A Genius Named Hercule Poirot

"You have the mistaken idea implanted in your head that a detective is necessarily a man who puts on a false beard and hides behind a pillar! The false beard, it is vieux jeu, and shadowing is only done by the lowest branch of my profession. The Hercule Poirots, my friend, need only to sit back in a chair and think." - Hercule Poirot.

This was the main characteristic of our most loved Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. He did not employ the contemporary methods of seeking truth, he preferred to let his grey cells do the thinking! At 5 feet and 4 inches with sparkling green eyes (that often gleamed like a cat), Poirot was not the kind to don a disguise and hunt clues to find the guilty. Eh bein! He had his own little meticulous ways of solving a case. This man with the egg-shaped head and stark black mustache with his obsession for his patent leather shoes continues to occupy a place in the hearts of millions of readers worldwide...

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot is one of her best creations ever. Her style of writing makes her the Queen of Crime Fiction. Agatha Christie's unique style of writing shot her to fame. She penned 33 intriguing novels along with 51 short stories starring the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. These stories were published between the years 1920-1975. Although the stories are set in the same era, it is the timeless appeal that continues to keep readers engrossed even today. The popularity of Hercule Poirot reached such stupendous heights, there even were several television series dedicated to this popular detective. Although various actors essayed this role on screen, David Suchet is always fondly remembered for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot. This actor bears a striking resemblance to the character created by Agatha Christie!

Hercule Poirot is no ordinary man! Born in Belgium and based in London, he is a sleuth who does not believe in measuring footprints at the scene of the crime. He believes in sitting back in the chair and reflecting upon the order of events to solve a murder case. The very meticulous Poirot believes in understanding the psychology of the criminals mind. Reflecting upon the order of things and the clues, Poirot often finds answers with the help of his grey cells and his habit of keeping the truth to himself much annoys his friend and companion, Captain Arthur Hastings who often appears in the many cases solved by Hercule Poirot. The ever eccentric Hercule Poirot loves his things to be arranged neatly and always prefers eggs for breakfast. Hercule Poirot has been conceptualized to be a man who always has a symmetrical approach towards things. This very clever detective also has a very big weakness, his ego! Much to the annoyance of Captain Hastings, whom Poirot often scoffs at not being able to see the plain truth, Captain Hastings knows that Poirot is a genius despite his inflated ego!

Agatha Christie's 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' was the first novel to introduce Hercule Poirot. Apart from Poirot, there are characters such as Captain Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp who are often featured in Poirot novels. Following this book, there were many other books such as 'Murder on the Orient Express', 'Five Little Pigs', 'One, Two, Buckle My Shoe', 'Hickory Dickory Dock', 'Cat Among the Pigeons', 'Dumb Witness' etc that catapulted this character and subsequently the genius author to fame! Agatha Christie's last Poirot novel was 'Curtain: Poirot's Last case' in which Poirot deliberately accelerates his own death. Poirot is famous as the only character to have his own obituary in the New York Times! Such is the popularity of this very clever detective!

One of the greatest detectives in literature, Hercule Poirot and Agatha Christie continue to be a part of our lives through books... As I remember his most famous line, "It is the brain, the little grey cells on which one must rely. One must seek the truth within - not without," I realize the importance of those little grey cells!