Dorothy L. Sayers cover art

Dorothy L. Sayers

A Biography: Death, Dante and Lord Peter Wimsey

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About this listen

Dorothy L Sayers was a woman of contrasts. A strong Christian, she had a baby by a man she did not love - out of wedlock. Possessing a fierce intellect, she translated Dante - and also created one of the most popular fictional detectives ever, in Lord Peter Wimsey. With no new biographies on Sayers having been published for some time, Colin Duriez reassesses her, her life, her writings, her studies and her faith. Drawing on previously unpublished material, particularly her collected letters, he brings to life a fascinating woman.

©2021 Colin Duriez (P)2021 Oasis Audio Art & Literature Authors Biography
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Miss Sayers was an extremely private person. So I imagine the author, despite access to her letters and a semi biographical unfinished novel, had great trouble finding anything new to add to the picture of a fascinating woman. More detail of her obsession with Dante would have been excellent to help explain her abandonment of detective fiction writing. Nor did I get any real sense of the religious zeal which was behind her later writings. The narration was uninspiring not helped by the author’s skipping around the time line. Great for a general overview but do not expect to learn much in depth of the life of Miss Sayers.

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Thorough in its telling and provides interesting insight into events but decidedly lacking in dramatic engagement. While one doesn’t seek disingenuous exaggeration or extrapolation in biography, the narrative feels dry and one is left wanting more of the human emotion of significant events. Perhaps the primary evidence isn’t there but that seems unlikely in the face of such a prolific author and letter-writer.

Informational but not engaging

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