The Road of Dreams

infobox Book |
name = The Road of Dreams
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Dust-jacket of the first and only UK edition
author = Agatha Christie
cover_artist = Not known
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
genre = Poetry
publisher = Geoffrey Bles
release_date = January 1925
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 112 pp (first edition, hardcover)
isbn = NA
preceded_by = The Man in the Brown Suit
followed_by = The Secret of Chimneys

"The Road of Dreams" is a book of poetry by crime writer Agatha Christie. It was published at her own expense by "Geoffrey Bles" in January 1925 priced at five shillings (5/-) ["The English Catalogue of Books". Vol XI (A-L: January 1921 – December 1925). Kraus Reprint Corporation, Millwood, New York, 1979 (page 310)] . Only one edition of the 112-page volume was ever published and this was undated.

Christie wrote poetry for most of her life and the first traceable published works by her are three poems in 1919 - "World Hymn" in "The Poetry Review" issue for March/April, "Dark Sheila" in "Poetry Today" issue for May/June and "A Passing" in the same journal for November/December. [ [http://www.cityfujisawa.ne.jp/~katsurou/rare/rare.html Japanese website with details of publications] ] All three poems are reprinted in "The Road of Dreams" (with the first of these three under the slightly amended title of "World Hymn, 1914").

The book is divided into four sections:

* "A Masque from Italy"
* "Ballads"
* "Dreams and Fantasies"
* "Other Poems"

This final section includes a poem entitled "In a Dispensary" which mentions many of the poisons that Christie would use in her long fictional career.

The "Times Literary Supplement" in its issue of February 26, 1925 praised "A Masque from Italy" and other selected poems whilst stating that "her talent, however, is too delicate to turn a ballad convincingly" and "World Hymn, 1914" was a "subject too large for her hand to grasp". It did conclude however by stating that in poems such as "Beatrice Passes" (from "Dreams and Fantasies") her "real poetic gift is best displayed". ["The Times Literary Supplement" February 26, 1925 (Page 142)]

"The Scotsman" of March 23, 1925 said, "Miss Agatha Christie, in her book of poems, "The Road of Dreams", reveals a pleasing lyrical sense. The movement of her verse is light and graceful, and its substance, though not of the 'thought compact,' is not empty. Such lines, however – and there are a few-as:-:"The South Wind comes a-whispering, a-whispering from the sea,"are banal. Flow in verse is not everything. A stronger note is struck in some of the ballads, for instance, "The Ballad of the Flint". Here Miss Christie has a story to tell, and along 'the road of reality' she swings quite vigorously. In the first collection of songs grouped together as "A Masque from Italy" – the players are the old and over-new Harlequin and company – Miss Christie is perhaps happiest. The poem is quite a charming bubble ["The Scotsman" March 23, 1925 (Page 2)] .

Christie does not mention the book in her autobiography. Her official biography recounts that Eden Philpotts, a family friend, wrote to her and told her she "had great lyric gifts". He also warned her that it would not sell well and was proven right when copies remained unbound and unsold well into the 1960's. [Morgan, Janet. "Agatha Christie, A Biography". (Page 117) Collins, 1984 ISBN 0-00-216330-6]

The contents of this book were reprinted in the 1973 collection "Poems" as "Volume 1" although there are several differences between the two editions (See "Poems" for details).

Publication history

* 1925, Geoffrey Bles, Hardcover, January 1925, 112 pp, OCLC 12657447

References

External links

* [http://us.agathachristie.com/site/find_a_story/stories/The_Road_of_Dreams.php "The Road of Dreams"] at the official Agatha Christie website