Lucy Worsley on why Agatha Christie’s famous disappearance isn’t a mystery
Lucy Worsley explained that Agatha Christie’s famous disappearance isn’t the great mystery it is remembered as.
During her audience talk at Good Housekeeping Live on Saturday (15 October), Lucy explained that the cause of Agatha Christie’s absence was actually explained a year and a half after the incident.
In 1926 the famous author disappeared for 11 days before turning up under a false name at a hotel in Harrogate, and the reasons behind the disappearance have been speculated on for years.
"18 months later after she disappeared...she felt she had to tell her side of the story, which she did in an interview with the Daily Mail," said Lucy. "The thing is, people didn't want to hear what she had to say because it was uncomfortable, it was difficult to hear; it was a story about mental illness.
"She says in this interview, 'I had just wanted my life to end.' She was experiencing suicidal thoughts and what had happened during the 11 days was a devastating episode, to my mind, of mental illness."
When Agatha Christie’s car was found abandoned on the top of a cliff and she wasn’t seen or heard about for a number of days, the press and public speculated a number of reasons behind her absence, Lucy explained.
Reasons included that it was a publicity stunt for her new book or that it was murder at the hands of her cheating husband.
When the author finally explained all in her newspaper interview, “You get that sense that some people were disappointed,” said Lucy. "This counter-narrative spun by journalists has really taken over her story. People talk about this incident as though it's a huge mystery, but it's not a mystery."
Lucy Worsley revealed lots of interesting details about the life of Agatha Christie, including other misconceptions about her, during her talk at GH Live in conjunction with her new book, Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman.
If you’re interested in learning more from the acclaimed historian about other aspects of history, you can join her at Sandringham for a scenic tour by rail and paddle steamer with Good Housekeeping Holidays.
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