Agatha Christie erstwhile tried her manus astatine penning an agony aunt file earlier she became 1 of the world's astir celebrated crime novelists, it has been discovered.
Christie's attempts were discovered successful a handmade satirical mag made successful 1971 by the writer and the nurses she volunteered with at a makeshift infirmary successful Torquay, Devon, during the First World War.
The 60-page mag titled 'What we Did successful the Great War' contains surreal abbreviated stories, poems, plays, an 'opera' and a comic portion astir poisoning by Christie and her caregiver friends - who called themselves 'the queer women' due to the fact that of their antithetic interests for the clip period.
Agatha Christie erstwhile tried her manus astatine penning an agony aunt file earlier she became 1 of the world's astir celebrated transgression novelists, it has been discovered
One conception is dedicated to Christie's agony aunt file successful which she answers the the concerns of her 'readers' and signs each of her responses disconnected with 'Always, your loving Aunt Agatha.'
In 1 introduction a 'reader' had sent successful a representation to which Christie replied: 'I'm acrophobic it volition not summation the prize this week, but you indispensable effort again.
'The h2o lillies were nicely drawn, they were possibly a small large arsenic they made the cattle look alternatively funny.
'Remember, a cattle is larger than a h2o lilly.'
Christie besides compiled a puzzles leafage with a maths occupation and a riddle on with a mock 'court news' conception detailing a coroner's report.
One conception is dedicated to Christie's agony aunt file successful which she answers the the concerns of her 'readers' and signs each of her responses disconnected with 'Always, your loving Aunt Agatha.'
The mag was recovered successful the archives of the British Psychoanalytical Society wrong the papers of Sylvia Payne, a pioneering British psychoanalyst who befriended Christie erstwhile she was drafted to tally the infirmary based successful Torquay's municipality hall.
It appears to person been made astir the aforesaid clip that she finished the manuscript for her archetypal Hercule Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair astatine Styles.
The caller wasn't released until 3 years aboriginal successful 1920 aft six publishers rejected her manuscript.
Christie worked arsenic a caregiver with the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the First World War and became a medicines dispenser successful 1971.
She would aboriginal usage her cognition of pharmaceuticals to pass her penning arsenic a transgression novelist.
The mag volition spell connected show nationalist show adjacent period astatine the Royal College of Nursing's London office successful an accumulation connected the past of nursing enactment workers.
The mag appears to person been made astir the aforesaid clip that she finished the manuscript for her archetypal Hercule Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair astatine Styles, which wasn't published until 1920
The archivist who discovered it Ewan O'Neill said that making the mag appears to person been a mode for Christie and her peers to support their spirits up.
He told The Times: 'They indispensable person look immoderate existent horrors successful the war, radical coming backmost from France with unspeakable injuries, but this has got rather a positive, cheery rotation of their experiences.
'There are besides references to antithetic chemicals peppered passim the piece.
He added: 'It's a existent cardinal acquisition for [Christie] and the improvement of her writing, I suppose.'
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