Dorothy L. Sayers was a woman of contrasts.
A strong Christian, she had a baby - out of wedlock - by a man she did not love. Possessing a fierce intellect, she translated Dante, and also created one of the most popular fictional detectives ever in Lord Peter Wimsey. Drawing on material often difficult to access, particularly her collected letters, Colin Duriez reassesses Sayers' life, her writings, her studies, and her faith to present a rich and captivating portrait of this formidable character.

Colin Duriez is an expert on C.S. Lewis, his writings and also his wider circle. He is also the author of the popular biography C.S. Lewis: A biography of friendship and J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend (both published by Lion Hudson). He has also written widely on other aspects of Lewis, Tolkien and the other members of the Inklings, and has contributed to conferences, lectures, DVDs and documentaries on these subjects.

Contents
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1. Looking Back: To the Beginning and Later on
(1893-97, 1943) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2. Bluntisham and Salisbury: Schooling at Home and
Away (1898-1912). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3. Somerville College, Oxford (1912-15). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4. Poetry, Publishing, and a Try at Teaching (1916-20). . . 70
5. An Accidental Birth and Complex Domesticity
(1921-26). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6. Guinness Was Good for Her (1922-29). . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7. Lord Peter Wimsey and Eric the Skull: Within the
Golden Age of the Detection Club (1930-36). . . . . . . . 120
8. From Page to Stage: Telling the Greatest Story
(1936-51). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
9. A New Love: Rebooting Dante and The Divine Comedy
(1944-57). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Epilogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Dorothy L. Sayers: A chronology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Appendix: Charles Williams' review of The Nine Tailors
by Dorothy L. Sayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Select Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213