This new edition of Sayers' classic cycle of radio plays about the life of Christ is greatly improved by the extensive background information in the several introductions. In addition, the notes in the annotations explain many references and terms in the text that might not be familiar to modern readers.

At first glance you’d think you’re going to read a book about the life of Christ. Yet when you open, you realize you’re stepping into a series of plays. Christian Shakespeare if you will by Dorothy Sayers with recent editing by Katherine Wehr. They are WWII era plays written to be on BBC Radio and provide Christian education and entertainment. One thing that stood out was the recollection of the approval by the advisory committee, which was made up of representatives from differing denominations. A unified moment.

So when you read, remember that it’s intended to be a play. And it truly feels like the first of its kind in book form to read like we would read Shakespeare.

I highly recommend this reading and definitely share with your family and the original intent of these plays were to be listened by the entire family all the way down to the youngest child.

It's hard to rate this title. Dorothy Sayers' plays are amazing. Since I wasn't reading them for academic purposes, I didn't find that the annotations and commentary added much to my enjoyment of the plays. In fact, I wish there was a reasonably priced paperback version of the plays available that could be used in partnership with "The Chosen" series. It would be a great pairing for study and discussion - along with the Bible of course. So - 5 stars for Dorothy Sayer's plays; 3 stars for the commentary, averaged out to 4 stars.
Note: I ran out of time and only read 9 of the 12 plays. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to finish the rest in the future.

This was a neat introduction to Sayers' works! Perhaps an odd choice for my first book of hers, but still enjoyable for sure. I've been reading up on CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien recently, so it was a timely addition.

Annotated editions of anything intrigue me (thanks to my stumbling across _The Annotated Hobbit_ many moons ago); I love having #allthethings at my fingertips should I want to know more, and that's certainly helpful here. (Perhaps I would have benefited from similar in high school while reading Shakespeare! <innocent cough, whistle> Then again, perhaps not; I didn't really start appreciating literary criticism, philology, etc. until recently.)

Sayers and I may not see eye to eye on all things theological, but this was a refreshing picture/portrayal of many a story I knew well. I've been watching _The Chosen_ TV series of late as well (late to the game!), and both this Sayers book and the TV series have helped me approach the familiar stories with fresh eyes--along with plenty of additional resources to peruse as desired.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Man Born to be King is a book that intrigued me because it’s a play written by Dorothy L. Sayers. The book gives lots of details about how Sayers was asked to write the play for the BBC Religious Broadcasting division that would be played for the children’s story hour. The hope was to help boost moral as World War II waged on. Sayers had disagreements with the producers as she decided that the stories of Jesus life should resonate with the listener by using different accents for the various people as well as not using verbatim found in the Bible. What follows is a series of plays that bring to life the different parts of Jesus’ life from his birth to his resurrection.

I love seeing reproductions of Biblical stories and this was no exception. A great play cycle. Fantastic character development. Enjoyed getting in to the psychology of Judas and other of the disciples as they walked with Jesus. The comments and notes included were helpful to understand different decisions that were made in writing the play and in offering extra content to get the background of what was happening! Thanks for an advance copy!

The Man Born to Be King is a collection of plays written by Dorothy Sayers that cover the life of Christ from birth to death. I'd never heard of this collection of plays before, but to read about the life of Jesus through the lens of a prolific fiction writer was amazing. She wrote them for children, so she adapted them for an English setting, changing some of the cultural nuances of the original texts so kids could understand them. She also gave names and faces to some of the unknown characters of the biblical texts so they could be traced through Bible times and provide a unity to the story. Parts of these plays were absolutely breathtaking. Even though they were written to be performed, I was still deeply touched by Jesus' humanity and divinity in how the story was retold. The commentary in this edition was less valuable to me since I hadn't read the previous versions and am not an avid Sayers' fan, but I really just enjoyed reading the plays. I didn't feel that the notes added much to the story and would have preferred to just read the plays in their original edition. Overall, however, a beautiful retelling of the Gospel narrative from a master storyteller. While very much her interpretation, the time she took to understand the Gospel account as well as the history and culture made these plays remarkable and touching.

To be honest I was more interested in the writer than in the content of the book. It showed me a different side of Dorothy Sayers and she was an excellent writer.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The plays were interesting for the most part, but I guess I'm one of those that believes that the gospels contain all the information we need. The side notes were repetitive and sometimes quite boring (partly because they said the same thing again and again). I also had a bit of issue with some of Sayer's theology. She skates around the edge of elevating Mary to a status she was never biblically given (held by many of a certain church faith) and that came through not only in the notes, but in certain elements of the play. She wants more of how the disciples reacted to the teachings of Jesus. We are shown what we need to know. The gospels are about the divinity of Jesus, not about the disciples and how they felt about that divinity.

Her trying to humanize Judas often came at the expense of lowering Jesus to something close to mere human status, also something I can't agree with. That question of whether Christ knew when he chose Judas that the man would betray Him. Of course He did. He was fully God (while fully man). There would be that hope, much as in the garden, that man would chose a different path, knowing full well he wouldn't. It also meant that Jesus knew at the time of asking Judas to follow Him, that prophecy would be fulfilled. This is always a difficult question and some would try to make it mean that God has a different character than He does. Perhaps because we try to see God through a human lense. Christ chose to come for our salvation. How could He not know while he purchased that salvation what He was doing every step of the way? What He had to suffer? That is one of the main points of the message of salvation that I felt this book lacked. His knowledge and choice to bring that to a broken world. For us. For you. For me.

The 1940s Cockney may feel more old-fashioned than casual today, which means there are moments where this certainly feels like a period drama. However, the story still provides compelling moments, humor, and a few shocks as Sayers breaks about the Sunday School cliches to get at the heart of the story. The story makes it clear that Jesus Christ was a surprising figure, not the wooden figure that some Christians (accidentally) make him out to be. In a world where it's become more acceptable to talk about Jesus' complexities and the moments he shocked people, it's good to remember how much we owe to writers like Sayers. You could make a strong case that we wouldn't have TV shows like The Chosen without the model that Sayers provided decades earlier.

The BBC produced and broadcast The Man Born to Be King, a radio drama based on the life of Jesus, during WWII. It is a play cycle comprised of twelve plays depicting various periods in Jesus' life, from his birth to his death and resurrection. It was first broadcast on Sunday evenings by the BBC Home Service on 21 December 1941, with new episodes broadcast at 4-week intervals until 18 October 1942. Dorothy L. Sayers wrote the series, which was produced by Val Gielgud and starred Robert Speaight as Jesus.

The twelve plays in the cycle are:

Kings in Judea
The King's Herald
A Certain Nobleman
The Heirs to the Kingdom
The Bread of Heaven
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Light and the Life
Royal Progress
The King's Supper
The Princes of This World
King of Sorrows
The King Comes to His Own

The BBC aired a run of radio plays by Dorothy L. Sayers from December 1941 to October 1942. Beautiful and amazing work. Twelve scenes from Jesus' life and ministry, from the visit of the magi through his death and resurrection, were depicted in the plays against the backdrop of World War II, collectively reaffirming Christ's reign. The plays, which were infamous for their use of informal English, were both divisive and hugely popular, boosting national spirit during the war. One of Sayers's most well-liked works, they were subsequently published in 1943. This new annotated edition brings fresh insights to the plays, their background, Sayers's creative process, and the ongoing significance of the life of Christ today.

I just reviewed The Man Born to be King by Dorothy L. Sayers. #TheManBorntobeKing #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL] Thank to Netgalley for an advance copy.

A great family read for advent, or a fun small group activity. Sayers did a radio series of plays kn Jesus circa 1940. A good retelling with imaginative characters.

I had never heard of these plays before seeing this book, but the book seemed like it would be interesting. What a blessing!! The plays are edifying and the notes are unobtrusive and quite helpful. This is a volume well-worth repeated trips through.

Loved it!!
ARC provided

This edition is a treasure - I had never read or listened to Dorothy Sayers' cycle of BBC radio plays on the life of Christ, but Dr. Wehr's introductions and notes are the perfect companion and guide for a new reader eager to delve into the riches of this work.

The side notes are unobtrusive and don't distract from the text itself, but provide remarkable depth and context for the theological, linguistic, dramaturgic, and historical elements of Sayers' craft. I appreciated the notes from earlier drafts, inclusions from letters Sayers wrote on her creative process, and the overall focus on her careful, diligent task of depicting Biblical stories in a compelling and yet truthful way for a modern audience. I'm young enough to be well distanced from the shock of dramatic Biblical adaptations like Jesus Christ Superstar or Passion of the Christ, so it was also fascinating to have the historical context of just how novel and shocking Sayers' work was, and how skillfully she navigated the waters of potential blasphemy and public backlash.

The Man Born to be King is every bit as theologically rich and influential to 20th century British religious life as the work of Sayers' contemporary and friend C.S. Lewis, and I hope this new edition and Dr. Wehr's scholarship on this underrated gem will bring Sayers' work, as well as a deep appreciation for her genius, to a wider audience.

The Man Born to be King by Dorothy L. Sayers is a beautifully written radio play about the life of Christ. Written by an author know primarily as a mystery writer, this play brings Jesus to life vividly. I loved reading through it. I think the only thing better would be to hear the original radio production. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.