Ian Rodger
Ian Graham Rodger (14 June 1926 – 30 August 1984) was an English radio critic, author, and translator of Swedish texts into English. In 1982 he published Radio Drama, which was the first historical survey on the subject of radio dramatics.[1]
Early life and education
[edit source]Born in Brentford, Rodger was educated at Westminster School.[2] He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1944 and later served in the Intelligence Corps until his discharge from the armed forces in 1947.[2]
He studied English at Durham University, graduating in 1952.[3] He was an early staff member of the student newspaper, Palatinate, working alongside Harold Evans and Paul Edwards.[4]
Career
[edit source]Rodger had stints as a reporter at the Newcastle Journal (1952–54) and the Scottish Daily Mail (1954–55); he then spent a year in Sweden as a freelance journalist.[2] His sudden decision to take a boat to Stockholm was motivated by discomfort with the ethics of his employer, who had ordered him to 'doorstep' a woman whose son had just been hanged.[5]
On his return from Sweden he began scripting radio plays and was later hired by The Listener as a critic.[6] He published a series of novels with a Swedish setting: The Sun is Dead (1959), Nine Flowers – A Novel in Summer (1961) and Seven Beds to Christmas (1967).[2] A Hitch in Time: Recollection of a Journey (1966) looks back on his experiences hitchhiking around post-war Europe as a young man.[7]
In 1977 he was the organiser of the first international conference devoted to radio drama. Held at Collingwood College, Durham, it attracted a 'surprisingly large number of people from all over the world', including a group of German academics who had been studying and teaching British radio plays.[8][9]
Personal
[edit source]Rodger married Irish broadcaster and writer Mary Russell and had three children.[10] He died of motor neurone disease in 1984.[11]
Selected publications
[edit source]Fiction
[edit source]- Rodger, Ian (1959). The Sun Is Dead. London: Hutchinson.
- ——— (1961). Nine Flowers: A Novel in Summer. London: Hutchinson.
- ——— (1967). Seven Beds to Christmas. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 0090853407.
Non-fiction
[edit source]- ——— (1961). Sweden: A Book of Photographs. London: Spring Books.
- ——— (1966). A Hitch in Time: Recollection of a Journey. London: Hutchinson.
- ——— (1982). Radio Drama. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0333294289.
References
[edit source]- ↑ Russell, W. M. S. (1985). "Ian Rodger". Folklore. 96 (2): 255. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Eastwood, Philip (22 May 2026). "Caravan to Vaccarès: Nemesis of a Running Blind movie adaptation". The Bagley Brief. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "Degrees and Diplomas awarded in the Durham Division, June 1952". The Durham Colleges Gazette. III (17). Durham University: 55. 1952. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- ↑ Evans, Harold (2009). Nelson, Alex J. (ed.). "My Paper Chase" (PDF). Castellum (62): 45. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Mary Russell (2003). Journeys of a Lifetime. London: Simon & Schuster. p. 27. ISBN 0684019019.
- ↑ Ian Rodger (1961). Nine Flowers: A Novel in Summer. London: Hutchinson. p. 235.
- ↑ Jay, Mike (23 June 2022). "That Ol' Thumb". London Review of Books. 44 (12). ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Vinson, James, ed. (1982). Contemporary Dramatists (3rd ed.). New York: St Martin's Press. pp. 900–901. ISBN 0312166648.
- ↑ Lewis, Peter, ed. (1981). Radio Drama. New York: Longman. p. 2. ISBN 0582490529.
- ↑ Simpson, Matt (6 July 2025). "Oxford broadcaster and writer who threw 'excellent parties' has died". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Rodger, Freya (20 July 2025). "Mary Russell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
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