Author. He collaborated with Charles Nordhoff on a number of adventure stories set in the South Seas. They won international fame for their historical novel "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1932) and its sequels, "Men Against the Sea" (1933) and "Pitcairn's Island" (1934). The trilogy is a fictionalized retelling of the mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty in 1789, Captain William Bligh's perilous 3700-mile open boat voyage to safety, and the fate of mutineer Fletcher Christian and his cohorts. "Mutiny on the Bounty" was filmed in 1935 and 1962, and has done more to popularize this factual event than any other source. Hall was born in Colfax, Iowa. He served in the Lafayette Flying Corps during World War I, where he met fellow pilot and aspiring writer Charles Nordhoff. Their first joint literary effort, "The Lafayette Flying Corps" (1920), recounted their war experiences. In 1920 the two went to Tahiti to write travel articles for Harper's magazine; Nordhoff would live there for 20 years, while Hall settled permanently in Arue, near Papeete. Both married women of Tahitian ancestry. After the "Bounty" trilogy established them as a successful team they went on to write the novels "The Hurricane" (1936), "The Dark River" (1938), and "No More Gas" (1940). The partnership ended in 1940 after Nordhoff returned to the United States, though Hall gave his friend coauthor credit on three more books he wrote mostly himself, "Botany Bay" (1941), "Men Without Country" (1942), and "High Barbaree" (1945). Hall's autobiography, "My Island Home", was published in 1952, after his death. He was the father of Oscar-winning cinematographer Conrad L. Hall. His house in Arue is now a museum.
Author. He collaborated with Charles Nordhoff on a number of adventure stories set in the South Seas. They won international fame for their historical novel "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1932) and its sequels, "Men Against the Sea" (1933) and "Pitcairn's Island" (1934). The trilogy is a fictionalized retelling of the mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty in 1789, Captain William Bligh's perilous 3700-mile open boat voyage to safety, and the fate of mutineer Fletcher Christian and his cohorts. "Mutiny on the Bounty" was filmed in 1935 and 1962, and has done more to popularize this factual event than any other source. Hall was born in Colfax, Iowa. He served in the Lafayette Flying Corps during World War I, where he met fellow pilot and aspiring writer Charles Nordhoff. Their first joint literary effort, "The Lafayette Flying Corps" (1920), recounted their war experiences. In 1920 the two went to Tahiti to write travel articles for Harper's magazine; Nordhoff would live there for 20 years, while Hall settled permanently in Arue, near Papeete. Both married women of Tahitian ancestry. After the "Bounty" trilogy established them as a successful team they went on to write the novels "The Hurricane" (1936), "The Dark River" (1938), and "No More Gas" (1940). The partnership ended in 1940 after Nordhoff returned to the United States, though Hall gave his friend coauthor credit on three more books he wrote mostly himself, "Botany Bay" (1941), "Men Without Country" (1942), and "High Barbaree" (1945). Hall's autobiography, "My Island Home", was published in 1952, after his death. He was the father of Oscar-winning cinematographer Conrad L. Hall. His house in Arue is now a museum.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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