Literary agent Pat Kavanagh dies

Ms Kavanagh and colleagues formed the United Artists agency last year

Agent Pat Kavanagh, who represented authors including Ruth Rendell, Joanna Trollope and Robert Harris, has died from a brain tumour at the age of 68.

"She'd been at the top of her profession for more than 30 years," Harris said. "She was a very beautiful and exotic person."

Ms Kavanagh was born in Durban, South Africa and had been married to writer Julian Barnes for 29 years.

Novelist Blake Morrison said she was the finest agent of her generation.

"She was completely trustworthy," he said.

"When you sent her a typescript she would always let you know what she thought in no uncertain terms. She had complete integrity."

'Discreet but fierce'

Harris said Ms Kavanagh "knew everyone" and paid tribute to her negotiating techniques.

"She combined appearing to be almost like a film star with a very, very quiet way of business," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme

"She was famously discreet and very fierce. Her great technique as an agent in negotiations was the silence.

"A publisher would make an offer for one of her clients' books and she'd just say nothing," he added.

"After 20 or 30 seconds the person would start gabbling into the silence, and it was very effective."

Last year, Ms Kavanagh led a walk-out at the Peters, Fraser and Dunlop agency after a dispute with the owners.

Along with several fellow agents, she then formed the United Artists agency.

Writing in The Guardian, author and broadcaster Clive James described Kavanagh as somebody who was "beautiful, clever and loved to laugh, but she could also have a blunt way with a fool".

"Since most writers are fools, especially about money, a new client was likely to find his dreams being set straight quite early in the relationship."