Tuesday 15 September 2015

Agatha Christie’s 125th birthday


Press Release

Internationally-acclaimed author Kate Mosse commissioned to pen short story to celebrate Agatha Christie’s 125th birthday, for BBC.com Culture

BBC Culture, one of six bespoke feature sections on BBC.com announced its first short story commission today [September 15, 2015]. Written by Kate Mosse, ‘Eleven Days’ celebrates the 125th anniversary of the birth of Dame Agatha Christie.

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time and the world’s best-selling mystery writer, as well as Britain’s most popular author.

Kate took her inspiration for the short story from the eleven days in December 1926 when Christie went missing. Her disappearance sparked one of the largest manhunts in history. Kate’s story is about celebrity, about the ways in which writers use their own experiences in their fiction, and an attribute to the Queen of Crime.

A life-long fan of Christie’s work, Kate has revealed in previous interviews that when she is writing, the only author she can read is Agatha Christie;

“All the novels and short story collections, plays, I've read over and over. They've kept me company all my reading, then writing, life, so I was delighted to be asked.  I didn't want to speculate about what might have happened or to put words into Agatha Christie's mouth, so instead I tried to imagine what it might have been like to be involved on the sidelines.”

Available exclusively on bbc.com/culture, the story features bespoke illustrations by Owen Gatley, a freelance illustrator who has previously worked with a variety of international clients, including The New York Times, Adidas, The Guardian, Google, ASOS, GQ and The Independent.

Matthew Anderson, Editor of BBC Culture, says:

“We were looking for a special way to mark the Agatha Christie anniversary in 2015 and what better way than to have Kate Mosse, another internationally best-selling crime writer, re-imagine Christie’s real-life mystery?”


“We’re thrilled Kate agreed to write this thoughtful and original piece for BBC Culture and we’re sure fans across the globe will enjoy reading Kate’s take on those eventful eleven days.”

BBC Culture launched in the spring of 2013 and became available to UK audiences earlier this year.  The site reaches around 3 million unique browsers every month.  It offers fans an alternative lens on global trends across the arts, through a rich mix of videos, images and editorial content from an array of well-known and respected writers and commentators. The story is part of a new series called BBC Britain that was launched across all of the feature sections in June.

Twitter: @BBC_Culture
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-Ends-

Contact
For further information contact;
Cassandra Power
020 8433 1525 / 07739 300 280
BBC Worldwide Press Office

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