Dame Ngaio Marsh

Ngaio Marsh
Ngaio Marsh circa 1935
Born	Edith Ngaio Marsh (1895-04-23)23 April 1895 Christchurch, New Zealand
Died	18 February 1982(1982-02-18) (aged 86) Christchurch, New Zealand
Occupation	Writer, theatre director
Language	English
Genre	Crime fiction
Literary movement	Golden Age of Detective Fiction
Relatives	Robert Speight (uncle)

Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE (/ˈnaɪ.oʊ/; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982), born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966.

Internationally Marsh is known primarily for her creation Inspector Roderick Alleyn, a gentleman detective who works for the Metropolitan Police (London). She is known as one of the "Queens of Crime" alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham.

Marsh was born in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where she also died. Her father neglected to register her birth until 1900 and there is some uncertainty about the date. She was the only child of Rose and bank clerk Henry Marsh, described by Marsh as "have-nots." Her mother's sister Ruth married the geologist, lecturer, and curator Robert Speight. Ngaio Marsh was educated at St Margaret's College in Christchurch, where she was one of the first students when the school was founded. She studied painting at the Canterbury College (NZ) School of Art before joining the Allan Wilkie company as an actress and touring New Zealand. From 1928 she divided her time between living in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom. From 1928 to 1932 she operated an interior decorating business in Knightsbridge, London.