Deborah Jane Coltman Rogers, Baroness Berkeley of Knighton (6 April 1938 – 30 April 2014) was a British literary agent, who founded her own agency in 1967.
The Lady Berkeley of Knighton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Deborah Jane Coltman Rogers 6 April 1938 London, England |
| Died | 30 April 2014 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Literary agent |
| Spouse | Michael Berkeley |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award in International Publishing at the London Book Fair |
Biography
editBorn at her parents' London home in Thurloe Square, South Kensington, Rogers was one of six children;[1] her mother Stella Moore was an actress, while her father worked in the City of London. She attended Hatherop Castle School in Gloucestershire, but did not go to university.[2]
Her agency, originally Deborah Rogers Ltd, was established in 1967. Pat White soon joined, and the two women were joined by a third partner, Gill Coleridge, two decades later.[3] At the end of her life, Rogers was the chairman of Rogers, Coleridge and White.[4]
Among the authors Rogers represented were A. S. Byatt, Ian McEwan and Peter Carey.[5] Earlier in her career, she had represented Angela Carter, and (before he joined Andrew Wylie's agency) Salman Rushdie.[2] Shortly after the professional breach, Rogers offered Rushdie her second home as a refuge from the fatwā (death sentence) imposed by Ayatollah Khomeini in February 1989.[6] The remote farm in Powys was used by Rushdie during his decade in hiding.[7]
Rogers was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in International Publishing at the London Book Fair in April 2014.[8] The award was presented by another of her clients, Kazuo Ishiguro,[9] who had been introduced to Rogers by Angela Carter.[10] Ishiguro said of Rogers that "she taught me to be a writer".[11]
Rogers married the composer Michael Berkeley in 1979;[12] the couple had an adopted daughter.[13] Rogers died from a heart attack in 2014, aged 76.[14]
References
edit- ^ Ion Trewin, "Deborah Rogers obituary", The Guardian, 4 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Deborah Rogers – obituary", Daily Telegraph, 2 May 2014.
- ^ "Legendary literary agent Deborah Rogers dies", The Independent, 1 May 2014.
- ^ Sarah Shaffi, "'Inspirational' agent Deborah Rogers dies", The Bookseller, 1 May 2014.
- ^ Richard Lea, "Deborah Rogers, 'legendary' literary agent, has died", theguardian.com, 1 May 2014.
- ^ Helen Brown, "The inspiring truth behind Salman Rushdie's exile", Daily Telegraph, 19 September 2012.
- ^ Robin Turner, "Sir Salman Rushdie hid out in Mid Wales during fatwa years", Wales Online, 9 September 2012.
- ^ Farrington, Joshua (14 March 2014). "Lifetime achievement award for Rogers". The Bookseller.
- ^ Spanier, Gideon (11 April 2014). "Better read than dead: why books will endure". The Independent.
- ^ Hunnewell, Susannah (Spring 2008). "Kazuo Ishiguro, The Art of Fiction No. 196". The Paris Review. Spring 2008 (184).
- ^ Blasdel, Alex (9 November 2023). "Days of The Jackal: how Andrew Wylie turned serious literature into big business". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Lister, David (29 March 1998). "An artist in the Garden: Michael Berkeley - Profile". The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Deborah Rogers". The Times. London. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ Horne, Nigel (2 May 2014). "Deborah Rogers was here: death of a literary lioness". The Week.