Biography

Biography
Biographies
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on 15 September 1890 in Torquay, England. Her
father, Frederick, was a wealthy American and her mother, Clara, was rather shy; Agatha
resembled her greatly in personality. There were two other children - Madge and Monty,
both older than Agatha.
Agatha did not go to school: she taught herself to read when she was five, then she had
a governess at home. She could also sing and play the piano: she was particularly good
at it.
When Agatha was eleven her father died and she became even closer to her mother.
Clara began to travel, at times taking Agatha with her; this is how Agatha’s love for
travelling started.
In 1912 Agatha met Archie Christie, her future husband, a qualified aviator in the Royal
Flying Corps. After a tempestuous romance, they married on Christmas Eve 1914 and
Archie returned to the war in France on Boxing Day.
So, to keep herself busy, Agatha became a nurse at the Red Cross Hospital in Torquay –
where she worked in the dispensary: she enjoyed the work and became an expert in
drugs and poisons...
Her writing career really began when The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published: the
murder by poison was so well described that Agatha received the unprecedented honour
of a review in the Pharmaceutical Journal!
Agatha’s happiness was complete when Rosalind, her only daughter was born on 5th
August 1919 but by 1926, her life was in tatters: Christie’s mother Clara died and Archie
left her for another woman.
Christie slowly rebuilt her life and in 1930, as she was visiting Baghdad, she met Max
Mallowan: he asked her to marry him and she happily accepted.
Agatha accompanied Max on his annual archaeological expeditions for nearly 30 years.
She continued to write, both at home and on field trips and her book Come, Tell Me How
You Live wittily describes her days on digs in Syria. She and Max were happily married for
46 years. After a hugely successful career and a wonderful life Agatha died peacefully on
12 January 1976.
You can read Agatha Christie's own account of her life in An Autobiography which was
published after her death in 1977.
Exercises on Agatha Christie’s biography
A-Find the questions to match the answers:
1-When and where ______ A.Ch. ____________________________________________ ?
She was born on 15 Sept. 1890 in Torquay, Devon, England.
2-How many _______________ _________ ______ ________________________________________?
There were three children in the family.
3-When _________________________________________________________________?
Agatha’s love for travelling started when her father died.
4-Who ___________________________________________________________________?
He was her first husband.
5-What ___________________________________________________________________?
In 1926? Agatha’s mother died and Archie left her for another woman.
B-Answer the questions
1-What were Clara and Agatha Miller like?
__________________________________________________________________.
2-When did Agatha meet her husbands?
___________________________________________________________________.
3-Why did she travel so much after her second marriage?
____________________________________________________________________.
4-Did she go to northern or southern countries?
_____________________________________________________________________.
5-How long were Agatha and Max Mallowan married?
_______________________________________________________________.
Wordbox :
wealthy = rich
shy = timide
un|precedent|ed =
both = tous les deux
dig = creuser, fouiller (irr. Verb)
site archéologique, chantier, fouilles
go on a field trip = partir en voyage d’étude, aller sur le terrain
tatters = lambeaux, loques, haillons
review = critique
A quel temps est ce texte? _________________________________________________________
Pourquoi? _________________________________________________________________________
C-Relève les 10 (?) verbes irréguliers conjugués de ce texte et donne leur base
verbale :
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
L’un d’entre eux est un modal ; lequel? ______________________________________________
Quel sens a-t-il? ___________________________________________________________________
Un autre est à la forme négative : lequel? ____________________________________________
Quelle formule dois-tu utiliser pour mettre un verbe à la forme négative ?
__________________________
D-Turn the following sentences into the negative form:
1-Agatha Christie’s maiden name* was Mower.
*maiden name = nom de jeune fille
A. Christie’s _________________________________________________________________________.
2-She had three brothers and sisters.
She ________________________________________________________________________________.
3-She went to school in Torquay.
She _________________________________________________________________________________.
4-She met her first husband in 1914.
She _________________________________________________________________________________.
5-A. Christie enjoyed staying at home.
A. Ch. ______________________________________________________________________________.