Dorothy L. Sayers: A Biography
by James Brabazon

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Book Reviews of Dorothy L. Sayers: A Biography

Book Review: Insightful & Inspirational
Summary: 5 Stars

Tracking Sayers' life from her early years at Oxford, to her formative years in rural England, then back to Oxford for University, Brabazon weaves the thread that these influences, good and bad, had on young Miss Sayers. Then the war came, and Brabazon demonstrates how that - and the subsequent loss of eligible bachelors - had a profound effect on the course of Sayers' life, the outcome of which seems to be that Sayers created her ideal man in the form of Lord Peter Wimsey. Sayers did, Brabazon reveals, have at least three great love affairs, two of which ended unsatisfactorily - the second resulting in the birth of her son - the third ending in marriage. Due to help from Sayers' letters, her family and friends, Brabazon is able to chart the course of Sayers' public copy- and novel-writing career and her private family life. This ability for Sayers to keep things separate - and for her biographer to recombine them - continues through her years as a theological writer and playwright, and up to the end of her life.

There are a few problems with the biography, however. Because the book was written as a defense against poorly researched biographies, the author seems to present the unknown side of Sayers at the expense of details that other biographers had written and gotten right. The consequent lack of context can be frustrating when detail is provided without first establishing its background. For instance, a great deal is made of Sayers work in establishing sound doctrinal texts for the Anglican church; however, Brabazon doesn't go into what was going on within the church to prompt Sayers to take such action. Also, Brabazon pays Sayers several compliments on the work she did on her translation of Dante's epic poetry, but fails to actual cite any of it. Finally, and this is a minor nit, the chapters are numbered, but not titled; an adequate index is provided - and the book is written chronologically - but having titled chapters ("Oxford Years," "The Great War," etc.) would make it easier to backtrack to significant moments in Sayers' life.

Despite some minor flaws, this really is an amazing look into Dorothy L. Sayers' life. The portrait that emerges of a woman succeeding on her own terms, while remaining faithful to what she felt was a higher calling, serves to inspire Brabazon's readers to pursue similar ambitions. If all you know of Sayers' work is her Wimsey novels (a deficiency I admit to), you're missing at least half what made her such an amazing writer. For me, this biography revealed not only details of Sayers' life that were unexpected, but also a body of work that I'm eagerly anticipating reading in the months and years to come.

General Books

• Biographies & Memoirs
• Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British
• Reference > Writing > Genre Fiction > Mystery