P.D. James, a lady I admired enormously, has died today aged 94. Much has been and will be written about her and her work, but that apart, it was her wit, her sharp intellect, her wisdom, personal courage, and integrity which engendered so much respect and esteem. I've been privileged to hear her talk in person, and rarely have I felt as I did then that I was in the company of someone who was - very quietly and unassumingly - head and shoulders above most others.
If you haven't read her beyond her novels, do look out for Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography
Edited to add: take a look at the Books at the BBC tribute to P.D. James, a special archive of radio programmes in which she featured.
