Hidden Horizons, the second international Agatha Christie conference, was a great success and attracted widespread media attention.
Proceedings opened on Monday 13th April with a lively keynote paper from Sophie Hannah. The first day went on to provide an opportunity for diverse and interesting papers. It ended with a thought provoking keynote paper from Prof. Gill Plain. On the Monday evening there was a conference dinner at The Imperial. The conference delegates who were present took part in a specially developed and delivered Agatha Christie themed pub quiz from the literary charity For Books’ Sake, and everyone agreed it was an entertaining experience.
The second day of the conference kicked off with an absorbing keynote from Dr John Curran. Tuesday’s final panel started with a look to the future through an informative presentation from Dr Anna Farthing on the upcoming Agatha Christie Festival to be held in Torquay in September 2015. The panel concluded with a look to the past with insights into Agatha Christie’s house Greenway, her family’s ownership and the property’s history and restoration, from Carly Mays of the National Trust. At the end of the conference we launched a mailing list which we anticipate developing into a research network.
During Tuesday evening the conference provided a final Agatha Christie treat with a stage performance of Murder on the Nile. The play was staged by The Exeter Little Theatre Company at the Barnfield Theatre and was well-received.
We would like to thank all those who participated in Agatha Christie: Hidden Horizons. We are pleased that the conference gave a space in which its success and overall, lasting positivity was directly connected to the great mix of likeminded speaking and non-speaking delegates who enjoyed each other’s company over the two days , focussing on lesser-known aspects of Agatha Christie’s life, work and legacy.
Mia Dormer & Jamie Bernthal
