Dorothy L. (Dorothy Leigh) Sayers

Born in Oxford in 1893, Dorothy L. Sayers studied at Somerville College, Oxford, where she took first-class honours in medieval French. She became one of the most admired crime writers of the Golden Age of detective fiction, especially through her Lord Peter Wimsey novels, including Whose Body?, Strong Poison, and Gaudy Night.

Sayers was never only a mystery novelist. She also wrote plays, literary criticism, and essays on religion and culture, and she is widely respected for her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, a project that showed the depth of her scholarship as well as her gift for clear, lively prose.

Her writing is often loved for its clever plots, sharp dialogue, and serious interest in ideas, work, and moral choice. She died in 1957, but her books continue to attract readers who enjoy detective fiction with both brains and heart.