Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957)

Dorothy L. Sayers began her career writing mysteries in 1923. The Lord Peter series was immensely popular, but by 1937, Sayers was ready to move on to other things. She began writing plays, most of which had a religious theme. In the 1940s, she began a new translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy; her translations are still in print today and are available from Penguin. Sayers died in 1957, when the third volume of The Divine Comedy was still incomplete. Her friend and future biographer, Barbara Reynolds, finished the translation; it was published in 1962.

For more information, please see:

Websites

• Excellent biography. Includes a list of further reading, and a bibliography.
• Another biography of Sayers.

Biographies

• Dorothy L. Sayers: Her Life and Soul by Barbara Reynolds
• The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers: 1899-1936: The Making of a Detective Novelist by Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Reynolds (Editor), P. D. James
• The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers: 1937-1943, From Novelist to Playwright
• I also recommend Such a Strange Lady, A Careless Rage for Life, and The Remarkable Case of Dorothy L. Sayers. None of these books seem to be in print, but they are worth picking up.