OkcPets Magazine May 2023

8 OKC Pets • May / June 2023 E nglish writer Dorothy L. Sayers (1893– 1957) was quoted as saying, “When cats sat staring into the fire they were thinking out problems.” But her fans might notice that cats do not play a prominent role in her novels and short stories about aristocratic sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, and some of Sayers’ other stories show a dark and disturbing view of a fictional feline world. Sayers was fond of cats, however, and wrote at least two poems about them. She mentioned her cat Timothy in letters. Dorothy Leigh Sayers was born in Oxford on June 13, 1893. Her father was a chaplain and headmaster who taught her Latin starting at age six. In 1912, Sayers received a scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford, where she stud- ied modern languages and medieval literature. She graduated with first-class honors in 1915, but women were not awarded degrees at that time. When that policy changed, Sayers was one of the first women to receive a degree. She graduated with a master of arts in 1920. In 1916, Sayers launched her career as a poet, fiction and nonfiction writer, playwright, literary critic, essayist, and translator. At first, she worked for publishing companies and as a teacher while moonlighting as a writer. She began the Peter Wimsey novels in 1921. Sayers was a copywriter at an advertising agency in London from 1922 to 1931 and is credited with coining the slogan, “It Pays To Advertise.” Sayers was also a serious scholar who consid- ered her translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy to be her best work. In 1926, Sayers married Oswald Atherton (Mac) Fleming, a Scottish journalist. They lived in the Bloomsbury section of London. Flem- ing’s health had been damaged during World War I, and he became unable to work. In 1950, he died at the couple’s later home, Sunnyside Cottage, Newland Street, Witham, Essex. Sayers’ feline companions must have been some comfort to her during Fleming’s illness, but she worried about them during World War II. In a poem from 1943, Sayers explains guilti- ly to her cat why she no longer provides some of his tasty treats because of rationing. Sayers died suddenly of a heart attack on December 17, 1957, at Sunnyside Cottage. For the centennial of Sayers’ birth, the Dor- othy L. Sayers Society commissioned a bronze statue by John Doubleday of Sayers with her cat Blitz at her feet, unveiled in 1994 in Witham near Sayers’ home and the library. The sculp- ture is popular with children, who have stroked Blitz’s back until it is shiny. Sayers would appreciate the tribute — and the inclusion of Blitz. Perhaps they both now stare into the fire thinking out problems. FOCUS ON FELINES In this bronze sculpture, English writer Dorothy L. Sayers (1893– 1957) and her cat Blitz stroll down Newland Street near her home inWitham, Essex, England. Photo courtesy of General Johnson Jameson. Enigmatic Thoughts Dorothy Sayers’ Cats Are Immortalized in Poetry and Sculpture by Rowena Mills Ruby’s K9 Corral Boarding & Daycare In The Clean, Country Air. Call today! 405-999-5822 info@rubysk9corral.com www.rubysk9corral.com Pickup and Dropoff in Our Corgi Cab, Daycare, Boarding, and Parties Now Offering Dog Reiki