Chat With Agatha Christie
 

CHAT WITH LADY AGATHA CHRISTIE MALLOWAN

 

 

 

A lady who stirred up so much curiosity was sitting peacefully on balcony of the second floor.

Mrs. Agatha Christie

A cup of leftovers of black coffee, a camera, a book on her knees and pleasantly grumbling husband between door - A set which would probably be good for a beginning of an exciting story.

Missing was ofcourse a murder.

Yes, murderer was definitely missing but torturers were not. Waiters could tell one a lot about reporters which were   annoying Mrs. Agatha Christie with questions.

I said:" Good day and excuse me for bothering you."

Dame Agatha Christie in nature.

She nodded while still sitting on the chair, she smoothed wrinkles on her bright gray dress and with gesture of her hand calmed her husband, who was obviously displeased with the whole thing, but he didn't forget his  British politeness.

"They said that Bohinj will be a peaceful place where an old lady can spent a few days in peace..." she said, and it's seemed that those words were spoken also with some humor, not anger.

 

Dame Agatha Christie Mallowan

"This is nice place," she said. " How are called those hills back there?"

"I think that that is Komna," I said. " Up there is a nice hotel."

"K-k-k-Komna? A strange name but a very beautiful hill!"

Then she said: "How do you find out so fast that someone came? They said that in Yugoslavia there won't be troubles with reporters."

"Troubles with reporters are everywhere," I said. " That is even written in one of your books if I remember correctly."

 

First Lady of Crime

She nodded.

"Are you maybe planning to write some new book?" I asked.

"I doubt," totally unexpected said her husband, who meanwhile appeared between the door. "At this age one has the right to rest, isn't that true?"

That is ofcourse one hundred percent true. But it somehow seemed that Agatha Christie didn't have the same opinion.

Agatha Christie on balcony of the room 204 in Bellevue Hotel in Bohionj in 1967

"It is never good to entirely quit with work," she said.

From her room number 206 in the second floor in the Bohinj hotel Bellevue there is a wonderful view towards Stara Fu�ina. While she was posing  to the photographer for a shot, she was lively observing the landscape. Two string of necklaces  were tinkling around her neck.

"Would it be possible to base a book which would take place in these places?" I said.

"I really wouldn't like to stain this corner with a murder,"  she said. " It is too beautiful."

"It is probably difficult to write so many good books ?" I asked.

"No," she said, " if one knows his work. I know my work which is so specific, that it requires besides knowing how to write also knowing some other things.  For example: drowned person can't die because of poisoning..."

Poster from 1974 version of " Murder on Orient Express", starring Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot.

"One of your story is happening in Yugoslavia, how come?

"Do you think that about Orient Express? Oh, but that surely isn't happening in Yugoslavia, is it? If I remember correctly there is a train, but it says nowhere that is going right through your country?"

My trump card was ofcourse very firm. " All Orient Express trains go trough Yugoslavia," I said kindly.

She smiled very very pleasantly and said: " That is quite true."

Agatha Christie, who has been  writing for long decades, came on vacation to Bohinj directly from London. Surname famous lady who wrote a lot of detective novels and plays (We were watching  Mousetrap also on stage in Ljubljana.), is actually Mallowan- that is how is was written in hotel's book of guests.

Agatha Christie at the premiere of the 1974 film production of Murder on the Orient Express.

"What will you be doing these days?"

"I will be reading and taking photos. I will be going on walks, maybe   a little of rowing on the lake... That will be all... If you will let me, ofcourse,"  she added waggishnesly and after all she could have said that entirely serious.

How long will she stay in Bohinj she doesn't know. If she will like it she will stay longer, if not she will leave sooner.

Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan about to fly to Bagdad in 1950.

"Where to, Mrs. Christie?"

"You probably won't believe but I really don't know. I decide about this things when I have to."

She was all the time pleasantly kind, polite, but she had some indefinite determination in her gestures.

Her husband was still sincere against this interview because "she has more than seventy years and she is tired", when the interview was already finished.

The interview was in fact a chat between two accidental acquaintances and one of them was stubbornly intruding.

Chat was in spite of all pleasant.

This article was first published in Slovenian newspaper called Nedeljski dnevnik. It was published on August 23 in 1967. So this article was first written in Slovenian language and then I had to translate it into English language. The author of this article is Janez �u�ek. If you want to see a photo of the original article click here:  Article_02.jpg

As you already know it tells about Agatha Christie and her arrival in Slovenia. She was in Bohinj with her husband Max Mallowan in the end of August 1967.

     

AGATHA CHRISTIE IN BOHINJ (SLOVENIA) IN 1967:

Agatha Christie was in Bohinj with her husband Max Mallowan in the end of August 1967. They stayed in Hotel Bellevue.

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