Hercule Poirot: Fiction's Greatest Detective

Hercule Poirot: Fiction's Greatest Detective is an article which Agatha Christie wrote in the Daily Mail 15 Jan 1938 as a prelude to the newpaper's serialisation of her novel Appointment with Death (serialised as called Date with Death). In the article Christie discusses how the Poirot character was created and how she feels about him. This article was later reprinted in 1990 in the Agatha Christie – Official Centenary Celebration booklet edited by Lynn Underwood. A shorter version appeared in Little Grey Cells: The Quotable Poirot published by HarperCollins in 2016.

According to Christie, she did not write The Mysterious Affair at Styles the natural way--think of a detective and then a plot to display his talents to best advantage. Instead she had the plot drafted and then thought about what kind of detective she ought to have for the story. In Autumn 1914, there were many Belgian refugees in England and Christie thought a Belgian policeman solving a crime in England might be a good choice.

Christie writes that she had actually seen someone like her picture of Poirot "egg-shaped head covered with suspiciously black hair" on two occasions. Once was on a boat going to the Canary Islands and once while having lunch at the Savoy. She did not, however, approach them and notes that "life is full of lost opportunities."

As for what she thought of Poirot, Christie responds to her fans that contrary to what they must think, she had moments when she disliked Poirot a lot and "rebelled bitterly against being yoked to him for life". Here is found the often quoted sentence of Christie's: "Why -- why -- why did I ever invent this detestable, bombastic, tiresome little creature?" However she softens and notes that over time, "Hercule Poirot has won". She had developed a reluctant affection for him and he has become less irritating and more human. Christie gives an assessment of Poirot's performance: in The Mystery of the Blue Train, Poirot was not at his best, but he did well in Lord Edgware Dies. Poirot regards Three Act Tragedy as one of his failures (though most people would disagree with him). Cards on the Table won Poirot his "complete technical approval" while Death on the Nile saddened him personally.

Christie ends with perhaps a hint of resignation: "And so, as usual, the little man has the last word".

In 2012, noted Christie researcher John Curran reproduced Christie's original notes and draft for the article in his book Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making: Stories and Secrets from Her Archive, Although slightly different from the published version, the handwritten draft showed, according to Curran, "how fluently she could produce 1,400 words with a minimum of cutting and rearrangement."