Rod Hall (literary agent)

For the off-road racer, see Rod Hall (racer).

Roderick Thomas Berringer (Rod) Hall (27 April 1951 – 21 May 2004) was a British literary agent who represented several successful writers.

Biography

Hall was born in Sussex, England. His parents ran a fruit farm.[1]

He was educated at Priory Grammar School, Lewes and studied English at the University of Edinburgh graduating with a master's degree in 1974. While at the university he established the first ever gay and lesbian society.[1]

Having worked for London agency AP Watt, he established the Rod Hall Agency Limited in 1997.[1]

Hall was found dead, with multiple stab wounds, chained to a radiator, in his Southwark apartment. In 2005, Usman Durrani, a 20 year old student at the University of Edinburgh was convicted of Hall's murder and sentenced to life in prison.[2]

Following his death, the films Driving Lessons and Imagine Me & You as well as the stage play Mercury Fur were dedicated to him.

Clients

Hall's agency represented more than 60 writers, including:

• Simon Beaufoy (wrote The Full Monty and Slumdog Millionaire)
• Jeremy Brock (wrote Mrs. Brown)
• Lee Hall (wrote Billy Elliot)
• Liz Lochhead (Scottish poet)
• Martin McDonagh (playwright)
• Philip Ridley (playwright, screenwriter, director)
• Richard Smith (wrote Trauma)
• Juliette Towhidi (wrote Calendar Girls)
• Simon Nye (wrote the television show Men Behaving Badly).

References

1. Mann, Charlotte; Parkhill, Matthew (27 May 2004). "Rod Hall". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
2. "Student gets life for murder of UK literary agent". The Irish Times. 8 August 2005.

External links

• BBC report of Hall's death