P.D. JAMES
One of my favorite authors, P.D. James, died recently. She lived near London, wrote wonderful detective stories, and was my idol. Not that I enjoyed all of her books, but I admired her work ethic, her longivity in this publishing world (she was 90 and has just published a wonderful book for writers, "Talking About Detective Fiction" and her depth of research to create a "real" fiction world.
in 1983, Phuyllis Dorothy James, was awarded the Order of the British Empire; then in 1991 she was named a life peer of the United Kingdom and given the title Baroness James of Holland Park. In 2000 she was a member of the House of Lords. And all the time she wrote.
She always said she gained the knowledge that she used to write her mysteries from her own life. She entertained her own siblings with her storytelling, but she waited for years to write her first novel. Her husband became ill so she went to work--eventually administering the Forensic Science Service of the Police Department.
Though I admit to not reading all of her work, I am a big fan of her character, both in books and on TV, Adam Dalgliesh. She decribes this character thus: Middle-aged widower, commander in Scotland Yard, London. His wife had died in childbirth and he has no romantic entanglements. He is tall, dark; rather moody and writes poetry for a hobby to help him cope with the pain of his job.
P.D. James gave him the qualities that she felt are important in a man--courage, intelligence, generosity and sensibility. He has a fondness for architecture claret wine, and reads biographies. And he would never be caught dead fabricating evidence!
I also enjoyed her character, Cordelia Gray, a female PI, which has been portrayed on many TV. P.D. James said she always enjoyed this charater.
It was interesting to me, as a writer, to read what is always on her desk as she writes: a dictonery and thesaurus, a pad of lined paper, and a collection of ball point pins with black ink. No computers for her, I presume. At least, not on the first draft.
I will miss just knowing she is still out there somewhere at her desk writing those perfectly researched mysteries.
in 1983, Phuyllis Dorothy James, was awarded the Order of the British Empire; then in 1991 she was named a life peer of the United Kingdom and given the title Baroness James of Holland Park. In 2000 she was a member of the House of Lords. And all the time she wrote.
She always said she gained the knowledge that she used to write her mysteries from her own life. She entertained her own siblings with her storytelling, but she waited for years to write her first novel. Her husband became ill so she went to work--eventually administering the Forensic Science Service of the Police Department.
Though I admit to not reading all of her work, I am a big fan of her character, both in books and on TV, Adam Dalgliesh. She decribes this character thus: Middle-aged widower, commander in Scotland Yard, London. His wife had died in childbirth and he has no romantic entanglements. He is tall, dark; rather moody and writes poetry for a hobby to help him cope with the pain of his job.
P.D. James gave him the qualities that she felt are important in a man--courage, intelligence, generosity and sensibility. He has a fondness for architecture claret wine, and reads biographies. And he would never be caught dead fabricating evidence!
I also enjoyed her character, Cordelia Gray, a female PI, which has been portrayed on many TV. P.D. James said she always enjoyed this charater.
It was interesting to me, as a writer, to read what is always on her desk as she writes: a dictonery and thesaurus, a pad of lined paper, and a collection of ball point pins with black ink. No computers for her, I presume. At least, not on the first draft.
I will miss just knowing she is still out there somewhere at her desk writing those perfectly researched mysteries.
Labels: Authors, characters, PD James, Writing
posted by Barb | 12:31 PM
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