Dorothy Leigh Sayers (13 June, 1893 – 17 December, 1957) was an author, playwright, translator and critic from Oxford, England. She is known for her crime novels, which were more than just puzzles.
Books by Dorothy Leigh Sayers*
Fun Facts about Dorothy Leigh Sayers:
- Dorothy Leigh Sayers was born in Oxford, England. She was the only child of Henry Sayers, a reverend, and headmaster of Christ Church Cathedral School, a preparatory school for boys in Oxford.
- Helen Mary Sayers, called Nell, was her mother who descended from the Leigh family. The Leighs were a gentry family from Isle of Wight. The novelist was very proud of her mother’s heritage and for a short time considered going by “D. Leigh Sayers” as a professional name. Instead she went by Dorothy L. Sayers insisting on her middle name and initial being part of it.
- In 1897 Henry Sayers accepted a new position of rector in East Anglia. The family moved to a nicer house, but were cut off from Oxford’s social scene. The move affected the outgoing and social Nell Sayers more than her studious husband. Dorothy Sayers lacked friend in their new town, but formed a strong bond with he cousin Ivy Shrimpton who was eight years older.
- The young Ms. Sayers loved to read. She could read by the age of four and spent a lot of time in her father’s library.
- Until she was 15 years old, Ms. Sayers was homeschooled, but they she attended a boarding school in Salisbury. She enjoyed her time there, writing, producing and acting in plays as well as the school’s orchestra.
- When measles broke out in the school, 1911, Ms. Sayers almost died. Her mother stayed with her at the boarding school nursing her.
- After graduating from Oxford, Dorothy Leigh Sayers made a living teaching modern languages at Hull High School for Girls. She didn’t like teaching very much and changed jobs to work for Basil Blackwell, a publisher and bookseller in Oxford.
- Her first book, Whose Body?, featuring amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey, was published in England and the US and sold very well. The detective was molded after Eric Whelpton, who she was engaged to.
- Ms. Sayers is know as one of the four “Queens of Crime” during the golden age of detective fiction. She is in very good company with Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh and, of course, Agatha Christie.
- Around 1930 she started writing religious themed plays for the BBC. During the 1940s Ms. Sayers focused on translations including Dante’s Divine Comedy. She planned on translating three books, but died unexpectedly in her Essex home before completing the third.
Books by Dorothy Leigh Sayers*
Zohar – Man of la Book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
Source:
Dorothy L. Sayers: British writer | Britannica
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Fun Facts Friday: Dorothy Leigh Sayers
DescriptionDorothy Leigh Sayers was an author, playwright, translator and critic from Oxford, England. She is known for her crime novels, which were more than just puzzles
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