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PD James

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PD James has been one of the most influential figures in the development of modern crime writing.

Born Pyllis Dorothy James White in Oxford in 1920, she spent thirty years working in various departments of the civil service, including the police and the criminal law department of the Home Office, and also served as a magistrate. It was through her work that she gained an expert’s perspective on the processes of police and the courts. This insider knowledge has always informed her writing and ensured incredible realism and technical accuracy.

In 1962 she published her first novel, Cover Her Face, which introduced readers to Commander Adam Dalgliesh, a character who proved immensely popular and went on to feature in many of her later books. To date she’s written 19, many of which have been adapted for film and television in the UK and US. Classic mysteries such as Original Sin and A Certain Justice appeared on ITV, and in 2006 The Children of Men was turned into a major Hollywood movie starring Clive Owen.

Among her many awards and honours, including the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers’ Association, she was created Baroness James of Holland Park in 1991. In 2000 she celebrated her 80th birthday and published her autobiography, Time to Be in Earnest.

Today she spends her time between her homes in London and Oxford, and says her desk is never without a dictionary, thesaurus, pad of A4 and a collection of ball point pens.