Agatha Christie Is Known All Over the World As the Queen of Crime. She Wrote 78 Crime Novels

AgathaChristie - Агата Кристи

Agatha Christie is known all over the world as the Queen of Crime. She wrote 78 crime novels, 19 plays and 6 romantic novels under the name of Mary Westmacott. Her books have been translated into 103 foreign languages. She is the third best-selling author in the world (after Shakespeare and the Bible). Many of her novels and short stories have been filmed. The Mousetrap, her most famous play, is now the longest-running play in history.

Agatha Christie was born at Torquay, Devonshire. She was educated at home and took singing lessons in Paris. She began writing at the end of the First World War. Her, first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published in 1920. That was the first appearance of HerculePoirot, who became one of the most popular private detectives since Sherlock Holmes. This little Belgian with the egg-shaped head and the passion for order amazes everyone by his powerful intellect and is brilliant solutions to the most complicated crimes.

Agatha Christie became generally recognised in 1926, after the publishing of her novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It's still considered her masterpiece. When Agatha Cristie got tired of HerculePoirot she invented Miss Marple, a deceptively mild old lady with her own method of investigation. Her last Poirot book, Curtain, appeared shortly before her death, and her last Miss Marple story, Sleeping Murder, and her autobiography were published after her death.

Agatha Christie's success with millions of readers lies in her ability to combine clever plots with excellent character drawing, and a keen sense of humour with great powers of observation. Her plots always mislead the reader and keep him in suspense. He cannot guess who the criminal is. Fortunately, evil is always conquered in her novels.

Agatha Christie's language is simple and good and it's pleasant to read her books in the original.

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ConanDoyle

Many years ago a young doctor began to write stories about a man who was a detective. Readers liked his stories because they were very interesting and the doctor decided to become a writer. The doctor was Conan Doyle and he wrote about Sherlock Holmes.

Conan Doyle wrote his first story about Sherlock Holmes in 1887. In this story the detective meets his friend Dr. Watson. Holmes and Watson lived at 221 В Baker Street in London.

Many discussions take place about where 221 В was. There is no house there now. But a large company has its office near the place. This company answers twenty or so letters which still come every week to Sherlock Holmes, 221 В Baker Street Most come from the United States and many people ask if Mr. Holmes can help them with some problem.

The company answers saying that, "Mr. Sherlock Holmes is no longer working as a detective".

There is a pub in London called Sherlock Holmes. One of the rooms in the pub is Sherlock Holmes' room. It has many things the room in Conan Doyle's stories had - Holmes' hat, some letters written to Sherlock Holmes, chairs and tables like those described in the stories. Besides, there are some pictures of Holmes and Conan Doyle, of actors who played Holmes and Watson in films, on television and radio.

In 1961 lovers of Sherlock Holmes formed the Sherlock Holmes Society. They meet three or four times a year to talk about Sherlock Holmes. The members of the Society know the stories about Sherlock Holmes very well, and they discuss these stories at their meetings.

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LewisCarroll

Lewis Carroll was the pen-name of Charles L. Dodgson. the man who wrote a famous book for childrenAlice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Charles L. Dodgson was bom in England in 1832 He got his early education at a public school. Then he became a student at Oxford. Charles studied mathematics and later taught this subject in the same college.

Charles Dodgson had no family, but he loved children very much. He often visited his friend, who had a large family. There were three little girls in the family. One of them, Alice, was four years old.

Dodgson liked Alice very much and he often told her interesting stories which he made up himself. Charles told Alice Liddell about the adventure of a little girl, and she liked the stories

One day a friend of the Ljddells, a writer, came to see the family. He saw the hand-written book made by Charles Dodgson and began to read it with great interest. He read the book to the end and said that it was good and that all the children in England must read it.

Charles decided to publish the book but he did not want to do it under his own name. So he took the pen-name of Lewis Carroll. The book came out in 1865 and all the people who read it liked it very much. Later the book was published in the United States, in France and in Germany. The first Russian translation ofAlice's Adventures in Wonderlandcame out in 1923.

In England the book was published very many times during the author's life and you can aways find it in the bookshops of today.Alice's Adventures in Wonderlandis still a favourite children's book.

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MargaretThatcher - Маргарет Тэтчер

Margaret Thatcher was the longest Prime Minister of the 20th century. Her style and her views appealed to mane British people who had lost confidence in the welfare state and in the direction the nation had taken. In some ways she was the first genuine leader the nation had had since Churchill.

Margaret Thatcher began her career in politics, when she became a Conservative Member of Parliament. in 1979 she was elected as Britain's first woman Prime Minister.

From the start, her autocratic style earned her the nickname of "The Iron Lady". Her abrasive manner has attracted some criticism.

During the Falklands War of 1982, however, Margaret Thatcher's militant patriotism found her many supporters, and she became something of a popular hero-figure, much as Winston Churchill had been in the Second World War.

Margaret Thatcher was re-elected Prime Minister in the general elections of 1983 and 1987.

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MarkTwain

Mark Twain was bom in the state of Missouri in the United States in 1835 His father was an unsuccessful lawyer. The family seldom lived more than a year or two in the same town That is why the future writer did not even finish secondary school. He went to work at the age of 12.

For two years he worked for his elder brother's small newspaper both as a printer and reporter.

In 1857 he became a pilot on the Mississipiriver. He continued to write.

In 1976 he wroteThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The book was read by everybody, by the young and old and was translated into nearly every language in the world.The Adventures of Tom Sawyerwas such a success that in 1884 he wroteThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and thenTom Sawyer AbroadandTom Sawyer the Detectivein 1896. There were many other books written by Mark Twain. But his novels about Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn brought him world fame. Mark Twain's real name was Sammuel Clemens. He took his penname from the wordsto markandtwainwhich were used by leadsmen on the steamboats to mark the depth of two fathoms.

Mark Twain's stories enjoy widespread popularity. His characters are always well-drawn, his stories are true-to-life and the plots of his stories are skilfully built up.

Many years have passed since Mark Twain's ti death, but even now we enjoy reading his works. Besides being a humorist, Mark Twain is also a realist - the author of biting satires and bitterly critical pages revealing a good deal of the truth about American way of life.

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WilliamShakespeare

Nowadays people seem to read newspapers mostly. Many people are fond of reading detective stories or spy thrillers. I myself prefer books about politics, history, travel-books and biographies. It is my dream to become a student of the department of foreign languages and to be able to read the books by my favourite English and American writers in the original.

As for the American writers, I like to read books by Mark Twain and O'Henry.

I enjoy reading books by such English writers as Charles Dickens, Robert Stevenson, Walter Scott. My favourite English writer is William Shakespeare, one of the most outstanding personalities in the world literature.

William Shakespeare was bom in Stratford-upon-Avon not far from London. His father, John Shakespeare, came to Stratford from a village and opened a shop there. He never became a rich man but at one time he was an important official in the city. William Shakespeare lived in Stratford until he was twenty-one. He got married and had three children. At the age of 21 William left Stratford for London to join a company of actors. He was a very good actor and an excellent playwright. William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for 25 years. By the end of the 16th century William Shakespeare and his friends had enough money to build their own theatre - the Globe.

In all Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 2 long poems, a sonnet cycle of 155 small pieces.

William Shakespeare had a natural gift for comedy. In his comediesTwo Gentlemen of Verona, As you Like It, The Twelfth NightWilliam Shakespeare describes the adventures of young men and women, their love, friendship, happiness.

Shakespeare's tragediesKing Lear, Othello, Romeo and Julietdepict noblemen who opposed evil in the world. Since they were written there has never been a time when at least some of Shakespeare's plays were not staged.

In England and other countries it is the highest honour for an actor to be invited to play in a comedy or a tragedy by Shakespeare. In the last 35 years all the plays by W. Shakespeare have been filmed. Since 1879 Shakespeare's Festival has been held every year at Stratford-upon-Avon.

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