Something is wrong
Something's Rotten (original title The Listerdale Mystery ) is a collection of short stories by Agatha Christie . It was first published in the United Kingdom in June 1934 by William Collins and Sons . The collection did not appear in the United States, but the short stories were later published in other collections.
The publication in the German-speaking area turned out to be very complicated (see German-language first editions of the individual short stories ). It was not until 2011 that the 77th volume of The Official Collection Agatha Christie, published by the French publisher Hachette Collections , was the (apart from two stories) original compilation.
The collection is very well known in the United Kingdom, as it contains the short story Haus Nachtigall (later German title Villa Nachtigall ), which is the basis for the successful play Love from a Stranger and four film adaptations.
The stories
Something is wrong
Original title: The Listerdale Mystery
House nightingale
Original title: Philomel Cottage
The girl on the train
Original title: The Girl in the Train
A good friend
Original title: Sing a Song of Sixpence
The dream of happiness
Original title: The Manhood of Edward Robinson
The accident
Original title: Accident.
Jane is looking for work
Original title: Jane in Search of a Job
Sunday
Original title: A Fruitful Sunday
Not contained in volume 77 of the above collection, but in volume 75.
cucumber
Original title: Mr. Eastwood's Adventure
The golden ball
Original title: The Golden Ball
The emerald of the rajah
Original title: The Rajah's Emerald
Not contained in volume 77 of the above collection, but in volume 75.
Swan singing
Original title: Swan Song
References to other works
- In Mr Eastwood's Adventure , Anthony Eastwood quotes from the Rubaiyats by Omar Khayyām , a collection of quatrains very well known in the United Kingdom, which later gave the novel The Shadow Hand its title.
- In The Rajah's Emerald , James Bond quotes: "Thanking heaven fasting, for a good man's love" from the third act, fifth scene from Shakespeare's As You Like It . The name of James Bond is pure coincidence, as the short story appeared 27 years before the publication of the first James Bond novel Casino Royale .
- In Swan Song are Paula Nazorkoff's last words: La commedia è finita! . A quote from the opera The Bajazzo . The short story The Beautiful Face from the short story collection The Strange Mister Quin , published in 1930, also relates to this opera .
Theater adaptation and film adaptations
House nightingale
Original title: Philomel Cottage
The short story was adapted for the theater by Frank Vosper in 1936 . The play ran successfully in London's West End .
Based on this play, a film adaptation was made in the United Kingdom under the direction of Roland V. Lee in 1937 with Ann Harding and Basil Rathbone in the leading roles. Joan Hickson, the leading actress in the twelve-part television series on the BBC Miss Marple, plays a supporting role.
In 1947 the play was filmed in the USA under the direction of Richard Whorf.
On December 5, 1967, the Hessischer Rundfunk broadcast its film adaptation of the story under the title “A stranger knocks on” with Gertrud Kückelmann and Heinz Bennent in the leading roles.
The Agatha Christie Hour
Three of the stories were broadcast as part of the ten-part television series "The Agatha Christie Hour" in 1982:
as episode 3 "The Girl in the Train",
as episode 9 "Jane in Search of a Job"
and as episode 10 "The Manhood of Edward Robinson".
(For more episodes from the television series, see: Parker Pyne Determined .)
Major expenses
First publications of the stories in the UK
- The Listerdale Mystery. 250 of "The Grand Magazine" in December 1925.
- Philomel Cottage. First published in issue 237 of The Grand Magazine in November 1924.
- The Girl in the Train. First published in February 1924, issue 228 of The Grand Magazine.
- Sing a Song of Sixpence. First published in Holly Leaves, the December 1929 annual Christmas edition of Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, illustrated by C. Watson.
- The Manhood of Edward Robinson. First published in issue 238 of The Grand Magazine in December 1924.
- Accident. First published as "The Uncrossed Path" in the September 22, 1929 issue of the Sunday Dispatch.
- Jane in Search of a Job. First published in issue 234 of "The Grand Magazine" in August 1924.
- A Fruitful Sunday. First published in the Daily Mail on August 11, 1928
- Mr. Eastwood's Adventure. First published as "The Mystery of the Second Cucumber" in issue 233 of "The Novel Magazine" in August 1924 with an illustration by Wilmot Lunt.
- The Golden Ball. First published as "Playing the Innocent" in the Daily Mail on August 5, 1929 with an illustration by Lowtham.
- The Rajah's Emerald. First published in issue 420 of bi-weekly Red Magazine, July 30, 1926 with an illustration by Jack M. Faulks.
- Swan Song. First published in issue 259 of "The Grand Magazine" in September 1926.
First German-language publications of the stories
- The accident and other cases. The only authorized translation from English by Maria Meinert and Renate Weigl, Scherz Verlag, Bern / Stuttgart / Vienna 1964.
With:
- House nightingale
- The accident.
- The killer mesh. The only authorized transmission from English by Traudl Weiser u. a., Scherz Verlag, Bern / Munich / Vienna 1982.
With:
- A good friend
- Killer flowers. The only legitimate translation from English by Edith Walter u. a., Scherz Verlag, Bern / Munich / Vienna 1983.
With:
- Something is wrong
- Sunday
- The golden ball
- The emerald of the rajah.
- Murderer's thread The only authorized translation from English by Hella von Brackel and Günter Eichel, Scherz Verlag, Bern / Munich / Vienna 1983.
With:
- cucumber
- Jane is looking for work
- The gypsy
- Mirror image
- The girl on the train
- The strange case of Sir Arthur Carmichael
- The dream of happiness
- The mousetrap and other traps The only legitimate translation from English by Maria Meinert u. a., Scherz Verlag, Bern / Munich / Vienna 1966.
With:
- Swan singing.
Web links
- "The Listerdale Mystery" on the official Agatha Christie website
- Love from a Stranger (1937 film) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Love from a Stranger (1947 film) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- A stranger knocks on (1967) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Girl in the Train (1982) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Jane in Search of a Job (1982) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Manhood of Edward Robinson (1982) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier, Jamie Sturgeon: Collins Crime Club - A checklist of First Editions. 2nd Edition. Dragonby Press, 1999, p. 15.
- ↑ Volume 77 The Official Collection of Agatha Christie. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on: pressekatalog.de
- ↑ The accident and other cases. in the catalog of the German National Library.
- ↑ The Killer Mesh. in the catalog of the German National Library
- ↑ Killer Flowers. in the catalog of the German National Library
- ↑ Killer thread. in the catalog of the German National Library
- ↑ The Mousetrap and Other Traps. in the catalog of the German National Library
