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Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks - Part 3

20 Aug 09 9:38AM

Those who have been following my account of Agatha Christie’s Notebooks have been asking me what I think is the most interesting element of this treasure trove, and what will I be revealing in my new book?

Amongst the most fascinating entries in the Notebooks are, without doubt, those that contain what I have called the ‘Unused Ideas’. These can be as little as a sentence (Stored blood idea, wrong blood or something added to it [35]) or as much as a dozen pages. There are different murderers from those we know sketched in for many novels, and many potential plot developments that never made it into the published book. And in between these pages are personal items – lists of Christmas presents, items to pack for holidays, appointment details for meeting friends and doodles while solving the crossword. There are pages devoted to her favourite murder method, poisons and their properties, timetables of the movements of suspects  - and lists of tulips for the garden. Her husband, Sir Max Mallowan and her daughter, Rosalind, have completed some pages; and her first husband, Archie Christie, has written in one of them.

Fascinating as the Notebooks are for anyone with even a passing interest in Agatha Christie, I have been saving some wonderfully exciting news. Not only will this book be a look behind the scenes at the working methods of one of the worlds best-selling writers, it will also include TWO NEW POIROT STORIES!

I am enormously happy and proud that the book will also include two never-before-published adventures of Hercule Poirot. Although it is impossible to say for certain when exactly they were written, I am satisfied that one of them is from the 20s and the second is from the late 30s. In other words, both of them date from Agatha Christie’s Golden Age, when she was at her most ingenious and prolific. And, luckily, there are references to both stories in the Notebooks. This enables me to give some background to put them both in context. Who ever thought that, almost 30 years after her death, we would be able to enjoy two unknown examples of the unbeatable combination of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot?

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12 comments

Animals_Lover 01 Dec 09 at 5:46p.m.

does the book carry on from another or can i just read it?

Ms_Kylie_Menage 11 Sep 09 at 11:14a.m.

Dear Mr Curran

You are probably right - I did indeed devour the book!

As for Ding Dong Dell, this is in a list of quotations from nursery rhymes and it is mentioned which were used and which were not. It may not have been used as a title for a novel, but it is definitely quoted in Hallowe'en Party - referring to the maid's body thrown down the well.

The only other suggestions I'd make for future editions is that where it mentions chapters it could state whether it is referring to the chapter in "Secret Notebooks" or else to the chapter of the novel being discussed. I was confused about this a few times.

And some novel discussions end with verbatim quotes from Dame Agatha's notebooks (many of which are beyond my understanding as to what she had in mind!) and I feel it could benefit by ending with a final summing-up instead.

But all that aside it is brilliant. I also thoroughly enjoyed the two appendices. I liked both stories a lot, but especially "The Dog's Ball", perhaps as I have not been the biggest fan of Dumb Witness and think it works better as a short story. SPOILERS - Great use of misdirection as you don't suspect the girl at all!

John_Curran 11 Sep 09 at 8:17a.m.

Thank you for your comments and I don't take them as criticism. I appreciate your taking the time and trouble to write.

The Mousetrap - It was televised so this is not a mistake or a misprint. I actually have a copy of the script and it is definitely for television.

4.50 from Paddington - I think if you re-read it carefully you will find that I don't actually say what you think I do. In trying to be careful I may have been ambiguous but 'Martine' is identified as the person you say (thereby stretching the credulity) and Anna is referred to in the Notebook as Dr Q's wife so both aspects of the identity form part of the plot.

Hallowe'en Party - not sure what you mean here?

Ms_Kylie_Menage 10 Sep 09 at 3:39a.m.

Dear Mr Curran

I would like to start by saying how deeply in awe I am of your achievement in writing this book. What a monumental task! It certainly cannot have been easy, what with the apparently haphazard way the plots were sketched, on whatever notebook happened to be handy, and sometimes at later stages scattered over completely different notebooks, the "bloody awful" handwriting (of course due to the alacrity with which the ideas were written, the hand trying to keep up with the brain!), and also the fact that character's names were often changed. I do so want to emphasise my admiration so my next comments do not sound like criticism, and hopefully I won't come across like one of the readers who wrote to Dame Agatha herself to point out errors. It is completely understandable that errors occur with such a huge task, and no doubt deadlines looming. But these things will no doubt be corrected in later editions. At this stage I am about half-way through your book, which I have been devouring, having only received it in the mail yesterday (and having had to work and sleep!) So please do not be too annoyed at what I am about to point out.

The book mentions a television adaptation of The Mousetrap, but I think it probably is meant to say radio, theatrical or story adaptation, as I don't believe it has been filmed.

In the chapter on nursery rhymes it is pointed out that although Dame Agatha wrote "Ding Dong Dell" in the notebooks this was never used, but in fact it is a plot point of Hallowe'en Party.

SPOILERS

In the discussion of 4.50 From Paddington it is mentioned reader credulity is strained with the victim turning out to be Martine, but in fact she is Stodder's mother and the real victim is Quimper's wife. Well, at any rate in my Fontana edition this is so - I know the ending of Three Act Tragedy was different in the US version but I assume the books you have at hand are the UK ones.

As I say I do not mean this to be criticism as I am still undeniably in awe of your achievement. I wish you and your book the very best of success.

poison_orange_peak 04 Sep 09 at 7:32a.m.

Wow! I was so exicted yesterday - the book was supposed to be available! Of course, since I live in Australia, it doesn't get released here until the 1st of October! AH! I guess I'll just have to make do with reading The Capture Of Cerberus that was published in The Courier Mail last week! The "new" story is COMPLETELY different from the published one in The Labours Of Hercules. Still brilliant though!

Animals_Lover 28 Aug 09 at 6:53p.m.

Yey!!!!! :)

Jemma 27 Aug 09 at 12:21p.m.

Hi Animals_Lover,

No, they aren't changing the stories. They are being published as they were found in the notebooks.

Animals_Lover 26 Aug 09 at 3:41p.m.

this is soo cool finally they find another 2 books but are they being changed by the publishers or not because if they are it means we won't find out more about christie

John_Curran 24 Aug 09 at 9:40a.m.

Hi Tommy_A_Jones,

Apart from Hastings in 'The Incident of the Dogs Ball', the Countess Vera appears in the 'Capture of Cerberus' as she does in the collected version.

I hope you enjoy reading the stories when they are published on the 3rd September.

SpearmintHippo 22 Aug 09 at 11:24a.m.

how completely amazing to think these stories have been hidden, just waiting to be discovered! Thank you John for your hard work deciphering them and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of your book!

Jack_London 22 Aug 09 at 1:04a.m.

My goodness this is exciting!!
I can't wait to hear more about these mysterious Poirots that have been found, it must have been very interesting looking through her notebooks and things because personally, i think there is alot we haven't understood about Christie's writing style, and the origins of her ideas which would be of great interest to both her fans and critics.

Tommy_A_Jones 20 Aug 09 at 1:23p.m.

I am excited by this news and wonder if the 2 new stories have Characters who have appeared in other books like Hastings, Ariadne Oliver, Race, Spence or Battle or maybe one of the less well-known Characters like Colonel Carbury or maybe Colin Lamb.