s family archive and conducted investigation astatine her Georgian vacation location successful Devon, England. Christie began earnestly penning her books successful nan 1920s, often dubbed nan “golden property of crime fiction.” Worsley believes it was nan First World War, erstwhile Christie was a nurse, that kicked things disconnected for her.

“She turned to penning detective fabrication during nan quiet hours successful nan infirmary dispensary, erstwhile she was waiting for nan prescriptions to travel in,” she explained. “It was her occupation to operation up nan narcotics and nutrient nan medicines (and) poisons that could either prevention life aliases return life.”

During her highest years, betwixt nan 1920s and 1940s, Christie ever seemed to outshine different modern crime authors. “She was simply nan champion one,” said Jonasson, complimenting her brilliant plots. “The others were penning very bully detective stories, but she ever had this other furniture of a twist astatine nan end…Her ideas are sometimes truthful elemental that you explicate them successful 1 sentence.”

The convention besides delved into Christie’s individual hardships, including her infamous 1926 disappearance, erstwhile she hid distant from nine for 11 days arsenic a consequence of her first husband’s adultery. In nan later years of her life, suffering from nan early stages of dementia, Christie’s books were not arsenic successful arsenic her erstwhile ones.

But location were immoderate affirmative points too. Her adventurous trips to nan Middle East gave nan world all-time classics, specified arsenic “Death connected nan Nile” and “Murder connected nan Orient Express.” It was successful Iraq that she would meet her 2nd hubby of 40-plus years, archaeologist Max Mallowan. Interest successful Christie’s writings remains high, arsenic films and TV shows inspired by her books proceed to beryllium successful production. Not only do these pull longtime fans but also, and possibly astir importantly, they present her activity to younger generations.