Who’s top of the taches?
QUESTION Which actor represents Hercule Poirot’s moustaches most accurately?
SOME 20 actors have played Poirot on screen but, to many, David Suchet’s masterful portrayal is the definitive one.
Suchet fits the bill in almost every sense — the egg- shaped head, finickity manners, pomposity, waddling walk and, of course, the twinkle in the eye — but are the moustaches correct? In some senses they are, waxed and dyed, but perhaps they are not massive enough.
Some have been upset by Kenneth Branagh’s very large moustaches in the recent films, but they are officially endorsed by Agatha Christie Ltd.
Christie referred to the Belgian detective’s moustaches on many occasions. In 1920, he made his debut in The Mysterious Affair At Styles. In this his moustache was described as ‘very stiff and military’.
As Poirot became a celebrated private detective, his moustaches grew. By the early 1930s his facial hair had become luxurious asset of which he was proud: ‘If you must have a moustache, let it be a real moustache — a thing of beauty such as mine,’ was his advice to Hastings in Peril At End House (1932).
In 1934, Poirot was described as ‘a little man with enormous moustaches’ in Murder On The Orient Express, and by the time of The Labours Of Hercules in 1947 they were ‘immense’.
In sheer size, then, Kenneth Branagh’s moustaches are the most accurate. The actor recalled a discussion with the team at Agatha Christie Ltd: ‘The first thing they asked in their creative meeting was, “What are you doing about the moustache?” There was no twinkle in the eye; I knew it was critical. This moustache is serious business.’
The chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd ( and Christie’s greatgrandson) James Prichard declared that ‘ I think Ken has got the greatest moustache in all England.’
Other quality moustaches of note are Albert Finney’s in Murder On The Orient Express (1974) and Ian Holm’s upright effort in Murder By The Book (1987).
A splendid version from abroad can be found below the nose of Mansai Nomura, who depicted Poirot in a Japanese TV
Alice McAllister, Bideford, Devon.
QUESTION Is dyslexia rare in Spain and Italy?
DETECTION rates of dyslexia are lower in Spain and, to a lesser extent, Italy. It is roughly one third to one half less common in the case of Spain. This is due to the nature of the Spanish language rather than the population.
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterised by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.
English poses a particular problem to dyslexics. It is a language with a deep orthography, i.e. it is a writing system that does not have a close correspondence between sounds (phonemes) and the letters (graphemes) that represent them. For example, there are different pronunciations for the same spelling patterns (e.g. ‘tough’, ‘though’, ‘through’, ‘bough’, ‘cough’, ‘thorough’, ‘hiccough’).
Romance languages, particularly Spanish, generally have a shallow orthography, i. e. there is a close relationship between graphemes and phonemes. Most dyslexic readers of shallow orthographic systems learn to decode words with greater ease than dyslexics using deep orthographies.
A. N. Gower, Worcester.
QUESTION Was Captain Kidd a pirate or a privateer?
DUNDEE-BORN William Kidd started out as a privateer, legally plundering enemy trade, but was latterly branded a pirate. Many consider him poorly treated.
An experienced captain and shipowner in New York, Kidd was pressured by the British Crown to serve as captain on privateer expeditions against pirates in the 1690s.
A case of mistaken identity and underhand dealings from politicians and the East India Company hierarchy saw him tried and condemned for piracy.
The story of William Kidd is complex and filled with adventure, great riches and intrigue. Kidd was born in about 1645 and by the 1680s he had established himself in New York, operating a packet line between London and Britain’s colonies. The British government recognised him as the best man to rid the seas of piracy.
Privateers were shipowners who were granted ‘letters of marque’ (i.e. written permission) to attack enemy shipping. In return they were allowed to keep some of the proceeds of their activities, with the rest being given to the government. Kidd’s letters of marque were personally signed by King William III.
In time, Kidd captured six ships. The richest of these was Quedagh Merchant, an Armenian vessel flying the French flag — a legitimate prize for an English privateer.
unfortunately for Kidd, the ship was under the employ of the East India Company and was flying a false flag. Half the hugely valuable cargo belonged to a Mughal nobleman, Mukhlis Khan, and the rest to some Iranian-Armenian merchants. It was a severe embarrassment to the East India Company, who needed a scapegoat.
A warrant was issued for Kidd’s arrest and when he became aware of this, he paid off his crew and left the ship and the treasure in Hispaniola.
Kidd was given a safe-conduct to Boston in June 1699 but was betrayed by the Governor of New York, Richard Coote, Earl of Bellomont, who sent Kidd to England for trial. He was brought to the Old Bailey, charged with piracy and murder, and sentenced to be hanged. The sentence was carried out on May 23, 1701.
Rumours about Kidd’s wealth are the source of much pirate lore. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold-Bug is about decoding a message leading to Kidd’s hidden gold, and his story formed the basis of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Kevin Strong, Southampton.
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