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Hercule Poirot
The world-renowned Belgian private detective, unsurpassed in his intelligence and understanding of the criminal mind, respected and admired by police forces and heads of state across the globe. Famous as much for his magnificent moustaches as his little grey cells.
Character Image © Bill Bragg
Characters
About Hercule Poirot
The greatest mind in Europe
Hercule Poirot: the world-renowned, moustachioed Belgian private detective, unsurpassed in his intelligence and understanding of the criminal mind, respected and admired by police forces and heads of state across the globe. Since his inception over 100 years ago, Poirot has stolen the hearts and minds of audiences from Azerbaijan to Vietnam, and his celebrated cases have been recorded across 33 original novels and over 50 short stories.
Standing at a diminutive 5’4” – although there have been various interpretations of this on stage and screen – Poirot’s described in writing as having an egg-shaped head, often tilted to one side, and eyes that shine green when he’s excited. He dresses very precisely, and takes the utmost pride in his appearance.
The moustache
Perhaps even more famous than the man himself, is his moustache. Luxurious, magnificent, immense, and dedicatedly groomed, the moustache precedes Poirot into a room; it’s a unique talking point, it’s provocative, and it has a character all of its own.
My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.
The Creation of Hercule Poirot
Over 100 years since his creation, Hercule Poirot remains one of the best-known literary characters and one of the most famous fictional detectives of all time. But how did this celebrated Belgian come into existence?
Agatha Christie believed there was no method to her writing as inspiration could strike at any moment. She would begin by deciding on the crime and then work out the procedure that would make the twist tricky for readers to detect. In the case of her first novel, the outline of the plot was drafted – now Christie required a detective. It was August 1914 and a colony of Belgian refugees were living in a parish in her hometown of Torquay
Why not make my detective a Belgian? There were all types of refugees. How about a refugee police officer? A retired police officer.
He was to be a tidy little man, because, as Christie herself observed, his creator was the opposite. Standing at no more than 5 feet 4 inches tall, and possessing a waxed moustache, he was immaculately groomed and dressed in the finest clothing. More importantly he must be extremely brainy, and possess little grey cells of the mind. Once these key traits were established, Christie moved onto the task of naming him. With the desire for a grand name, Hercules came first, then Poirot. Not pleased with the combination of Hercules Poirot, the name was adjusted and Hercule Poirot was born.
Hercule Poirot's First Case
Poirot was introduced to the world in The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1920, 4 years after it was written, and Hastings had the honour of describing him to readers. His friend Hastings puts us straight in the picture in this book, where we’re informed that “as a detective, Poirot’s flair had been extraordinary”. While some detectives scrabble around on the floor searching for clues, Poirot uses psychology and his extensive knowledge of human nature to weed out the criminals. He will of course take physical evidence into account, but more often than not his combination of order, method and his little grey cells does the trick. Poirot’s cases are invariably finished with a typical, dramatic denouement, satisfying his own ego and confirming to all that he is truly "the greatest mind in Europe."
