Phyllis Bentley

'I want to write'. For the youngest child and only daughter of a Halifax mill owner who had little contact with literature, it seemed to be impossible. But with the assistance of those who recognised her determination, Phyllis Bentley became a novelist with an international reputation. This, however, as a recently opened archive shows, was but part of her story. She was also in demand internationally as a lecturer because of her flair for explaining difficult problems in simple terms. She served on many committees in Halifax and elsewhere, and her wide (and sometimes amorous) contacts with leading figures in the world of literature reveal much about her and their personalities and end speculation about their sexual orientation. Least known of all is the work she did sometimes at considerable personal risk during the war. Speaking and writing, she introduced Americans to Britain and the British to America and using her knowledge of the Dewey Decimal system she encoded detailed information about the D-Day landing, which was secretly sent in advance to the British Embassy. In recognition of her various achievements, she was invited to both Buckingham Palace and the White House, but hitherto, unlike most of her contemporaries, she has not had a biography.