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

Translator: Klavdija Černilogar Dwyer Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

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

Agatha Christie je najbolj prodajana pisateljica vseh časov.

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

A leta 1916 ni bila niti najbolj obetavna pisateljica v svoji družini.

Her older sister Madge had already written several short stories,

Starejša sestra Madge je imela za sabo že več kratkih zgodb,

while Agatha hadn’t published any.

Agatha pa še nobene.

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

Ko je Agatha omenila, da bi rada napisala kriminalko,

Madge scoffed.

se ji je Madge posmehovala.

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

Stavila je, da Agatha ne bo znala ustvariti prepričljive zgodbe,

and certainly not something she couldn't solve.

sploh pa ne take, da je ona ne bi mogla razvozlati.

Today, the novel that came of that bet

Danes je roman, ki je nastal zaradi te stave,

stands alongside almost 100 other mysteries written by Christie,

eden od skoraj stotih izpod peresa Agathe Christie

each one a cleverly constructed puzzle box

in vsi so kot inteligentne sestavljanke,

of clues, misdirection, and human drama.

zložene iz namigov, napačnih sledi in človeške drame.

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

Pa raziščimo, kako je ustvarila popolne zločine.

Christie designed her stories in many ways,

Agatha Christie je zgodbe oblikovala na veliko načinov,

but one of the most important decisions was the setting.

a ena od najpomembnejših odločitev je bilo prizorišče.

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

Od odročnih otokov do zasneženih vlakov

she favored locations isolated from society.

so ji bile najljubše lokacije stran od družbe.

By restricting the scope of her stories,

S tako omejenim obsegom svojih zgodb

Christie limited possible suspects and built tension

je Christie omejila število osumljencev in zgradila napetost,

by forcing characters to stay put—

saj so njeni junaki ostali ujeti

even with a killer among them.

skupaj z morilcem.

Sometimes she further heightened the drama

Včasih je dramo okrepila tako,

by making the characters strangers,

da je za junake postavila neznance,

unsure who they can trust.

ki niso vedeli, komu naj zaupajo.

But while her settings are eerie and extraordinary,

A čeprav so njena prizorišča srhljiva in nenavadna,

her characters are just the opposite.

so njeni junaki vse prej kot to.

One of the biggest criticisms of Christie’s novels

Ena največjih kritik romanov Agathe Christie je,

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

da so polni dvodimenzionalnih oseb.

But Christie avoided complex characters for a reason.

A Christie se je z razlogom izogibala zapletenim karakterjem.

By reducing people to a handful of simple traits,

Z rabo oseb, ki imajo le par enostavnih lastnosti,

she provided readers with predictable suspects.

je bralcem ponudila predvidljive osumljence.

Well, usually predictable.

No, ponavadi predvidljive.

Christie also used the audience's expectations against them.

Pričakovanja bralcev je tudi uporabila proti njim samim.

However, this typecasting sometimes relied on

A tako dajanje vlog se je včasih zanašalo na to,

what contemporary readers know to be harmful stereotypes.

kar danes razumemo kot škodljive stereotipe.

She frequently caricatured particular occupations and ethnic groups

Pogosto je karikirala posamezne poklice ali etnične skupine

for comic effect,

v komične namene,

reinforcing the prejudices of her time.

kar je okrepilo predsodke tistega časa.

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

To vsekakor ni posebej hvalevreden del pisanja Christiejeve

and fortunately, many modern mystery writers

in na srečo je veliko današnjih avtorjev

have found less problematic ways to use this technique.

našlo manj problematične poti za rabo te tehnike.

Even when she got it wrong,

In tudi ko se je motila,

Christie worked to make her characters feel authentic.

se je Christie trudila, da bi se njeni junaki zdeli avtentični.

She closely observed the people around her,

Opazovala je ljudi okoli sebe

and constantly scribbled down details from overheard conversations.

in si zapisovala podrobnosti iz pogovorov, ki jih je slišala.

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

Potem je vse to preuredila in sestavila v svoje romane

often switching who the murderer was as she worked.

ter med pisanjem večkrat menjala vlogo morilca med junaki.

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

Zato so celo najbolj zavzeti bralci težko razbrali vse informacije.

However, there’s an important balance to strike

A med domiselnim pisanjem in zmedo

between being clever and being confusing.

je treba najti pravo ravnotežje.

Nobody wants to read a predictable mystery,

Nihče noče brati predvidljive detektivke,

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

a če stvari postanejo preveč zapletene, lahko bralca prav tako izgubimo.

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

Christie je to ravnovesje našla v enostavnem in dostopnem jeziku.

She used short sentences and clear, snappy dialogue

Uporabljala je kratke stavke in jasen, oster dialog,

to help readers follow information.

da bi bralci lažje sledili dogajanju.

This kind of clarity is essential,

Taka jasnost je ključna,

because the best mysteries string their audience along

saj najboljše detektivke bralce ponesejo

with a carefully laid trail of clues.

po premišljeni sledi namigov.

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

Za Agatho Christie je dober namig tak, ki si ga bralec zapomni,

but usually, fail to completely understand.

a ga ponavadi ne razume povsem.

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

Če junak recimo reče: “Danes je vse čudnega okusa!“,

just minutes before he dies,

par trenutkov, preden umre,

the reader races to determine who poisoned his beverage.

bo bralec hitel ugotavljati, kdo je zastrupil njegovo pijačo.

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

A verjetno ne bo do konca razmislil o tem.

If everything tasted foul that day,

Če bi tisti dan res vse imelo slab okus,

then he’d been poisoned long before that drink.

potem bi bil junak zastrupljen že dolgo pred pijačo.

Christie also used clues to intentionally mislead her audience.

Christie je s svojimi namigi tudi namenoma zavajala bralce.

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

Ti morda določen namig povežejo z določenim osumljencem,

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

a potem ugotovijo, da je bil namig podtaknjen.

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

Spet drugič je bralce zavedla s samo strukturo zgodbe,

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

denimo ko nekdo poroča o umoru, a se na koncu izkaže, da je sam morilec.

Outside crime and clues,

Poleg zločina in namigov

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

formula Agathe Christie vsebuje še eno sestavino:

the detective.

detektiva.

Christie created many sleuths,

Christie je ustvarila veliko detektivov,

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

a najbolj znana sta Hercule Poirot in gospodična Jane Marple.

Neither this petit Belgian refugee nor this elderly amateur detective

Niti mali belgijski begunec niti ostarela amaterska detektivka

are traditional heroes.

nista tipična junaka.

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

A ravno njun status “tujca” jima pomaga mimo varnostnih ukrepov

and make suspects let their guard down.

in olajša njuno iskanje osumljencev.

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

Kot ste verjetno uganili, je Agatha dobila stavo s svojo sestro.

Her eccentric detectives, clever clues, and simplified suspects

Njeni ekscentrični detektivi, pametni namigi in preprosti osumljenci

form a blueprint that has stumped countless readers.

so matrica, ki je osupnila številne bralce.

And now that you've uncovered her strategies,

In zdaj, ko poznate njene strategije,

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

je edina neznanka to, kakšne zgodbe znate z njimi splesti vi.