How Dorothy L. Sayers Helped the Prime Minister of Canada Rally His Country before D-Day

Abstract

In May 1944, Dorothy L. Sayers exchanged letters and had a phone conversation with William Lyon Mackenzie King, the prime minister of Canada. Sayers's letter made such an impression on King that he saw mystical and prophetic significance in its arrival and used it in a speech he gave in the Canadian House of Commons. This study uses the digitised archives of King's diaries and the parliamentary records of his speech, as well as Canadian media accounts from the time. It will be shown that Sayers played an underappreciated role in helping the Canadian prime minister rally his country during the war, as the speech that used her letter met with acclaim across the political spectrum and received positive notice in Canadian newspapers. In the weeks leading up to D-Day, Sayers played an integral role in building up the morale of Canada's prime minister, as he endeavoured to inspire his country. Finally, King's diaries offer first-hand testimony of how one important contemporary figure reacted to the radio broadcasts of The Man Born to Be King, as he particularly enjoyed Sayers's portrayal of the masculinity of Jesus.