World War II Materials from Dorothy L. Sayers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: Wade-A-99

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This archive contains 19 folders of materials, and one book was removed and is now stored in the book collection. Contents are arranged in the following order: Author’s Planning Committee materials, unidentified typescripts, correspondence, knitting notes, and crossword puzzles.

Dates

Created: 1939-1943

Creator

Sayers, Dorothy L. (Sayers, Dorothy Leigh) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Copies or publication of materials by Dorothy L. Sayers require permissions from the Sayers Literary Executor.

Biographical or Historical Information

Dorothy L. Sayers contributed to the war effort during World War II in a variety of ways. This archive shows her involvement with the Author's Planning Committee (which was in charge of writing propaganda for British civilians) where she served as an advisor to the Ministry of Information. Also included in the archive are correspondence and instructions for knitting clothing for trawlermen.

The material in this archive was acquired at auction from Sotheby's in London by the Wade Center in 2000. The original Sotheby's lot(s) included in this archive are: Lot 293 i-ii, and v-vi. Lot 293 iii-iv is now in the Dorothy L. Sayers manuscript collection of the Wade Center (see DLS / MS-347-359), and the copy of Begin Here from Lot 293 vi is now stored in the Wade Center's book collection.

Extent

1.00 box : 19 folders

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This archive contains materials relating to Dorothy L. Sayers's work during World War II, including her advisory role in the Author's Planning Committee, and correspondence regarding knitting clothes for trawlermen.

Source of Acquisition

01/1a

Related Materials

Researchers interested in this archive may also wish to consult the following resources in the Wade Center holdings:

The Man Born to be King Archive. A-59

Manuscripts 347-359 in the Dorothy L. Sayers Manuscript holdings: war-time poetry by Sayers, response to the BBC “Thought of the Day,” and drafts of Begin Here: A WarTime Essay.

Articles in the Wade Center Article File:

Lane, Kathy. "The Message and Influence of Dorothy L. Sayers in England During the Second World War." (December 14, 1995): 1-23. dls-UNPUBLISHED

Reynolds, Barabara. "Dorothy L. Sayers and War." Seven 20 (Wheaton, IL : The Marion E. Wade Center). (2003): 33-48. dls-ARTICLE

Sayers, Dorothy L. "The Church in War's Aftermath." The Living Age (July 1941): 441-445. DLS-ARTICLE

Sayers, Dorothy L and Simpson Helen. "Theatres in Time of War." The (London) Times (September 6, 1939): 4-f. DLS-LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dissertations from the Wade Center Dissertation collection:

Baldock, Charles Nicholas Martin. The Religious Imagination in British Popular Fiction and Society, 1900-1945. Ph.D, Yale University, 2009. DLS-Y

Rockwell, Rhonda Jean. ALL'S FAIR: GENDER, IMAGINATION AND WORLD WAR. Ph.D. in English, University of California, Berkeley, 1993. DLS-Y

Watson, Giles C. Catholicism in Anglican Culture and Theology: Responses to Crisis in England (1937-1949). Ph.D., Australian National University, 1998. DLS-Y

Wood, Bethany. Incorporation of the Incarnation: Dorothy L. Sayers's The Man Born to be King and The Wartime BBC. MA, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008. DLS-Y

Other materials in the Wade Center holdings may relate to the topics in this archive. See the archivist for further research assistance.

Separated Materials

Wade Center Book Collection: containing the Begin Here volume (London: Victor Gollancz, 1940) removed from this archive. HN15 .S29 1940 c. 5

Other Descriptive Information

There is an acquisition file for this collection. Letter from John Thurmer dated May 17, 2010 included in folder 8. There is a research copy of this collection.