The secret formula to Agatha Christie's murder mysteries - Jamie Bernthal

Prevoditelj: Antoaneta Mjeda Recezent: Petra Lauš

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time.

Agatha Christie je najprodavanija spisateljica romana svih vremena.

But in 1916, she wasn’t even the most promising writer in her family.

No 1916., nije bila čak ni najperspektivniji pisac u svojoj obitelji.

Her older sister Madge had already written several short stories,

Njena starija sestra Madge već je napisala nekoliko kratkih priča,

while Agatha hadn’t published any.

dok Agatha još nije ništa objavila.

So when Agatha shared her desire to write a mystery novel,

Kada joj je Agatha rekla da želi napisati kriminalistički roman,

Madge scoffed.

Madge ju je ismijavala.

She bet that Agatha wouldn’t be able to create a compelling mystery—

Kladila se da Agatha neće moći smisliti uvjerljivi misterij

and certainly not something she couldn't solve.

i sigurno ne nešto što ona ne bi mogla riješiti.

Today, the novel that came of that bet

Danas, roman koji je nastao iz te oklade

stands alongside almost 100 other mysteries written by Christie,

stoji uz gotovo 100 drugih krimića koje je napisala Christie,

each one a cleverly constructed puzzle box

a svaki je pametno osmišljena zagonetka

of clues, misdirection, and human drama.

tragova, zamki i drame.

So let's investigate how she crafted these perfect crimes.

Istražimo kako je osmislila te savršene zločine.

Christie designed her stories in many ways,

Christie je oblikovala svoje priče na mnogo načina,

but one of the most important decisions was the setting.

ali jedna od najvažnijih odluka bilo je mjesto zločina.

From a remote island to a snow-stalled train car,

Od dalekog otoka do snijegom zatrpanog vagona,

she favored locations isolated from society.

preferirala je mjesta udaljena od društva.

By restricting the scope of her stories,

Ograničavajući okvir svojih priča,

Christie limited possible suspects and built tension

Christie je smanjivala broj mogućih sumnjivaca i gradila napetost

by forcing characters to stay put—

prisiljavajući likove da ostanu,

even with a killer among them.

čak i s ubojicom među njima.

Sometimes she further heightened the drama

Ponekad je dodatno pojačavala dramu

by making the characters strangers,

tako što su joj likovi bili stranci

unsure who they can trust.

koji nisu znali kome mogu vjerovati.

But while her settings are eerie and extraordinary,

No dok su joj mjesta radnje jeziva i neobična,

her characters are just the opposite.

njeni likovi su suprotnosti tome.

One of the biggest criticisms of Christie’s novels

Jedna od najvećih kritika Christieinim romanima je

is that they’re full of two-dimensional people.

da su puni dvodimenzionalnih ljudi.

But Christie avoided complex characters for a reason.

No Christie je izbjegavala kompleksne likove s razlogom.

By reducing people to a handful of simple traits,

Svodeći ljude na šačicu jednostavnih osobina,

she provided readers with predictable suspects.

osiguravala je čitateljima predvidljive sumnjivce.

Well, usually predictable.

Odnosno, uglavnom predvidljive.

Christie also used the audience's expectations against them.

Christie je također koristila očekivanja publike protiv nje.

However, this typecasting sometimes relied on

Međutim, ta se tipizacija ponekad oslanjala na

what contemporary readers know to be harmful stereotypes.

ono što suvremeni čitatelji prepoznaju kao štetne stereotipe.

She frequently caricatured particular occupations and ethnic groups

Često je karikaturizirala pojedina zanimanja i etničke grupe

for comic effect,

u komičnu svrhu,

reinforcing the prejudices of her time.

pojačavajući predrasude svog vremena.

This is certainly not an element of Christie’s work worth emulating,

To sigurno nije element Christienog opusa koji je vrijedan imitiranja

and fortunately, many modern mystery writers

i srećom, mnogo je modernih pisaca krimića

have found less problematic ways to use this technique.

pronašlo manje problematične načine kako koristiti tu tehniku.

Even when she got it wrong,

Čak i kad je griješila,

Christie worked to make her characters feel authentic.

Christie je radila na tome da njeni likovi budu autentični.

She closely observed the people around her,

Pomno je promatrala ljude oko sebe

and constantly scribbled down details from overheard conversations.

i neprestano je škrabala detalje razgovora koje je slučajno čula.

She would then rearrange these details to piece her mysteries together,

Zatim bi preuredila te detalje kako bi sastavila svoje zločine,

often switching who the murderer was as she worked.

često mijenjajući ubojicu kako je radila.

This approach kept information murky and disoriented even the sharpest readers.

Taj je pristup činio informacije nejasnim i dezorijentirao i najbistrije čitatelje.

However, there’s an important balance to strike

Međutim, treba uspostaviti važnu ravnotežu

between being clever and being confusing.

između pametnog i zbunjujućeg.

Nobody wants to read a predictable mystery,

Nitko ne želi čitati predvidljiv krimić,

but if things get too convoluted you can lose your reader altogether.

ali ako stvari postanu previše zamršene, možete sasvim izgubiti čitatelja.

Christie handled this in part by keeping her language simple and accessible.

Christie je to djelomično riješila jednostavnim i pristupačnim jezikom.

She used short sentences and clear, snappy dialogue

Koristila je kratke rečenice i jasan dijalog

to help readers follow information.

kako bi pomogla čitateljima pratiti informacije.

This kind of clarity is essential,

Takva vrsta jasnoće je presudna

because the best mysteries string their audience along

jer najbolji zločini navode publiku

with a carefully laid trail of clues.

pažljivo posloženim nizom tragova.

With Christie, a good clue is one the reader will remember,

Kod Christie, dobar trag je onaj kojeg će se čitatelj sjetiti,

but usually, fail to completely understand.

ali ga obično neće u potpunosti shvatiti.

For example, when a character cries that “Everything tastes foul today,”

Primjerice, kada se lik požali da: “Sve ima odvratan okus danas”,

just minutes before he dies,

koju minutu prije nego umre,

the reader races to determine who poisoned his beverage.

čitatelj brzo utvrđuje tko mu je otrovao piće.

But they’re likely failing to truly consider this clue.

No vjerojatno neće uspjeti stvarno razumjeti taj trag.

If everything tasted foul that day,

Ako je sve imalo odvratan okus tog dana,

then he’d been poisoned long before that drink.

tada je bio otrovan davno prije tog pića.

Christie also used clues to intentionally mislead her audience.

Christie je također koristila tragove da namjerno navede publiku na krivi trag.

For example, readers might recognize a clue associated with one suspect,

Čitatelji bi mogli povezati trag s jednim sumnjivcem,

only to learn that it was being used to frame them.

samo da bi saznali da je podmetnut.

Other times, she built misdirection directly into the story’s structure—

Također bi znala navesti na krivi trag strukturom priče,

like when a narrator reporting the murder is revealed to be the killer.

kao kada je pripovjedač koji govori o ubojstvu zapravo ubojica.

Outside crime and clues,

Osim zločina i tragova,

there’s one more ingredient in Christie’s formula:

postoji još jedan sastojak u Christieinoj formuli:

the detective.

detektiv.

Christie created many sleuths,

Christie je stvorila mnogo detektiva,

but her most enduring are Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple.

ali najtrajniji su joj Hercule Poirot i gospođica Jane Marple.

Neither this petit Belgian refugee nor this elderly amateur detective

Ni mali belgijski izbjeglica ni postarija detektivka amaterka

are traditional heroes.

nisu tradicionalni junaci.

But their outsider status is exactly what helps them slip past security

No to što su autsajderi upravo je ono što im pomaže da promaknu policiji

and make suspects let their guard down.

i da se sumnjivci pred njima opuste.

As you might have guessed, Agatha won her sister’s bet.

Kao što ste možda pogodili, Agatha je dobila sestrinu okladu.

Her eccentric detectives, clever clues, and simplified suspects

Njeni ekscentrični detektivi, pametni tragovi i jednostavni sumnjivci

form a blueprint that has stumped countless readers.

formiraju strategiju koja zbunjuje bezbrojne čitatelje.

And now that you've uncovered her strategies,

Sada kada ste otkrili njenu taktiku,

the only mystery left is what stories you can tell with these secrets.

preostala je jedino zagonetka koje priče možete ispričati s tim tajnama.