Jonathan Clowes, the literary agent who "assembled a select and high-powered client list," including Len Deighton, Maureen Duffy, Doris Lessing, Sir Kingsley Amis, Elizabeth Jane Howard and Brian Freemantle, died November 18, the Bookseller reported. He was 86.
In a statement announcing the death of its founder, Jonathan Clowes Ltd. said: "Jonathan was a unique man who led a varied life--first as conscientious objector, then active communist and thereafter as a trailblazing and extraordinarily successful agent to writers such as Len Deighton and Doris Lessing. We will continue to embrace his renegade, and quietly commanding, spirit in all we do."
A spokesperson for the agency commented: "He carried his strong sense of ethics through to his work as an agent, quickly becoming known throughout the industry as a quietly commanding and tenacious negotiator, who always held the interests of his clients close to heart. He built close relationships with the authors he represented."