Ariadne Oliver

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Ariadne Oliver is a fictional character in the novels of Agatha Christie.

Mrs. Oliver is a mystery novelist and a friend of Hercule Poirot. Mrs. Oliver often assists Poirot in her case through her knowledge of the criminal mind. She often claims to be endowed with particular "feminine intuition," but it usually leads her awry. She is particularly fond of apples, which becomes a plot point in the novel Hallowe'en Party.

In the books, Oliver's most famous works are those featuring her vegetarian Finn detective Sven Hjerson. Since she knows nothing of Finland, Oliver frequently laments Hjerson's existence. In many of her appearances, Oliver - and her feelings toward Hjerson - reflect Agatha Christie's own frustrations as an author, particularly with the Belgian Hercule Poirot (an example of self-insertion). The self-caricature has also been used to discuss Christie's own follies in her earlier novels. For instance, in Mrs McGinty's Dead, Mrs.Oliver talks of having made the blowpipe a foot long in one of her novels, whereas the actual length is something like four and half feet - the same mistake Christie did in Death in the Clouds.

Mrs Oliver first appeared in the short story collection Parker Pyne Investigates (1934), as part of Pyne's unorthodox team of freelance assistants. All her subsequent appearances (save one) were in Poirot novels:

Cards on the Table (1936)
Mrs McGinty's Dead (1952)
Dead Man's Folly (1956)
The Pale Horse (1961) Oliver's only appearance in a Christie novel without Poirot's involvement.
Third Girl (1966)
Hallowe'en Party (1969)
Elephants Can Remember (1972)

In The Pale Horse, Mrs. Oliver is acquainted with the Rev. and Mrs. Dane Colthorp, who are also friends of Miss Marple--thus establishing that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot exist in the same world.

Books by Ariadne Oliver and by a number of other fictitious mystery writers are discussed by the characters in the Poirot novel The Clocks (1963).

A 1986 adaptation of Dead Man's Folly starred Jean Stapleton as Ariadne Oliver.

Zoë Wanamaker played Ariadne Oliver in the 2005 television version of Cards on the Table with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot.

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