Alibi (novel)

Alibi (original title: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd , former German title: Roger Ackroyd und seine Murderer ) is the sixth crime novel by Agatha Christie . It was first published by William Collins & Sons in the United Kingdom in June 1926 and by Dodd, Mead and Company in the United States on June 19, 1926 .

This novel established its global reputation, as it had a significant influence on the entire genre with its special ending. It is one of her best known, but also one of the most controversial works. The short biography that appears on all books currently published in the UK describes the novel as her masterpiece.

Howard Haycraft, in his seminal 1941 work, Murder for Pleasure , describes the novel as a "cornerstone" of the most influential detective novels ever written.

The investigating detective is Hercule Poirot . Caroline Sheppard, the doctor's sister, draws Agatha Christie here as a preliminary step for her future hobby detective Miss Marple . It is the only novel with Hercule Poirot that lets the Belgian master detective take up residence in the English countryside. After this adventure, he has had enough of country life and returns to London permanently.

action

The novel is set in the fictional village of King's Abbott in England . It is presented exclusively from the first person perspective by Dr. James Sheppard recounts who becomes Poirot's assistant in the course of the investigation (a role played by Captain Arthur Hastings in several other Poirot novels ). The story begins with the death of the rich widow Mrs. Ferrars, who is said to have killed her husband. Her death is initially thought to be a suicide, until Roger Ackroyd, a widower who intended to marry Mrs. Ferrars and who doubted her suicide, is also murdered. The Suspects: Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd, Roger's neurotic and hypochondriac sister-in-law who has amassed large debts through extravagant spending; her daughter Flora; Major Blunt, a big game hunter; Geoffrey Raymond, Ackroyd's secretary; Ralph Paton, Ackroyd's stepson, also in great debt; Parker, a snobby butler; and Ursula Bourne, a housemaid with an uncertain past, who quit his job on the day of the murder.

The first suspect is Ralph, who is engaged to Flora and ready to inherit his stepfather's fortune. There are some critical points in favor of Ralph as the perpetrator. Poirot, who has just moved into the village, is asked by Flora to investigate. At first Poirot is not enthusiastic: he had actually wanted to retire and devote himself only to growing pumpkins . Little by little, all residents come under suspicion.

The book ends with an unprecedented turn of the plot: after Poirot has cleared everyone else of suspicions, the last one left is Dr. Sheppard, who is not only Poirot's assistant, but also the first-person narrator of the novel. This was a perspective that had never been chosen before.

From Sheppard's last entries in his diary one then learns the truth - this last chapter is not only his confession, but also his suicide note. His motive: he had been the blackmailer of Mrs. Ferrars. Her fiancé Ackroyd had to die to keep Sheppard from being found out. In the end, the perpetrator announces his suicide.

People in alibi

• Hercule Poirot - the famous retired Belgian detective.
• Roger Ackroyd - a country nobility desperate over the recent death of his mistress, Mrs. Ferrars
• Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd - Mr. Ackroyd's widowed sister-in-law
• Flora Ackroyd - Mr. Ackroyd's niece and Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd's daughter
• Ralph Paton - Mr. Ackroyd's stepson, often referred to as his "adopted son"
• Ursula Bourne - Mr. Ackroyd's maid, recently resigned
• Major Hector Blunt - big game hunter, Roger Ackroyd's friend and houseguest
• Geoffrey Raymond - Mr. Ackroyd's secretary
• John Parker - Mr. Ackroyd's Butler
• Elizabeth Russell - Mr. Ackroyd's housekeeper
• Charles Kent - Elizabeth Russell's son, a drug addict
• Dr. James Sheppard - the doctor and teller of the story
• Caroline Sheppard - Dr. Sheppard's unmarried sister
• Mrs. Ferrars - dies at the very beginning of the book

Reviews

The criticism in the Times Literary Supplement of June 10, 1926 begins: “This is a well-written detective novel, for which there might be only one point of criticism: There are too many curious incidents that have nothing to do with the crime and are just beginning must be cleared up before the real criminal can be discovered. "The review gives a brief outline of the plot and concludes:" It's very tricky, but the great Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian detective, solves the mystery. It can be said with certainty that only a few readers can do that. "

A long review appeared in The New York Times Book Review on July 18, 1926: “There are undoubtedly plenty of detective novels more exciting and bloodthirsty than The Murder of Roger Ackroyd , but the reviewer has never read one with one like this great analytical momentum. This story is, in the best sense of the word, in the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe and Sherlock Holmes . The author devotes her talent not only to creating thrills, but also to the orderly solution to a single murder, conventionally that's nice. ... Miss Christie is not only an excellent technician and remarkable storyteller, but she also manages to lay a number of leads to the real killer. In the current case, his identity is well camouflaged primarily through his choice of role in the story; and it is precisely its non-binding characterization that makes it a fair game. The experienced reader may have his eyes on him, but he will often doubt himself as the story progresses. "

The Observer of May 30, 1926 says: “No one is more adept than Miss Christie at manipulating false leads, insignificance, and diversions; and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd leaves us breathless to read - from the first page to the unexpected end. It is unfortunate that on two important points - the nature of the solution and the use of the phone - Miss Christie was inspired by another novel: The truth is that this particular field is so well plowed that it is difficult to find a virgin anywhere Field to find. But Miss Christie's story differs from most of her class in its coherence, appropriateness and the fact that the characters live, move and have their own existence: the gossip-loving Caroline should be in every novel. "

Laura Thompson, Christie's biographer, wrote: “ The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the greatest, the ultimate detective novel. It is based on the most elegant of all phrases - the narrator turns out to be the murderer. This twist has more than just one function in the plot: it rips the entire concept of the crime story out of its anchor and gives it a new, dazzling form. It wasn't a completely new idea ... it wasn't entirely her own idea ... but she realized it was worth doing. And only she could implement it so perfectly. Only she has control over the props, the willingness to stay away from the writing scene and to make the plot seem clear. "

Film, television, radio play and theater adaptations

Alibi (play)

The book formed the basis for the very first adaptation of a work by Christie for the stage. It was dramatized by Michael Morton and premiered on May 15, 1928 at the Prince of Wales Theater in London . It ran 250 performances with Charles Laughton in the role of Poirot. Christie attended rehearsals with her dog Peter and found the "novelty" very pleasant. Due to the many changes to the play, however, she felt encouraged to write her own stage versions of her novels and even her own pieces from now on. Her first own play was Black Coffee in 1930 . Laughton also played the role of Poirot in the Broadway production entitled The Fatal Alibi , which premiered on February 8, 1932. The American production was not as successful as the British and only ran 24 performances.

Alibi (film)

The play was adapted into the first sound film ever made based on a work by Christie. It was released on April 28, 1931 by Twickenham Film Studios , UK , and produced by Julius S. Hagan. Austin Trevor played Poirot, a role he took on again that year, in the cinematic adaptation of Christie's 1930 play Black Coffee .

Adapter: H. Fowler Mear
Director: Leslie Hiscott

Austin Trevor as Hercule Poirot
Franklin Dyall as Sir Roger Ackroyd
Elizabeth Allan as Ursula Browne
J.H. Roberts as Dr. Sheppard
John Deverell as Lord Halliford
Ronald Ward as Ralph Ackroyd
Mary Jerrold as Mrs. Ackroyd
Mercia Swinburne as Caryll Sheppard
Harvey Braban as Inspector Davis

“Campbell Playhouse” radio adaptation

Orson Welles adapted the novel for an hour long radio play for the November 12, 1939 episode of the Campbell Playhouse . Welles spoke to both Dr. Sheppard and Hercule Poirot.

Adapters: Howard Koch and Wyllis Cooper
Producer: John Houseman
Director: Orson Welles

Cast:
Orson Welles as Hercule Poirot and Dr. Sheppard
Edna May Oliver as Caroline Sheppard
Alan Napier as Roger Ackroyd
Brenda Forbes as Mrs. Ackroyd
Mary Taylor as Flora
George Coulouris as Inspector Hamstead
Ray Collins as Mr. Raymond
Everett Sloane as Parker

German radio plays from 1951 and 1956

After the radio play under the title Das Alibi was first produced and broadcast by Radio Saarbrücken in 1951, a new production followed five years later with exactly the same cast on the NDR . This time under the title The murder of Roger Ackroyd or: Alibi .

• Editing (word): Lotte Schickel
• Director: Dieter Traeger (only for the 1956 production); Wolfgang Schwade

Occupation:

• Charles Regnier : Dr. Sheppard
• Joseph Offenbach : Poirot
• Hans Paetsch : Roger Ackroyd
• Holger Hagen : Raimonds
• Josef Dahmen : Parker
• Herbert Steinmetz : Inspector
• Liselotte Willführ : Caroline
• Inge Stolten : Flora

Publication: CD edition: Der Hörverlag 2011 (In the Agatha Christie collection : Four radio plays )

Agatha Christie's Poirot

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was broadcast on January 2, 2000 by the British broadcaster ITV as a special episode on the series Agatha Christie's Poirot . The film is 103 minutes long.

In this adaptation, Japp - not Sheppard - is Poirot's assistant, which leads to Sheppard being just another suspect. However, the report by Dr. Sheppard is an integral part of the narrative and an integral part of the plot. The film also deviates from the novel at the point when Sheppard runs Parker over several times with his car.

Adapator: Clive Exton
Director: Andrew Grieve

Cast:
David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp
Oliver Ford Davies as Dr. Sheppard
Selina Cadell as Caroline Sheppard
Roger Frost as Parker
Malcolm Terris as Roger Ackroyd
Nigel Cooke as Geoffrey Raymond
Daisy Beaumont as Ursula Bourne
Flora Montgomery as Flora Ackroyd
Vivien Heilbron as Mrs. Ackroyd
Gregor Truter as Inspector Davis
Jamie Bamber as Ralph Paton
Charles Early as Constable Jones
Rosalind Bailey as Mrs. Ferrars
Charles Simon as Hammond
Graham Chinn as Landlord
Clive Brunt as Naval petty officer
Alice Hart as Mary
Philip Wrigley as Postman
Phil Atkinson as Ted
Elizabeth Kettle as Mrs. Folliott

Publication history

background

In 1977 Christie wrote in her autobiography that the basic idea for this novel came from her brother-in-law, James Watts. He had said in a conversation that it would be a good idea for the criminal to see Dr. Watson would be, that is, the teller of the story. Christie thought that was a remarkably original thought.

In March 1924, Christie received a letter from Lord Mountbatten who, impressed by her earlier work, conveyed through Sketch magazine (which was where most of her short stories appeared at the time), suggested a similar idea. Christie got excited about the idea and after some thought and planning she started writing but developed the plot in her own way.

In December 1969, Mountbatten wrote a second time to Christie after seeing a performance of The Mousetrap . He reminded them of his letter from the 1920s, and in their response Christie acknowledged his part in the conception of the book.

Important German and English language editions

• 1926 first edition UK William Collins and Sons (London), June 1926
• 1926 First edition USA Dodd Mead and Company (New York), June 1926
• 1928 German first edition under the title: Roger Ackroyd and his murderer: Translation from the English by Irene Kafka : Munich: Drei Masken Verlag
• 1937 Revision and new title: Alibi (Roger Ackroyd and his murderers) Edited by Fritz Pütsch: Bern; Leipzig; Vienna: Goldmann Verlag
• 2014 new translation under the title: Alibi by Michael Mundhenk; Hamburg: Atlantic

However, the very first publication of the novel is a 54-part serialized novel in the London Evening News from Thursday, July 16 to Wednesday, September 16, 1925 under the title Who Killed Ackroyd? ( Who Killed Ackroyd? ). As with the series version of The Man in the Brown Suit ( The Man in the Brown Suit ) there were minor changes, especially at the beginning of each part, one finds instead of "He did anything ..." now "Poirot did anything ...". The main change concerns the division of the chapters, the series version has twenty-four chapters compared to twenty-seven of the book.

There was also a serial version in the USA: The novel was published in the weekly newspaper Flynn's Detective Weekly in four parts from June 19 (Volume 16, Number 2) to July 10, 1926 (Volume 16, Number 5). The text was severely shortened and contained unsigned illustrations.

The first edition of Collins from 1926 is the first work that Christie published in this publisher. “The first book Agatha wrote for Collins was the one that changed her reputation forever; no doubt that as early as 1925 she knew the book just in her head that she had a winner. ”To this day, the publisher's successors - HarperCollins - are the publishers of Christie's work in the UK.

dedication

Christie's dedication reads:

"For punkies who love an orthodox detective novel, with murder and an after-exam, and that suspicion really falls on everyone!"

"Punkie" is the family nickname of Agatha's older sister Margaret ("Madge") Frary Watts (1879–1950). Although there was an eleven year age difference between the sisters, they remained closely linked for life. Actually, Agatha's mother has the honor of getting her to write: by asking her to write a story about the boredom of an illness, Madge also has a share in it. Agatha had bet her that she could write a story in the style of Gaston Leroux 's The Secret of the Yellow Room (1907), the solution of which Madge could not guess. Almost eight years later, in 1916, Agatha remembered this conversation and, using the pharmaceutical knowledge acquired during the war, wrote her first novel The Missing Link .

Literary references

Pierre Bayard , French literature professor and author, investigates in Qui a tué Roger Ackroyd? ( Who killed Roger Ackroyd? ) In Agatha Christie's murder case Ackroyd again and suggests an alternative solution: He stands up for another murderer and insinuates that Christie also knew who was the real culprit.

The British author Gilbert Adair wrote the novel The Act of Roger Murgatroyd (2006) as a pastiche on Agatha Christie , German Mord auf ffolkes Manor (also 2006).

Audio books

• 2003 The murder of Roger Ackroyd (2 audio cassettes or 3 CDs): with the original Miss Marple film melody. Read by Lambert Hamel . Director: Caroline Neven du Mont. Abridged version by Neville Teller. Translated from the English by Tanja Handels: Munich: Der Hörverlag

• 2006 Alibi (6 CDs): unabridged reading; Speaker: Martin Maria Schwarz . Director: Hans Eckardt: Marburg / Lahn: Publishing house and studio for audio book productions

• 2013 The murder of Roger Ackroyd (1 MP3- CD): unabridged reading. Read by Charly Hübner. Director: Klaus Prangenberg. Translated from the English by Friedrich Pütsch. Munich: The Hörverlag

Web links

• Alibi on the official Agatha Christie website

Individual evidence

1. ^ The English Catalog of Books Volume XII, A – L 1979; Kraus Reprint Corporation p. 316
2. ↑ http://home.insightbb.com/~jsmarcum/agatha20.htm
3. ↑ http://www.classiccrimefiction.com/haycraftqueen.htm
4. ↑ Agatha Christie: An Autobiography , Collins 1977, ISBN 0-00-216012-9 , p. 433
5. ^ The Times Literary Supplement , June 10, 1926, p. 367.
6. ^ The New York Times Book Review , July 18, 1926, p. 18.
7. ^ The Observer , May 30, 1926, p. 10.
8. ↑ Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie. An English Mystery , Headline 2007, ISBN 978-0-7553-1487-4 , pp. 155-156.
9. ↑ Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie, An English Mystery. Headline 2007, ISBN 978-0-7553-1487-4 p 277
10. ↑ Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie, An English Mystery. Headline 2007, ISBN 978-0-7553-1487-4 , page 277
11. ↑ Agatha Christie: An Autobiography , Collins 1977, ISBN 0-00-216012-9 , p. 342
12. ↑ Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie. An English Mystery , Headline 2007, ISBN 978-0-7553-1487-4 , p. 500
13. ↑ Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie. An English Mystery , Headline 2007, ISBN 978-0-7553-1487-4 , pp. 120f.
14. ^ German first edition in the catalog of the German National Library
15. ^ Revision in the catalog of the German National Library
16. ↑ Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie. An English Mystery , Headline 2007, ISBN 978-0-7553-1487-4 , p. 155
17. ↑ Agatha Christie, An English Mystery; Thompson, Laura; 2007; Headline ISBN 978-0-7553-1487-4 p 102
18. ↑ Janet Morgan: Agatha Christie, A Biography. Collins 1984, ISBN 0-00-216330-6 , p. 77
19. ^ Pierre Bayard: Qui a tué Roger Ackroyd? , Minuit 1998. Republished, Reprise, 2002. Also in English under the title Who Killed Roger Ackroyd? , Fourth Estate, 2000.
20. ^ Audiobook (licensed) in the catalog of the German National Library
21. ↑ Audiobook (complete 2006) in the catalog of the German National Library
22. ^ Audiobook (complete 2013) in the catalog of the German National Library