While the Light Lasts: Nine Early Agatha Christie Stories of Crime, Romance and the Supernatural
Nine prime examples of Agatha Christie’s brilliance are gathered in this collection of early stories, and together they offer a unique view of their author. While the Light Lasts (1997) shows Christie still learning her craft, trying her hand at crime, romance with a touch of intrigue and the supernatural, and already displaying her mastery of character and her talent for the unexpected ending.
Author: Agatha Christie (1890–1976)
Title: While the Light Lasts (collection, 1997)
Format: English paperback (HarperCollins), 224 pages
Scope: Nine early short stories, two featuring Hercule Poirot
Amazon: www.amazon.es/dp/000819646X (ASIN 000819646X)
Dreams, Blackmail and Jealousy
The House of Dreams tells, with supernatural overtones, of the effect of a macabre recurring dream on a man’s life. In The Actress, a woman devises a clever plan to rid herself of a blackmailer. The Edge is a gripping story of jealousy and infidelity, and Within a Wall tells of a tragic love triangle.
Poirot, Treasure and a Lonely God
Poirot appears twice. In Christmas Adventure he solves the strange theft of a precious stone, and in The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest he uncovers the author of a perfect crime. The Lonely God is an unusual love story about two lost souls who meet in the British Museum, drawn together by the disturbing appeal of an ancient relic. In Manx Gold, two young heroes race against the clock to find hidden treasure.
Lost Stories Recovered
The collection was assembled in 1997, more than twenty years after Christie’s death, by the Christie researcher Tony Medawar, who tracked down stories that had appeared in magazines in the 1920s and early 1930s but had never been collected in book form in Britain. That makes it a different kind of book from Christie’s own collections: a window on the young writer trying out genres and voices before settling into the detective fiction that made her famous.
First Drafts of Famous Stories
Two of the Poirot stories are of special interest to Christie readers, because she later rewrote them at greater length. "Christmas Adventure" is an early version of the title story of The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, and "The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest" became "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" in the same 1960 collection. Comparing the versions shows how Christie added characters, atmosphere and misdirection to a plot she had already worked out.
Christie Beyond Detection
The non-detective stories are the real surprise. "The House of Dreams" is among the earliest things Christie wrote, and its dreamlike, slightly gothic tone shows an influence of the supernatural fiction she read as a young woman. The title story, set in Rhodesia, reflects her own travels: in 1922 she accompanied her first husband, Archie Christie, on a tour of the British Empire that took them through South Africa and Rhodesia. These pieces are uneven, but they show a writer interested in psychology and atmosphere as much as in puzzles.
Who Should Read It
Dedicated Christie readers who have finished the novels and want to see how she began. Newcomers should start elsewhere, with a Poirot or Marple novel, and come back to this collection later.
Tip
Read the two Poirot stories alongside their later versions.
While the Light Lasts
The title story is set in Rhodesia, where a woman receives an unexpected visit from beyond the grave. It is one of the most atmospheric pieces in the book. These stories from Christie’s early years show the author in her formative stage, and her readers will see once again her command of character and her skill with surprise endings. A lovely companion for fans who have already read the novels.
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