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

Prevodilac: Vanesa Vaštag Lektor: Milenka Okuka

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

Agata Kristi je najprodavanija spisateljica svih vremena.

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

Međutim, 1916. godine nije čak bila ni najbolji pisac u svojoj porodici.

Her older sister Madge had already written several short stories,

Njena starija sestra Madž je već bila napisala par kratkih priča,

while Agatha hadn’t published any.

dok Agata nije objavila ni jednu.

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

Kada je rekla da želi da piše misterije,

Madge scoffed.

Madž joj se smejala.

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

Kladila se da Agata neće moći da napiše vrhunsku misteriju -

and certainly not something she couldn't solve.

a pogotovo ne nešto što ona ne bi mogla da reši.

Today, the novel that came of that bet

Danas, roman koji je nastao iz te opklade

stands alongside almost 100 other mysteries written by Christie,

je jedan od skoro 100 misterija koje je Kristi napisala.

each one a cleverly constructed puzzle box

Svaki od njih je zagonetka ingeniozno sastavljena

of clues, misdirection, and human drama.

od tragova, pogrešnog usmeravanja i ljudske drame.

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

Hajde da istražimo kako je napisala te savršene zločine.

Christie designed her stories in many ways,

Kristi je na mnogo načina konstruisala njene priče,

but one of the most important decisions was the setting.

ali najbitnija odluka je mesto radnje.

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

Od napuštenog ostrva do vagona zaglavljenog u snegu,

she favored locations isolated from society.

ona je volela izolovana mesta.

By restricting the scope of her stories,

Ograničavanjem obima priča,

Christie limited possible suspects and built tension

smanjila je broj osumnjičenih i stvorila napetost

by forcing characters to stay put—

tako što je naterala likove da ostanu tu gde su -

even with a killer among them.

iako je ubica među njima.

Sometimes she further heightened the drama

Ponekad bi dodatno naglasila dramu

by making the characters strangers,

tako što bi za likove izabrala strance,

unsure who they can trust.

koji ne znaju kome da veruju.

But while her settings are eerie and extraordinary,

Dok su mesta radnje jeziva i čudna,

her characters are just the opposite.

njeni likovi su sušta suprotnost.

One of the biggest criticisms of Christie’s novels

Najveća kritika Kristinih romana

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

je da su puna crno-belih likova.

But Christie avoided complex characters for a reason.

Međutim, ona je s razlogom izbegavala složene likove.

By reducing people to a handful of simple traits,

Svodeći ih na par jednostavnih osobina,

she provided readers with predictable suspects.

čitaocima je pružala lako previdljive osumnjičene.

Well, usually predictable.

Pa, obično su predvidljivi.

Christie also used the audience's expectations against them.

Iskoristila je i očekivanja publike protiv njih.

However, this typecasting sometimes relied on

Međutim, ova se tipizacija likova ponekad oslanjala

what contemporary readers know to be harmful stereotypes.

na nešto što savremeni čitaoci prepoznaju kao štetne stereotipe.

She frequently caricatured particular occupations and ethnic groups

Često je ismevala određena zanimanja i etničke grupe

for comic effect,

radi komičnih efekata,

reinforcing the prejudices of her time.

čime je ojačavala tadašnje predrasude.

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

To svakako nije deo njenog rada koji vredi kopirati,

and fortunately, many modern mystery writers

i srećom, mnogi savremeni autori misterija

have found less problematic ways to use this technique.

našli su bolje načine da koriste ovu tehniku.

Even when she got it wrong,

Čak i kad je grešila,

Christie worked to make her characters feel authentic.

Kristi se trudila da likovima dâ autentičnost.

She closely observed the people around her,

Posmatrala je ljude oko sebe,

and constantly scribbled down details from overheard conversations.

i zapisivala detalje iz razgovora.

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

Zatim bi preuredila detalje kako bi sastavila priču.

often switching who the murderer was as she worked.

Često bi tokom pisanja menjala identitet ubice.

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

Takav pristup stvara tajne i zbunjuje čak i najoštroumnije čitaoce.

However, there’s an important balance to strike

Međutim, postoji ravnoteža koju treba održati

between being clever and being confusing.

između genijalnosti i zbunjenosti.

Nobody wants to read a predictable mystery,

Niko ne želi predvidljive misterije,

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

ali ako je priča previše složena, čitaoci će odustati od čitanja.

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

Kristi je to pomirila upotrebom jednostavnog i pristupačnog jezika.

She used short sentences and clear, snappy dialogue

Koristila je kratke rečenice i jasne, žustre razgovore

to help readers follow information.

kako bi čitaoci lakše pratili informacije.

This kind of clarity is essential,

Takva jasnoća je značajna

because the best mysteries string their audience along

jer najbolje misterije održavaju pažnju

with a carefully laid trail of clues.

pažljivo izloženim nizom tragova.

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

Za Kristi, dobar trag je onaj koji će čitaoci pamtiti,

but usually, fail to completely understand.

ali koji neće potpuno razumeti.

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

Kao kad lik kaže da: “Danas sve ima odvratan ukus”,

just minutes before he dies,

svega nekoliko minuta pre nego što umre,

the reader races to determine who poisoned his beverage.

čitaoci će želeti da reše ko je otrovao njegovo piće.

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

Međutim, verovatno neće u potpunosti razmišljati o ovom tragu.

If everything tasted foul that day,

Ako danas sve ima odvratan ukus,

then he’d been poisoned long before that drink.

onda bi se mnogo pre tog pića otrovao.

Christie also used clues to intentionally mislead her audience.

Tragovma je takođe namerno usmeravala čitaoce na pogrešan put.

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

Na primer, čitaoci će neki trag povezati sa jednim osumnjičenim,

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

samo da bi saznali da je lažno optužen.

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

Ponekad bi pogrešne tragove ugradila u strukturu priče -

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

kao kad se sazna da je pripovedač, koji govori o ubistvu, zapravo ubica.

Outside crime and clues,

Pored zločina i tragova,

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

postoji još jedan sastojak u Kristinoj formuli:

the detective.

detektivi.

Christie created many sleuths,

Kristi ih je stvorila mnogo,

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

ali najdraži su Herkul Poaro i gđica Džejn Marpl.

Neither this petit Belgian refugee nor this elderly amateur detective

Ni sitna belgijska izbeglica, niti stariji amaterski detektiv

are traditional heroes.

nisu tradicionalni heroji.

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

Ali to što su autsajderi dovodi do toga da se osumnjičeni

and make suspects let their guard down.

opuste i postanu neoprezni.

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

Verovatno ste pogodili, Agata je pobedila u opkladi sa sestrom.

Her eccentric detectives, clever clues, and simplified suspects

Ekscentrični detektivi, genijalni tragovi i uprošćeni osumnjičeni

form a blueprint that has stumped countless readers.

stvaraju obrazac koji ostavlja bezbrojne čitaoce bez reči.

And now that you've uncovered her strategies,

Sada kada znate njene strategije,

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

jedina misterija je kakve priče možete vi pisati uz pomoć ovih tajni.