English 1061 Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976) Author of 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, famous for detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple The best selling novelist in the world (2 billion copies) – more than J.K. Rowling (so far) Born into an upper-middle class family in Devon; married twice Taught herself to read as a small child Never formally educated, but attended a girls’ school; served in a hospital during wartimes Died of dementia or Alzheimer’s

Murder on the Orient Express (1934) Partly inspired by Christie’s vacation in Istanbul and on the Orient Express Partly inspired by the real life kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh’s son in 1932, also resulting in a British maid’s suicide

“The Trial of the Century” Lindbergh was famous for making the first transatlantic solo airplane flight in 1927 His son Charles Jr. was kidnapped in 1932 from his family home in New Jersey Although a maid was accused, German carpenter Bruno Richard Hauptman was convicted in 1934 and executed in 1936 for his murder

1930s Trains Require people to be together in close spaces Projected a romantic aura of wealth and adventure Istanbul was a negative place, associated with crime and danger

The Passengers Hector Willard MacQueen, Cassetti’s secretary Edward Henry Masterman, Cassetti’s valet, Colonel Armstrong’s batman (servant) Colonel John Arbuthnot, Colonel Armstrong’s best friend Mrs. Caroline Martha Hubbard, Linda Arden, Daisy’s grandmother Countess Helena Andrenyi, Daisy’s aunt; Count Ruldoph Andrenyi  Princess Natalia Dragomiroff, Sonia Armstrong’s godmother Miss Mary Debenham, the Armstrong family’s governess Fräulein Hildegarde Schmidt, the Armstrong family’s cook Antonio Foscarelli, the Armstrong family’s chauffeur Miss Greta Ohlsson, Daisy Armstrong’s nurse Pierre Michel, the train conductor, father of Susanne, the Armstrongs’ nursemaid Cyrus Hardman, Susanne’s lover

Hercule Poirot (poh-roh) Christie wrote numerous books with Poirot as the detective hero, though later in life she became tired of him and called him arrogant. Is he actually a ‘hero’?

Movie version 2017 Does Poirot do the right thing at the end, letting the passengers get away with murder—literally?