Agatha Christie and Then There Were None Review

1939 mystery novel past Agatha Christie

So At that place Were None

Cover of commencement UK 1939 edition with original title
Author	Agatha Christie
Original championship	10 Piffling Niggers
Encompass artist	Stephen Bellman
Country	Great britain
Language	English
Genre	Mystery crime psychological thriller horror
Publisher	Collins Crime Lodge
Publication date	6 Nov 1939
Pages	272[ane]
Preceded by	Murder Is Easy
Followed past	Deplorable Cypress
Website	And Then There Were None

And And so There Were None is a mystery novel past the English language author Agatha Christie, described by her as the nearly difficult of her books to write.^[two] It was showtime published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Criminal offense Society on half-dozen Nov 1939, equally Ten Little Niggers ,^[3] after the children'southward counting rhyme and minstrel song, which serves as a major plot element.^{[four] [5]} The US edition was released in January 1940 with the championship And Then At that place Were None, taken from the last 5 words of the song.^[6] Successive American reprints and adaptations utilise that title, though Pocket Books paperbacks used the title Ten Little Indians between 1964 and 1986. Britain editions continued to use the original title until 1985.^[seven]

The book is the world's acknowledged mystery, and with over 100 1000000 copies sold is 1 of the best-selling books of all time. The novel has been listed equally the sixth best-selling championship (any language, including reference works).^[8]

Plot [edit]

These details correspond to the text of the 1939 first edition.

8 people get in on a small, isolated isle off the Devon declension, each having received an unexpected personal invitation. They are met by the butler and cook-housekeeper, Thomas and Ethel Rogers, who explain that their hosts, Ulick Norman Owen and Una Nancy Owen, accept not yet arrived, though they have left instructions.

A framed copy of an old rhyme hangs in every guest's room, and on the dining room table sit x figurines. Afterwards supper, a phonograph record is played; the recording accuses each visitor and Mr and Mrs Rogers of having committed murder, then asks if any of the "prisoners at the bar" wishes to offer a defence.

The guests discover that none of them know the Owens, and Mr Justice Wargrave suggests that the proper noun "U Due north Owen" is a play on "Unknown." Marston finishes his drink and promptly dies of cyanide poisoning. Dr Armstrong confirms that there was no cyanide in the other drinks and suggests that Marston must have dosed himself.

The adjacent morning, Mrs Rogers is found dead in her bed, and past lunchtime, General MacArthur has likewise died from a heavy blow to the head. The guests realise that the nature of the deaths corresponds with the respective lines of the rhyme, and three of the figurines are constitute to be missing.

The guests suspect that U N Owen may exist systematically murdering them and search the island, only detect no hiding places. Since no ane else could have arrived or departed the isle unassisted, they are forced to conclude that one of the seven remaining persons must exist the killer. The next forenoon, Mr Rogers is plant dead at the woodpile, and Emily Brent is plant dead in the drawing room, having been injected with potassium cyanide.

After Wargrave suggests searching all the rooms, Lombard'southward gun is institute to exist missing. Vera Claythorne goes up to her room and screams when she finds seaweed hanging from the ceiling. Near of the remaining guests rush upstairs; when they return they discover Wargrave even so downstairs, crudely dressed in the attire of a guess with a gunshot wound to the forehead. Dr Armstrong pronounces him dead.

That night, Lombard'south gun is returned, and Blore sees someone leaving the business firm. Armstrong is absent from his room. Vera, Blore, and Lombard decide to stick together and leave the firm. When Blore returns for food, he is killed past a marble clock shaped like a bear that is pushed from Vera's window sill. Vera and Lombard find Armstrong'south body washed up on the embankment, and each concludes the other must be responsible. Vera suggests moving the body from the shore every bit a mark of respect, but this is a pretext to acquire Lombard'southward gun. When Lombard lunges for it, she shoots him dead.

Vera returns to the firm in a shaken, postal service-traumatic country. She finds a noose and chair arranged in her room and a powerful smell of the sea. Overcome past guilt, she hangs herself in accord with the last line of the rhyme.

Scotland 1000 officials arrive on the island to notice nobody alive. They discover that the island's owner, a sleazy lawyer and drug trafficker called Isaac Morris, had arranged the invitations and ordered the recording. However, he had died of a barbiturate overdose on the dark the guests arrived. The constabulary reconstruct the deaths with the aid of the victims' diaries and a coroner'south written report. They are able to eliminate several suspects due to the circumstances of their deaths and items being moved after, but ultimately they cannot place the killer.

Much later, a trawler hauls up in its nets a canteen containing a written confession. In information technology, Mr Justice Wargrave recounts that all his life he had had two contradictory impulses: a stiff sense of justice and a savage bloodlust. He had satisfied both through his profession as a criminal judge, sentencing murderers to death following their trial. After receiving a diagnosis of a terminal illness, he decided to put into result a private scheme to deal with a grouping of people he considered to have escaped justice.

Earlier departing for the island, he had given Morris a lethal dose of barbiturates for his indigestion. He had faked his death by gunshot with the help of Dr Armstrong under the pretext that it would help the group place the killer. After killing Armstrong and the other remaining guests and moving objects to confuse the police, he finally committed suicide by shooting himself in the caput, using the gun and some elastic to ensure that his truthful death matched the account of his staged decease recorded in the guests' diaries. Wargrave had written his confession and thrown information technology into the ocean in a bottle in response to what he acknowledged to be his "sad human being need" for recognition.

Main characters [edit]

• Anthony James Marston (Tony Marston), an amoral and irresponsible swain
• Thomas Rogers, the butler and Ethel Rogers' domineering hubby
• Ethel Rogers, the cook/housekeeper and Thomas Rogers' wife
• General John Gordon MacArthur, a retired Earth War I state of war hero
• Emily Caroline Brent, an elderly, pious spinster
• Edward George Armstrong, a Harley Street physician
• William Henry Blore, a onetime police inspector, now a individual investigator
• Philip Lombard, a soldier of fortune
• Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, a young woman on leave from her position every bit a sports mistress at a girls' school
• Lawrence John Wargrave (Mr Justice Wargrave), a retired criminal judge
• Isaac Morris, the island's owner, a sleazy lawyer and drug trafficker

Structure of the novel [edit]

The plot is structured around the ten lines of the children's counting rhyme "Ten Little Niggers"^[three] ("X Piffling Indians" or "Ten Little Soldiers" in after editions). Each of the ten victims – 8 guests plus the island's ii caretakers – is killed in a manner which reflects one of the lines of the rhyme. Likewise killed, but off the isle, is the island's recent owner.

Current published version of the rhyme [edit]

This is the version of the rhyme as published in a 2008 edition:^[9]

Ten little Soldier Boys went out to dine; One high-strung his picayune self and then in that location were nine.
Nine little Soldier Boys sat upwards very late; One overslept himself and then in that location were eight.
Eight niggling Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay at that place and and so in that location were seven.^[10]
7 fiddling Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and and so there were six.
Half-dozen little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and and then there were five.
Five lilliputian Soldier Boys going in for law; 1 got in Chancery and so in that location were four.
Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A ruby herring swallowed one and then there were 3.
Three footling Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two piddling Soldier Boys sitting in the lord's day; One got frizzled up so there was one.
One little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then at that place were none.

Correspondence between rhyme and modes of death [edit]

Modes of death of the victims vs the wording of the rhyme

No.	Grapheme	Accusation	Way of decease	Original rhyme, early on Uk editions[eleven]	Current version of the rhyme[9]
-	Isaac Morris (deceased)	[Recent owner of the island. Sold illegal drugs to a woman who became an addict and later committed suicide]	Accepts a lethal cocktail of drugs to treat his imagined ailments
one	Anthony James Marston	Knocked over and killed two young children while recklessly speeding	Choked after drinking poisoned whisky	10 little nigger boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and and so in that location were Ix.	Ten lilliputian Soldier Boys went out to dine; I choked his little cocky and so there were nine.
two	Mrs Ethel Rogers	Immune herself to be persuaded by her husband into withholding a former employer's medicine in order to collect an inheritance	Dies in her sleep of an overdose of chloral hydrate	Nine trivial nigger boys sat upward very late; One overslept himself and and then at that place were 8.	9 niggling Soldier Boys sat up very belatedly; One overslept himself so there were eight.
3	General John Gordon MacArthur	Ordered a younger officer to undertake a mission where he was almost guaranteed to be killed when MacArthur accidentally found out the human being was having an matter with his wife	Killed by a heavy accident to the head	Eight footling nigger boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.	Eight picayune Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.[12]
4	Thomas Rogers	Induced his wife to withhold a one-time employer's medicine in order to collect an inheritance	Killed with an axe while chopping wood	Seven little nigger boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and and so there were 6.	7 little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; 1 chopped himself in halves and then there were half-dozen.
5	Emily Caroline Brent	Dismissed her teenage maid for condign significant out of marriage, the dismissal causing the maid to drown herself	Injected with toxicant	Half dozen little nigger boys playing with a hive; A bumble-bee stung ane and and then at that place were 5.	Six little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one then there were five.
6	Lawrence John Wargrave (Mr Justice Wargrave)	Improperly influenced a jury to bring in a guilty verdict against a human being many thought to be innocent; and sentencing him to decease	Gunshot wound to the head, while dressed as a judge	5 little nigger boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and so there were Iv.	Five little Soldier Boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and and so there were 4.
7	Dr Edward George Armstrong	Responsible for the expiry of a patient whom he had operated on while drunk	Drowns after being pushed off a cliff into the body of water	Four little nigger boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed ane and then there were Three.	4 piffling Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed i and then there were three.
8	William Henry Blore	Gave perjured evidence in court resulting in an innocent human being convicted, sentenced to life imprisonment, and dying shortly later on	Crushed to expiry by a marble clock shaped like a behave	Iii little nigger boys walking in the zoo; A big deport hugged 1 and so there were Two.	Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big behave hugged ane and and then in that location were two.
9	Philip Lombard	As a soldier of Fortune, caused the deaths of a number of E African tribesmen, subsequently stealing their food and abandoning them to their fate	Shot by Vera on the embankment with his own pistol	Two piddling nigger boys sitting in the sun; 1 got frizzled up and then in that location was One.	2 little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and and so there was one.[13]
ten	Vera Elizabeth Claythorne	Every bit a governess, allowed her young charge to drown and so that his uncle could inherit the family manor and marry her	Hangs herself	One picayune nigger boy left all lonely; He went and hanged himself and and then there were None.	One little Soldier Male child left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and and then there were none.[xiv]

Literary significance and reception [edit]

Writing for The Times Literary Supplement of xi November 1939, Maurice Percy Ashley stated, "If her latest story has scarcely whatsoever detection in it in that location is no scarcity of murders... There is a sure feeling of monotony inescapable in the regularity of the deaths which is ameliorate suited to a serialized paper story than a total-length novel. Notwithstanding at that place is an ingenious problem to solve in naming the murderer", he continued. "It will be an extremely astute reader who guesses correctly."^[fifteen]

For The New York Times Book Review (25 Feb 1940), Isaac Anderson has arrived to the point where "the vocalization" accuses the 10 "guests" of their past crimes, which have all resulted in the deaths of humans, and and then said, "When you read what happens after that you will non believe it, but you will continue on reading, and as one incredible outcome is followed by another fifty-fifty more than incredible you lot will still keep on reading. The whole thing is utterly impossible and utterly fascinating. It is the well-nigh baffling mystery that Agatha Christie has ever written, and if any other writer has ever surpassed it for sheer puzzlement the proper noun escapes our memory. Nosotros are referring, of course, to mysteries that have logical explanations, as this i has. It is a tall story, to be sure, but it could have happened."^[16]

Many compared the book to her novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926). For instance, an unnamed reviewer in the Toronto Daily Star of 16 March 1940 said, "Others have written better mysteries than Agatha Christie, but no one can bear on her for ingenious plot and surprise ending. With And then At that place Were None... she is at her most ingenious and most surprising... is, indeed, considerably higher up the standard of her terminal few works and close to the Roger Ackroyd level."^[17]

Other critics laud the use of plot twists and surprise endings. Maurice Richardson wrote a rhapsodic review in The Observer 's issue of 5 November 1939 which began, "No wonder Agatha Christie's latest has sent her publishers into a vatic trance. Nosotros will refrain, however, from whatsoever invidious comparisons with Roger Ackroyd and be content with maxim that Ten Footling Niggers is ane of the very best, most genuinely bewildering Christies yet written. We will also have to refrain from reviewing it thoroughly, every bit information technology is and then total of shocks that even the mildest revelation would spoil some surprise from somebody, and I am sure that you would rather have your entertainment kept fresh than criticism pure." Later stating the prepare-upward of the plot, Richardson concluded, "Story telling and characterisation are right at the top of Mrs Christie'south baleful grade. Her plot may be highly artificial, just it is peachy, brilliantly cunning, soundly constructed, and free from any of those cherry-red-herring false trails which sometimes disfigure her work."^[3]

Robert Barnard, a recent critic, concurred with the reviews, describing the volume as "Suspenseful and menacing detective-story-cum-thriller. The closed setting with the succession of deaths is here taken to its logical conclusion, and the dangers of ludicrousness and sheer reader-disbelief are skillfully avoided. Probably the best-known Christie, and justifiably amidst the about popular."^[eighteen]

The original title of the mystery (10 Fiddling Niggers) was changed because it was offensive. Alison Light, a literary critic and feminist scholar, opined that Christie'due south original title and the setting on "Nigger Island" (afterward inverse to "Indian Island" and "Soldier Island", variously) were integral to the work. These aspects of the novel, she argued, "could exist relied upon automatically to conjure upwards a thrilling 'otherness', a identify where revelations about the 'dark side' of the English would be appropriate."^[19] Dissimilar novels such every bit Heart of Darkness, "Christie's location is both more domesticated and privatized, taking for granted the construction of racial fears woven into psychic life as early as the plant nursery. If her story suggests how piece of cake it is to play upon such fears, it is also a reminder of how intimately tied they are to sources of pleasure and enjoyment."^[19]

In 1990 Offense Writers' Clan ranked And And so There Were None 19th in their The Top 100 Criminal offence Novels of All Time list. In 1995 in a similar list Mystery Writers of America ranked the novel 10th.^[xx] In September 2015, to mark her 125th birthday, So In that location Were None was named the "World'due south Favourite Christie" in a vote sponsored past the author's estate.^{[21] [22]}

In the "Binge!" article of Entertainment Weekly Consequence #1343-44 (26 December 2014–3 January 2015), the writers picked And Then There Were None as an "EW favorite" on the list of the "Nine Great Christie Novels".^[23]

Christie's own assessment [edit]

"I had written the volume 10 Little Niggers considering it was so difficult to exercise that the idea had fascinated me. X people had to die without it condign ridiculous or the murderer being obvious. I wrote the book after a tremendous corporeality of planning, and I was pleased with what I had made of it. Information technology was articulate, straightforward, inexplainable, and all the same had a perfectly reasonable explanation; in fact, it had to have an epilogue in social club to explain it. It was well received and reviewed, merely the person who was really pleased with information technology was myself, for I knew better than any critic how difficult it had been... I don't say it is the play or book of mine that I similar best, or fifty-fifty that I think it is my best, just I practise think in some ways that it is a better piece of craftsmanship than anything else I take written."^[24]

19th-century original verses [edit]

The rhyme used by Christie was derived from older minstrel songs of the 19th century, ane in Britain in 1869^[25] and one in the United states in 1868.^[26]

1869 & 1868 verses

X Fiddling Niggers (Frank Light-green) [25]

Ten Niggling Indians (Septimus Winner) [26]

Ten trivial nigger boys went out to dine One high-strung his little self, and then there were ix. Nine little nigger boys sat upwards very late One overslept himself, and then at that place were eight. Eight little nigger boys traveling in Devon One said he'd stay there, and then there were vii. Seven little nigger boys chopping upwards sticks One chopped himself in half, and so there were six. Half-dozen little nigger boys playing with a hive A bumble-bee stung ane, and and then there were five. V fiddling nigger boys going in for law One got in chancery, then there were 4. Four little nigger boys going out to ocean A red herring swallowed i, and and then there were three. Iii picayune nigger boys walking in the zoo A big acquit hugged i, and and so there were two. Two lilliputian nigger boys sitting in the sunday One got frizzled up, and and then there was one. One little nigger male child living all alone He went and hanged himself then at that place were none.

X little Injuns standin' in a line, I toddled home and and then in that location were 9; Nine little Injuns swingin' on a gate, One tumbled off then there were eight. Refrain : 1 fiddling, ii little, 3 piddling, four little, five little Injuns boys, Half dozen little, seven picayune, eight little, 9 niggling, ten petty Injuns boys. Eight petty Injuns gayest under heav'n, One went to sleep and and so there were 7; Seven petty Injuns cut up their tricks, One broke his neck and and then there were vi. Six little Injuns kickin' all alive, One kick'd the bucket and then there were 5; V footling Injuns on a cellar door, 1 tumbled in and then there were iv. Iv lilliputian Injuns upward on a spree, Ane he got fuddled and so at that place were three; Three lilliputian Injuns out in a canoe, One tumbled overboard then there were two. Two little Injuns foolin' with a gun, One shot t'other so there was one; Ane little Injun livin' all alone, He got married so there were none.

Publication history [edit]

The novel has a long and noteworthy history of publication. Information technology is a continuously best selling novel in English and in translation to other languages since its initial publication. From the start, in English, it was published nether two different titles, due to different sensitivity to the author'due south title and counting-rhyme theme in the Great britain and in the Usa at first publication.

The novel was originally published in late 1939 and early 1940 near simultaneously, in the Great britain and the United States. The serialization was in 23 parts in the Daily Limited from Tuesday half-dozen June to Saturday ane July 1939. All of the instalments carried an illustration by "Prescott" with the showtime having an illustration of Burgh Isle in Devon which inspired the setting of the story. The serialized version did non incorporate any chapter divisions.^[27] The book retailed for seven shillings and six pence.

The title [edit]

Cover of first US 1940 edition with current title for all English-language versions.

In the Great britain it appeared under the championship Ten Little Niggers, in book and newspaper serialized formats. In the United States it was published under the title And And then At that place Were None, in both volume and series formats. Both of the original Usa publications changed the title from that originally used in the UK, due to the offensiveness of the give-and-take in American civilization, where it was more widely perceived every bit a racially loaded ethnic slur or insult compared to the contemporaneous culture in the Great britain. The serialized version appeared in the Sat Evening Post in seven parts from twenty May (Book 211, Number 47) to 1 July 1939 (Book 212, Number ane) with illustrations past Henry Raleigh, and the book was published in Jan 1940 by Dodd, Mead and Company for $ii.^{[4] [5] [6]}

In the original UK novel, and in succeeding publications until 1985, all references to "Indians" or "Soldiers" were originally "Nigger", including the island's name, the pivotal rhyme found by the visitors, and the ten figurines.^[v] (In Affiliate 7, Vera Claythorne becomes semi-hysterical at the mention by Miss Brent of "our blackness brothers", which is understandable only in the context of the original name.) UK editions continued to apply the original title until the current definitive championship appeared with a reprint of the 1963 Fontana Paperback in 1985.^[7]

The word "nigger" was already racially offensive in the U.s.a. by the start of the 20th century, and therefore the book'south first US edition and first serialization changed the title to And And then There Were None and removed all references to the word from the book, as did the 1945 motion pic (except that the first US edition retained 'nigger in the woodpile' in chapter ii part VIII). Sensitivity to the original title of the novel was remarked by Sadie Stein in 2016, commenting on a BBC mini series with the championship And Then In that location Were None, where she noted that "[E]ven in 1939, this title was considered besides offensive for American publication."^[28] In full general, "Christie's work is non known for its racial sensitivity, and by modern standards her oeuvre is rife with casual Orientalism."^[28] The original championship was based on a rhyme from minstrel shows and children's games. Stein quotes Alison Light as to the ability of the original name of the island in the novel, Nigger Island, "to conjure up a thrilling 'otherness', a place where revelations about the 'dark side' of the English would be appropriate".^[29] Lite goes on to say that "Christie'southward location [the isle] is both more domesticated and privatised, taking for granted the construction of racial fears woven into psychic life as early every bit the nursery."^[29] Speaking of the "widely known" 1945 film, Stein added that "we're merely faced with fantastic amounts of violence, and a rhyme so macabre and distressing one doesn't hear it now outside of the Agatha Christie context."^[28] She felt that the original title of the novel in the UK, seen now, "jars, viscerally".^[28]

Best-selling crime novel [edit]

And Then There Were None is the best-selling crime novel of all fourth dimension, and made Agatha Christie the all-time-selling novelist, according to the Agatha Christie Estate.^[2]

It is Christie's best-selling novel, with more than 100 million copies sold; it is too the globe'southward all-time-selling mystery and one of the acknowledged books of all fourth dimension. Publications International lists the novel as the sixth best-selling title.^[8]

Editions in English [edit]

The book and its adaptations take been released under various new names since the original publication, including Ten Piddling Indians (1946 play, Broadway operation and 1964 paperback book), Ten Little Soldiers, and official title per the Agatha Christie Limited website, And Then There Were None.^[2] United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland editions connected to use the piece of work's original title until the 1980s; the first UK edition to employ the culling title And And so There Were None appeared in 1985 with a reprint of the 1963 Fontana Paperback.^[7]

• Christie, Agatha (November 1939). Ten Little Niggers. London: Collins Crime Club. OCLC 152375426. Hardback, 256 pp. First edition.
• Christie, Agatha (January 1940). And So There Were None. New York: Dodd, Mead. OCLC 1824276. Hardback, 264 pp. First United states of america edition.
• Christie, Agatha (1944). And And so At that place Were None. New York: Pocket Books (Pocket number 261). Paperback, 173 pp.
• Christie, Agatha (1947). Ten Trivial Niggers. London: Pan Books (Pan number iv). Paperback, 190 pp.
• Christie, Agatha (1958). Ten Fiddling Niggers. London: Penguin Books (Penguin number 1256). Paperback, 201 pp.
• Christie, Agatha (1963). Ten Little Niggers. London: Fontana. OCLC 12503435. Paperback, 190 pp. The 1985 reprint was the first UK publication of the novel nether the championship And Then There Were None.^[7]
• Christie, Agatha (1964). 10 Petty Indians. New York: Pocket Books. OCLC 29462459. Get-go publication of novel as Ten Petty Indians.
• Christie, Agatha (1964). And then In that location Were None. New York: Washington Square Press. Paperback, teacher's edition.
• Christie, Agatha (1977). X Lilliputian Niggers (Greenway ed.). London: Collins Crime Club. ISBN0-00-231835-0. Collected works, Hardback, 252 pp. (Except for reprints of the 1963 Fontana paperback, this was one of the last English-language publications of the novel under the championship X Little Niggers.)^[thirty]
• Christie, Agatha (1980). The Mysterious Affair at Styles; 10 Little Niggers; Dumb Witness. Sydney: Lansdowne Press. ISBN0-7018-1453-5. Late use of the original title in an Australian edition.
• Christie, Agatha (1986). Ten Little Indians . New York: Pocket Books. ISBN0-671-55222-eight. Final publication of novel under the title X Little Indians.

Foreign-language editions [edit]

Many older translations were based on the original British text, although the discussion used to translate nigger was often somewhat less offensive, more analogous to English Negro or Negrito. Languages where the most recent edition retains racial epithets include Spanish, Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, Romanian,^{[31] [ better source needed ]} Russian^[32] and Hungarian, every bit well as the 1987 Soviet motion picture adaptation Desyat Negrityat. Changes similar to those in the British edition in the 1980s were made to the German language novel in 2003,^{[northward one]} after 2002 protests in Hanover confronting a stage version using the old title.^[33] Similar changes were fabricated in Dutch in 2004,^{[n 2]} Swedish in 2007,^{[n 3]} Brazilian Portuguese in 2009,^{[n 4]} Polish in 2017,^{[n 5]} and French in 2020.^{[north 6]} In 1999, the Slovak National Theatre changed the title of a stage adaptation mid-run.^{[n vii]} The manor of Agatha Christie now offers it under simply one title in English, And And so There Were None,^[two] and translations increasingly employ the equivalent of this as their championship.^[37] European Portuguese translations take been titled Convite Para a Morte (1948: "An Invitation to Death") and As Dez Figuras Negras (2011: "The Ten Blackness Figures" – referring to the figurines, in this case minimally anthropomorphic).^[37]

Possible inspirations [edit]

The 1930 novel The Invisible Host past Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning has a plot that strongly matches that of Christie's later on novel, including a recorded vocalism announcing to the guests that their sins will be visited upon them past death. The Invisible Host was adapted as the 1930 Broadway play The Ninth Guest by Owen Davis,^[41] which itself was adapted equally the 1934 pic The Ninth Invitee. There is no testify Christie saw either the play (which had a brief run on Broadway) or the film.

The 1933 K.B.S. Productions Sherlock Holmes moving picture A Study in Scarlet follows a strikingly similar plot;^[42] information technology includes a scene where Holmes is shown a card with the hint: "Half-dozen niggling Indians...bee stung one and then there were five". In this case, the rhyme refers to "Ten Little Fat Boys". (The motion picture's plot bears no resemblance to Arthur Conan Doyle's original story of the aforementioned name.) The author of the picture show's screenplay, Robert Florey, "doubted that [Christie] had seen A Study in Crimson, just he regarded it as a compliment if it had helped inspire her".^[43]

Adaptations [edit]

Motion picture and TV adaptations

1945	And And so In that location Were None
1946
1947
1948
1949	X Trivial Niggers (British/BBC)
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959	Ten Fiddling Niggers (British/ITV)
	Ten Niggling Indians (United states)
1960
1961
1962
1963	O Caso dos Dez Negrinhos
1964
1965	10 Little Indians
	Gumnaam
1966
1967
1968
1969	Zehn kleine Negerlein
1970	Nadu Iravil
	Dix petits nègres
1971
1972
1973
1974	Achra Abid Zghar (Lebanese/Télé Liban)
	And Then There Were None
1975
1976
1977
1978	Deka Mikroi Negroi
1979
1980
1981	Ten Little Indians (Filipino)
1982
1983
1984
1985	Ten Little Maidens (adult picture show)
1986
1987	Desyat' Negrityat
1988
1989	10 Petty Indians
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004	Mindhunters
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011	The mystery of the x strangers (Spanish)
2012	Aduthathu
2013
2014	Achra Abid Zghar (Lebanese/MTV)
2015	Aatagara
	And Then There Were None
2016
2017	Soshite Daremo Inakunatta
2018
2019
2020	Ils étaient dix

And Then In that location Were None has had more adaptations than whatsoever other piece of work by Agatha Christie.^[2] Christie herself changed the bleak ending to a more palatable i for theatre audiences when she adjusted the novel for the stage in 1943. Many adaptations incorporate changes to the story, such as using Christie's alternative ending from her phase play or irresolute the setting to locations other than an isle.

Film [edit]

There take been numerous film adaptations of the novel:

• And Then At that place Were None (1945 movie), American film by René Clair
• Ten Little Indians (1965 motion-picture show), British film directed by George Pollock and produced by Harry Alan Towers; Pollock had previously handled four Miss Marple films starring Margaret Rutherford. Gear up in a mount retreat in Austria.
• Gumnaam (1965, translation: Unknown or Bearding), an Indian suspense thriller. This loose, uncredited Hindi film accommodation added the characteristic "Bollywood" elements of one-act, music and dance to Christie'south plot.^[44]
• Nadu Iravil (1970, translation: In the heart of the dark), a Tamil adaptation directed by Sundaram Balachander^[45]
• And So In that location Were None (1974), the first English-linguistic communication colour version, directed by Peter Collinson and produced past Harry Alan Towers. Based on a screenplay by Towers (writing as "Peter Welbeck"), who co-wrote the screenplay for the 1965 flick. Set at a yard hotel in the Iranian desert.
• Ten Little Indians, a 1981 Filipino production in Tagalog, starring William Martinez and Herbert Bautista
• Ten Trivial Maidens, a 1985 adult motion picture starring Nina Hartley, Amber Lynn, Eric Edwards, Harry Reems and Ginger Lynn
• Desyat' Negrityat (1987, Десять негритят , Eng: "Ten Niggling Negroes") a Russian adaptation produced/directed past Stanislav Govorukhin, notable for being the first picture palace adaptation to go on the novel's original plot and grim catastrophe.
• 10 Picayune Indians, a 1989 British version, produced past Harry Alan Towers and directed by Alan Birkinshaw, set up on safari in the African savannah
• Mindhunters, a 2004 American-British crime thriller
• Aduthathu, a 2012 Tamil adaptation^[46]
• Aatagara, a 2015 Kannada adaptation^[47]

Radio [edit]

The BBC broadcast Ten Little Niggers (1947), adapted past Ayton Whitaker, first aired as a Monday Matinee on the BBC Dwelling Service on 27 Dec 1947 and as Saturday Nighttime Theatre on the BBC Light Plan on 29 December.^[48]

On xiii November 2010, as part of its Sabbatum Play series, BBC Radio 4 circulate a 90-infinitesimal adaptation written by Joy Wilkinson. The production was directed by Mary Peate and featured Geoffrey Whitehead as Mr Justice Wargrave, Lyndsey Marshal as Vera Claythorne, Alex Wyndham every bit Philip Lombard, John Rowe as Dr Armstrong, and Joanna Monro as Emily Brent.

Stage [edit]

And And so In that location Were None (1943 play) is Christie'south accommodation of the story for the stage. She and the producers agreed that audiences might not flock to a tale with such a grim ending as the novel, nor would it work well dramatically as at that place would exist no 1 left to tell the story. Christie reworked the ending for Lombard and Vera to be innocent of the crimes of which they were accused, survive, and fall in love with each other. Some of the names were besides inverse, e.thousand., General MacArthur became General McKenzie in both the New York and London productions.^{[49] [l]} By 1943, General Douglas MacArthur was playing a prominent part in the Pacific Theatre of Globe State of war II, which may explain the change of the character's proper name.

Ten footling niggers (1944 play), Dundee Repertory Theatre Visitor was given special permission to restore the original ending of the novel. The company first performed a phase adaptation of the novel in August 1944 under the Uk championship of the novel, with Christie credited equally the dramatist.^[51] It was the kickoff functioning in repertory theatre.^[51] Information technology was staged again in 1965.^[52] There was an article in the Dundee Evening Register in August 1944.

So At that place Were None (2005 play). On 14 Oct 2005, a new version of the play, written by Kevin Elyot and directed past Steven Pimlott, opened at the Gielgud Theatre in London. For this version, Elyot returned to the original story in the novel, restoring the nihilism of the original.^[53]

Telly [edit]

Several variations of the original novel were adapted for television, iii of which were British adaptations. The first of these, in 1949, was produced past the BBC.^[54] The second was produced in 1959,^[55] by ITV. Both of those productions aired with Christie'due south original title. The 3rd and most recent British adaptation aired equally And Then In that location Were None on BBC 1 in December 2015, as a drama serial broadcast on 3 consecutive nights, produced in cooperation with Acorn Media and Agatha Christie Productions. The 2015 production adhered more closely to the original plot, though there were several differences to backstories and actual murders on the isle, and was the starting time English language linguistic communication motion picture adaptation to feature an ending similar to that of the novel. It was directed by Craig Viveiros and adapted for television past Sarah Phelps.^[56]

An American TV movie aired on NBC 18 Jan 1959. It was directed by Paul Bogart, and starred Barry Jones and Nina Foch.

In that location accept been many foreign-language TV adaptations:

• A Portuguese-linguistic communication version for Brazilian boob tube, broadcast 16 February 1957, titled O Caso dos Dez Negrinhos
• O Caso dos Dez Negrinhos, a 1963 episode of the Brazilian album series Grande Teatro Tupi [pt]
• A West High german television product, Zehn kleine Negerlein, which aired in 1969
• Dix petits nègres, a 1970 episode of the French anthology series Au théâtre ce soir [fr]
• Achra Abid Zghar (1974, translation: Ten Piffling Slaves), a Télé Liban Tv set serial directed by Jean Fayyad, adapted for television by Latifeh Moultaka
• Deka Mikroi Negroi, a 1978 episode of the Greek album series To theatro tis Defteras
• A free Castilian adaptation made by RTVE in 2011 as the two-parter The mystery of the ten strangers for the 2d flavor of Los misterios de Laura (office one and function two)
• Achra Abid Zghar (2014, translation: Ten Little Slaves), an MTV Lebanon idiot box production
• Soshite daremo inakunatta ( そして誰もいなくなった ), a Japanese-linguistic communication adaptation past Shukei Nagasaka ( 長坂秀佳 , Nagasaka Shukei ) set in modern times, aired 25 and 26 March 2017 on Boob tube Asahi in Japan. It was directed by Seiji Izumi and adjusted for television past Hideka Nagasaka.^{[57] [58]}
• Ils étaient dix [fr] , a French half dozen-part miniseries produced by M6 and aired in 2020, set on a tropical isle in present fourth dimension

In 2010, American blithe TV serial Family unit Guy adapted the story equally "Then There Were Fewer".^[59]

Other media [edit]

The novel was the inspiration for several video games. For the Apple tree Ii, Online Systems released Mystery House in 1980. On the PC, The Adventure Company released Agatha Christie: And And then At that place Were None in 2005, the commencement in a series of PC games based on Christie novels. In February 2008, it was ported to the Wii console.^{[ citation needed ]}

Then In that location Were None was released past HarperCollins every bit a graphic novel accommodation on 30 April 2009, adapted by François Rivière and illustrated by Frank Leclercq.

Peká Editorial released a board game based on the book, Diez Negritos ("Ten Little Negroes"), created by Judit Hurtado and Fernando Chavarría, and illustrated by Esperanza Peinado.^[60]

The 2014 live activeness comedy-crime and murder mystery Tv web serial 10 Piffling Roosters, produced by American company Rooster Teeth, is largely inspired by And Then There Were None. ^[61]

Notes [edit]

1. ^ From Zehn kleine Negerlein to Und dann gab's keines mehr ^{[33] [34]}
2. ^ From Tien kleine negertjes to En toen waren er nog maar... ^[35]
3. ^ From Tio små negerpojkar to Och så var de bara en ^[36]
4. ^ From O Caso dos Dez Negrinhos to E Não Sobrou Nenhum ^[37]
5. ^ From Dziesięciu Murzynków to I nie było już nikogo ^[38]
6. ^ From Dix petits nègres to Ils étaient dix ^[39]
7. ^ From Desať malých černoškov to A napokon nezostal už nik ^[xl]

References [edit]

1. ^ "British Library Item details". primocat.bl.britain . Retrieved 29 Apr 2018.
2. ^ ^{a b c d east} "Then There Were None". Agatha Christie Limited. Retrieved three July 2018.
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Review of Ten Little Niggers". The Observer. 5 November 1939. p. 6.
4. ^ ^{a b}
5. ^ ^{a b c} Pendergast, Bruce (2004). Lowest's Guide to the Mysteries of Agatha Christie. Victoria, British Columbia: Trafford Publishing. p. 393. ISBNone-4120-2304-1.
6. ^ ^{a b} "American Tribute to Agatha Christie: The Classic Years 1940–1944". J S Marcum. May 2004. Retrieved xvi October 2018.
7. ^ ^{a b c d} British National Bibliography for 1985 . British Library. 1986. ISBN0-7123-1035-5 . Retrieved 21 Apr 2019.
8. ^ ^{a b} Davies, Helen; Dorfman, Marjorie; Fons, Mary; Hawkins, Deborah; Hintz, Martin; Lundgren, Linnea; Priess, David; Clark Robinson, Julia; Seaburn, Paul; Stevens, Heidi; Theunissen, Steve (fourteen September 2007). "21 Best-Selling Books of All Fourth dimension". Editors of Publications International, Ltd. Archived from the original on 7 Apr 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
9. ^ ^{a b} Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then In that location Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276. ISBN978-0-06-074683-4.
10. ^ Christie, Agatha (1944). And So There Were None: A Mystery Play in 3 Acts. Samuel French. ISBN9780573616396. This line is sometimes replaced by 1 got left behind then in that location were vii.
11. ^ Christie, Agatha (1963). Ten Little Niggers (Paperback ed.). Collins/Fontana. pp. 24–25.
12. ^ Christie, Agatha (1944). And Then There Were None: A Mystery Play in Iii Acts. Samuel French. ISBN9780573616396. This line is sometimes replaced by Ane got left behind and so in that location were seven.
13. ^ Annotation: In some versions the 9th poesy reads Ii little Soldier boys playing with a gun/1 shot the other and and so in that location was One.
14. ^ Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then There Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276. ISBN978-0-06-074683-iv.
15. ^ Ashley, Maurice Percy Ashley (xi November 1939). "Review: Ten Footling Indians". The Times Literary Supplement. p. 658.
16. ^ Anderson, Isaac (25 February 1940). "Review: Ten Trivial Indians". The New York Times Book Review. p. 15.
17. ^ "Review: Ten Piffling Indians". Toronto Daily Star. 16 March 1940. p. 28.
18. ^ Barnard, Robert (1990). A Talent to Deceive – an appreciation of Agatha Christie (Revised ed.). Fontana Books. p. 206. ISBN0-00-637474-iii.
19. ^ ^{a b} Light, Alison (1991). Forever England: Femininity, Literature, and Conservatism Between the Wars. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN0-415-01661-iv.
20. ^ "Book awards: The Height 100 Mystery Novels of All Time Mystery Writers of America". The Library Thing. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
21. ^ Alluvion, Alison (2 September 2015). "And Then There Were None alleged earth'south favourite Agatha Christie novel". The Guardian. Archived from the original on xxx July 2017. Retrieved xvi May 2017.
22. ^ "Result of earth's favourite Christie global vote". Agatha Christie. 22 December 2015.
23. ^ "Binge! Agatha Christie: Ix Peachy Christie Novels". Amusement Weekly (1343–44): 32–33. 26 December 2014.
24. ^ Christie, Agatha (1977). Agatha Christie: An Autobiography . New York Metropolis: Dodd, Mead & Visitor. pp. 457–48. ISBN0-396-07516-ix.
25. ^ ^{a b} 10 Niggling Niggers , song written in 1869 by Frank Green, for music by Mark Stonemason, for the singer Grand Due west "Pony" Moore. Agatha Christie, for the purposes of her novel, inverse the story of the final fiddling boy "One picayune nigger boy left all alone / He went out and hanged himself and then there were none".
26. ^ ^{a b} Ten Picayune Indians , song past Septimus Winner, American lyricist residing in Philadelphia, published in July 1868 in London.
27. ^ Holdings at the British Library (Newspapers – Colindale); shelfmark NPL LON LD3/NPL LON MLD3.
28. ^ ^{a b c d} Stein, Sadie (five February 2016). "Mystery". The Paris Review . Retrieved 14 February 2019.
29. ^ ^{a b} Light, Alison (2013) [1991]. Forever England: Femininity, Literature and Conservatism Between the Wars. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN978-1-135-62984-7.
30. ^ Whitaker's Cumulative Volume Listing for 1977. J Whitaker and Sons. 1978. ISBN0-85021-105-0.
31. ^ ""Zece negri mititei" si "Crima din Orient Express", azi cu "Adevarul"" (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. vi January 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
32. ^ "Десять негритят. Убийство в "Восточном экспрессе". Смерть на Ниле" (in Russian). Ozon.ru. 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
33. ^ ^{a b} Haase, Bernd (3 March 2011). "Streit um Theateraufführung "Zehn kleine Negerlein"". Hannoversche Allgemeine (in German). Retrieved 26 Baronial 2020.
34. ^ ISBN 978-three-502-51767-two (2001) to ISBN 978-3-502-51937-9 (2003)
35. ^ Sjouwerman, Petra (xx January 2007). "De vader van Pippi mag geen negerkoning meer heten". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 August 2020.
36. ^ Rydén, Daniel (eleven January 2007). "Bok får inte heta "Tio små negerpojkar"". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 26 Baronial 2020.
37. ^ ^{a b c} Lourenço Hanes, Vanessa Lopes (2018). "The Retitling of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Niggers in Anglophone and Lusophone Markets" (PDF). Translation and Literature. 27 (2): 184–194. doi:ten.3366/tal.2018.0337. S2CID 240478495. Retrieved 26 Baronial 2020.
38. ^ OCLC 1077449155 to OCLC 1030559084
39. ^ Marsick, Laurent (26 August 2020). "'Dix petits nègres': le all-time-seller d'Agatha Christie débaptisé". RTL.fr (in French). RTL Group. Retrieved 26 Baronial 2020.
40. ^ "Agatha Christie: Desať malých černoškov ... a napokon nezostal už nik". Snd.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 5 Oct 2013. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.
41. ^ Davis, Owen (1930). The 9th Guest: A Mystery Melodrama In 3 Acts. New York City: Samuel French.
42. ^ Taves, Brian (1987). Robert Florey, the French Expressionist. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Printing. p. 152. ISBN0-8108-1929-5.
43. ^ Taves, Brian (1987). Robert Florey, the French Expressionist. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 153. ISBN0-8108-1929-five.
44. ^ "Aboard the mystery train". Cinema Limited. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2020. Gumnaam (1965) Adapted from: And so There Were None
45. ^ "Author of incredible reach". The Hindu. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
46. ^ "Agatha Christie east il cinema: un amore mai sbocciato del tutto" (in Italian). Comingsoon.it. 12 January 2016. Retrieved iii November 2016.
47. ^ "Aatagara is not a remake". Bangalore Mirror. 30 August 2015. Retrieved three November 2016.
48. ^ "Ten Little Niggers". Radio Times. No. 1263. 26 December 1947.
49. ^ "Ten Picayune Indians at Two New York City playhouses 1944-1945". The Broadway League, including cast and characters. Retrieved one July 2018.
50. ^ Christie, Agatha (1993). The Mousetrap and Other Plays . HarperCollins. p. 2. ISBN0-00-224344-Ten.
51. ^ ^{a b} "10 little niggers, stage production at Dundee Repertory Theatre". Dundee, Scotland: Scottish Theatre Archive - Upshot Details. August 1944. Retrieved ane July 2018.
52. ^ "Ten little niggers staged at Dundee Repertory Theatre 1944 and 1965". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
53. ^ "And Then There Were None". Review. This Is Theatre. 14 October 2005. Retrieved ane July 2018.
54. ^ BBC Goggle box (20 August 1949). "10 Little Niggers". Radio Times. No. 1348. p. 39.
55. ^ "Flavour 4, Episode 20 'Ten Footling Niggers'". Play of the Week. ITV. 13 January 1959.
56. ^ "And Then There Were None to air on BBC1 on Boxing Day 2015". Radio Times. ii December 2015.
57. ^ "And And so At that place Were None in Japan". Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie Limited. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
58. ^ "そして誰もいなくなった" [And Then In that location Were None]. TV Asahi (in Japanese). TV Ashi. Retrieved 24 Apr 2017.
59. ^ "Family Guy Hit a Creative Acme with Its Agatha Christie-Style Murder Mystery". 21 July 2021.
60. ^ "Peká Editorial website". Archived from the original on 20 Oct 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
61. ^ Staff, Wrap PRO (5 Nov 2014). "Rooster Teeth Premieres Interactive Murder Mystery Web Series". WrapPRO . Retrieved 13 May 2019.

External links [edit]

• And And so There Were None at the official Agatha Christie website
• Spark Notes for novel
• E-book at Annal.org
• And Then In that location Were None BBC Boob tube testify official website

whaleyaltaid47.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Then_There_Were_None

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