Tributes to Pat Kavanagh

Pat Kavanagh, a literary agent for more than 40 years, has died from a brain tumour, reports The Times. She represented many leading British writers, including Margaret Drabble, Julian Barnes (her husband), Ruth Rendell and Andrew Motion, and last year she was among a group of agents who left the pfd agency to set up United Agents.

“She had exceptionally good taste at all levels of literature,” [Ion Trewin, the former editor-in-chief at Weidenfeld & Nicholson said]. “Most agents are known for one author or style of writing but she represented a phalanx of authors from Ruth Rendell and Joanna Trollope to Andrew Motion. As an editor if she came to you, you took her seriously immediately because she never wasted your time with rubbish.”