Full Name: Phyllis Dorothy James White
Hometown: London, England
Biography: P. D. James is the author of nineteen books, most of which have been filmed and broadcast on television in the United States and other countries. She spent thirty years in various departments of the British Civil Service, including the Police and Criminal Law Department of Great Britain's Home Office. She has served as a magistrate and as a governor of the BBC. In 2000 she celebrated her eightieth birthday and published her autobiography, Time to Be in Earnest. The recipient of many prizes and honors, she was created Baroness James of Holland Park in 1991. She lives in London and Oxford.
Awards: Grand Master Award from Mystery Writers of America, 1999; Diamond Dagger from British Crime Writers' Association, 1987
Favorite film: The Third Man
Favorite food: Roast duck and freshly picked peas and new potatoes.
Raspberries and cream.
Favorite weapon: None. "The weapon should always be appropriate
to the murderer," P.D. James has said. "For example, elderly ladies, however murderous, are unlikely in the UK to have access to guns.
Favorite place to visit: Always London
Items Always on Her Desk:
- dictionary and a thesaurus
- a pad of lined A4 paper
- a collection of ball point pens with black ink
More information about P. D. James:
- Visit her Frequently Asked Questions page.
- Read her article, "Why Detection?", about what led her to write detective fiction and what she finds most fascinating about the genre.
