Dorothy L. Sayers was much more than just a celebrated crime novelist – she was a Christian playwright who brought the message of the Gospels to millions of people in everyday, easy-to-understand language. A true Undeceiver, it’s high time we knew more about her story.
Meet our guests
Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is an international author, speaker, and theologian who addresses the deep questions of our day with meaningful answers found in the Christian Faith. Amy is the author of multiple books including Where is God in All the Suffering?, and the bestselling Why Trust The Bible? She holds a doctorate in Theology from the University of Oxford and studied the life and work of Sayers for her PhD in 2017.
Links
This season of Undeceptions is sponsored by Zondervan Academic. Get discounts on MasterLectures video courses and exclusive samples of their books at zondervanacademic.com/undeceptions
Special thanks go to returning guest Amy Orr -Ewing, returning to Undeceptions. Check out the last episode we had her on, She Persuades, here.
Check out these helpful links below for more info on what was discussed in this episode.
To Read
- This cool article from The Guardian explores the secret crime writing club Sayers founded, which is still going to this day!
- The Official Dorothy Sayers Website is a great one-stop shop for Sayers fans!
- ‘Dorothy Sayers Did Not Want To Be A Prophet’ is a great piece by Christianity Today on her approach to work, and her legacy.
- Here’s the full correspondence between Sayers and Archbishop William Temple following Sayers’ decision to decline a Lambeth Doctorate.
- C.S. Lewis named Sayers as one of his great influencers in the preface of the 1950 version of his The Allegory of Love: A Study In Medieval Tradition. The other authors that Lewis credited with spiritually influencing him included Saint Augustine, John Donne, and George MacDonald.
- Here’s Sayers’ essay ‘Why Work’, taken from her Letters to a Diminished Church: Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine. Her amazing intellect is on full display.
To Watch
- Heaps of TV adaptations of Sayers’ work have made their way to YouTube. Check out this awesome playlist of it all.
- Here’s a video of our guest Amy Orr-Ewing further outlining Sayers’ approach to apologetics.
- Various audiobooks of Sayers’ work can also be found online – here’s a version of Have His Carcase.
- St Paul’s Cathedral Precentor Reverend Canon Michael Hampel delivered this great talk on the life and work of Sayers.
To Listen
- BBC have complied this wonderful archive of Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey series.
- It’s currently on hiatus, but the podcast As My Wimsey Takes Me is a great companion to anyone reading through Sayers.
… and finally
- Remember, you can get all of Sayers’ published works online … but if you’re not sure where to start, try this volume containing all her complete short stories.
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