Bombastic Little Creep

This character’s creator described him as “insufferable”, and called him a “detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep”. On August 6 1975, the New York Times carried his obituary, the only time it has thus honoured a fictional character. Who?

Answer: (select the text below to show)

Hercule Poirot.

Question by Amit Varma