Agatha Said, pt. 5
Happy March! I hope you’re all staying healthy and enjoying the weather as we move toward spring. This month I’ve chosen a rather illuminating quote about Agatha’s career ambitions in the world of writing.
Agatha Said:
“I personally had no ambition. I knew that I was not very good at anything. Tennis and croquet I used to enjoy playing, but I never played them well. How much more interesting it would be if I could say that I always longed to be a writer, and was determined that someday I would succeed, but, honestly, such an idea never came into my head.”
Context: This quote falls after a paragraph where Agatha is musing about her older sister’s literary pursuits. Madge began writing stories before Agatha and was in fact published in Vanity Fair multiple times, something she gave up once she got married. She later went on to write several plays, one of which was produced by the Royal Theatre.
Agatha also mentions that Madge was a talented actress. And, amusingly enough, in the line before this quote, reflects, “There is no doubt that Madge was the talented member of our family.”
Why I Chose It: Before I read her autobiography, I thought Agatha Christie must’ve been someone with great ambition, given everything she accomplished. So it was surprising to me to discover that writing was something she came to gradually, falling into it rather than doggedly pursuing it.
This quote also shows her humility, how she never imagined she would become a prolific author and a legend of the mystery fiction world. Whatever her assessment of her own capabilities, I think we can all agree that Agatha was truly talented in her own right. And even though she originally had no plans to establish herself as a writer, I’m so very grateful she did.
