Diez Negritos (Ten Little Niggers/ Ten Little Indians/ And Then There Were None)
DIEZ NEGRITOS
Agatha Christie (1939)
Confortablemente instalado en la esquina de un departamento de primera clase, el juez Wargrave, jubilado hacía poco, echaba bocanadas de humo de su cigarro, recorriendo además con mirada sagaz las noticias políticas del Times.De pronto puso el diario sobre el asiento y echó un vistazo por la ventanilla. En este momento el tren pasaba por el condado de Somerset. El juez consulto su reloj: todavía le quedaban dos horas de viaje.Entonces recordó los artículos publicados en la Prensa sobre el asunto de la isla del Negro. Desde luego se había hablado de un millonario americano, loco por las cosas del mar, que había ocupado esta pequeña isla y había construido en la misma una lujosa residencia moderna. Desgraciadamente, la tercera esposa de este rico yanqui no tenía gustos marinos y por ello la isla, con su espléndida mansión, fueron puestas en venta. Una formidable publicidad se hizo patente en los periódicos, y un buen día se supo que la isla la había adquirido un tal míster Owen.
(Capítulo 1, página 5).
Estas son las líneas que dan comienzo a esta emocionante novela policial de suspenso titulada Diez Negritos, de la afamada escritora y dramaturga británica Agatha Christie. Ella sigue captando nuestra atención con esta historia que tiene como eje central un particular poema infantil, el cual, a primera vista, parece inofensivo pero que después parece darle sentido a todos los sucesos.
Un común desconocido personaje descrito como Mr. Owen ha enviado una extraña y curiosa invitación a diez personas quienes no se conocen entre sí, y aparentemente fueron escogidas al azar, a pasar una temporada en una lujosa residencia moderna ubicada en la Isla del Negro, la cual también es de su propiedad. Estos son los nombres de los diez desconocidos que deciden acudir a este encuentro: el juez Lawrence John Wargrabe, la joven institutriz Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, el excapitán Philip Lombart, la soltera Emily Caroline Brent, el general John Gordon MacArthur, el médico Edward George Armstrong, el detective William Henry Blore, el joven rico Anthony James Marston, el sirviente Thomas Rogers y su esposa, la tímida Ethel Rogers.
Estando todos reunidos en la isla, todo comienza con dos particulares hechos, el primero de ellos es la presencia de diez figuras de negros en la mesa central, las cuales parecen adornar la estancia. La segunda, un extraño y macabro poema infantil ubicado delante de la chimenea:
Diez negritos se fueron a cenar.
Uno de ellos se asfixió y quedaron nueve.
Nueve negritos trasnocharon mucho.
Uno de ellos no se pudo despertar y quedaron ocho.
Ocho negritos viajaron por el Devon.
Uno de ellos se escapó y quedaron siete.
Siete negritos cortaron leña con un hacha.
Uno se cortó en dos y quedaron seis.
Seis de ellos jugaron con una avispa.
A uno de ellos le picó y quedaron cinco.
Cinco negritos estudiaron derecho.
Uno de ellos se doctoró y quedaron cuatro.
Cuatro negritos fueron a nadar.
Uno de ellos se ahogó y quedaron tres.
Tres negritos se pasearon por el zoológico.
Un oso los atacó y quedaron dos.
Dos negritos se sentaron a tomar el sol.
Uno de ellos se quemó y quedó nada más que uno.
Un negrito se encontraba solo.
Y se ahorcó y no quedó… ¡Ninguno!
El terror psicológico, la angustia, la desconfianza y las alianzas serán las protagonistas de esta historia cuando uno a uno vaya desapareciendo. Pero, ¿Qué pasará al final?
Una fascinante historia policial tejida con la inigualable mano que caracteriza a Agatha Christie, que hará que el lector se sienta protagonista de ese grupo de personajes y que lo dejará atrapado en esta historia de principio a fin.
Enrique A. Simmonds B.
Bogotá (Colombia); 12/Julio/2020.
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TEN LITTLE NIGGERS (AND THEN THERE WERE NONE)
Agatha Christie (1939)
Would you accept an invitation to stay a couple of weeks in a luxury mansion located in a delightful island all included? Would you even accept if it was made by an unknown person?
On the corner of a first-class smoking carriage, Mr. Justice Wargrave, lately retired from the bench, puffed at a cigar and ran an interested eye through the political news in the Times.He laid the paper down and glanced out of the window. They were running now through Somerset. He glanced at his watch-another two hours to go.
He went over in his mind all that had appeared in the papers about Nigger Island. There had been its original purchase by an American millionaire who was crazy about yachting-and an account of the luxurious modern house he had built on this little island off the Devon coast. The unfortunate fact that the new third wife of the American millionaire was a bad sailor had led to the subsequent putting up of the house and island for sale. Various glowing advertisements of it had appeared in the papers. Then came the first bald statement that it had been bought by a Mr. Owen.
(Chapter 1, page 5).
These are the lines what begin this exciting suspense detective novel titled Ten Little Niggers (Ten Little Indians or And Then There Were None), written by famous Britain writer Agatha Christie. She keeps getting our attention with this story which has as main path a particular nursery rhyme. At first, this poem looks like inoffensive, but later, it will make sense to all events.
A common unknown person described as Mister Owen has sent a strange and curious invitation to ten people who they didn’t know each other, and apparently, they were chosen randomly to enjoy a short period of time in a luxury modern house placed in Nigger Island (or Indian Island), which belongs to Mr. Owen too. These are the names of the people who decided to come: judge Lawrence John Wargrabe, the young governess Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, ex-captain Philip Lombart, the single Emily Caroline Brent, general John Gordon MacArthur, doctor Edward George Armstrong, detective William Henry Blore, the young rich boy Anthony James Marston, servant Thomas Rogers and his wife, the shy Ethel Rogers.
When they are together in the island, everything starts with two special events. The first one is the appearing of ten black figures on the main table, which look like some sculptures that decorate that room. The second one, is a strange and macabre nursery rhyme placed in front of the fireplace:
Ten little Niggers boys went out to dine;
one choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Niggers boys sat up very late;
one overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Niggers boys travelling in Devon;
one said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Niggers boys chopping up sticks;
one chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Niggers boys playing with a hive;
a bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Niggers boys going in for law;
one got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Niggers boys going out to sea;
a red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Niggers boys walking in the Zoo;
a big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Niggers boys sitting in the sun;
one got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Nigger boy left all alone;
he went and hanged himself and then there were… ¡None!
Psychological terror, anguish, mistrust and alliances will be the leading things in this story when every character, one by one goes disappearing. But what will happen in the end?
A fascinating detective novel knitted by the incomparable hand that identifies Agatha Christie, that will produce the reader feels oneself inside the story as a principal actor/actress between this group of people, and he/she will feel caught in this story from the beginning to the end.
Enrique A. Simmonds B.
Bogota (Colombia); July 12th/2020.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT:
The original title found of this novel was TEN LITTLE NIGGERS, but considering the sense of this word for English-speaker people this title has been modified many times in order to not evocate a wrong or offensive meaning: TEN LITTLE INDIANS and, the last one, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. When I was looking on the Internet for some extra information about this novel I found a version or edition of this one where, in the nursery rhyme, are replaced the words NIGGER or INDIAN by SOLDIER: "Ten little soldiers boys went out to dine; one choked his little self and then there were nine...".
ADDITIONAL COMMENT:
The original title found of this novel was TEN LITTLE NIGGERS, but considering the sense of this word for English-speaker people this title has been modified many times in order to not evocate a wrong or offensive meaning: TEN LITTLE INDIANS and, the last one, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. When I was looking on the Internet for some extra information about this novel I found a version or edition of this one where, in the nursery rhyme, are replaced the words NIGGER or INDIAN by SOLDIER: "Ten little soldiers boys went out to dine; one choked his little self and then there were nine...".
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Cómo siempre despiertas las ganas de leer cada libro que recomendas. Esta autora es de mis preferidas en este estilo de novelas. Gracias por la recomendación.
ResponderEliminarMuchas gracias por tu apreciación, Norberto. :D
EliminarDentro del género detectivesco, es también de mis favoritas.
Un abrazo.