Obits

Literary agent Georges Borchardt, 97, died peacefully at home on January 18. He started his eponymous agency more than 60 years ago to represent French authors for the American market, and it grew to a full service agency representing fiction and nonfiction clients. “To those who worked with him, Georges was more than a legendary agent. He was a mentor, a fierce advocate, and a man of profound integrity and wit. His curiosity never faded, nor did his conviction that serious books matter. The standards he set—for excellence, independence, and loyalty—remain the foundation of our work,” the agency said in […]

Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comics and books, died on January 13 at 68. Last year, he announced that he had metastatic prostate cancer. He published several Dilbert collections and satirical business books. In 2023, following racist comments he made online, Adams’ agent Daniel Greenberg and publishers Andrews McMeel and Portfolio ended their relationships with him.

Norman Podhoretz, 95, the longtime editor of Commentary, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. He was the author of more than a dozen books, including the memoir Making It.

Joanna Trollope, 82, author of more than 30 novels, died on December 11. She began publishing books in the 1980s under the pseudonym Caroline Harvey. Her best known works included The Rector’s Wife, A Village Affair, Next of Kin, and Other People’s Children. “It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Joanna Trollope, one of our most cherished, acclaimed and widely enjoyed novelists,” said her agent, James Gill. “Joanna will be mourned by her children, grandchildren, family, her countless friends and – of course – her readers.”

Novelist Sophie Kinsella, 55, has died, her family announced on social media. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022. Kinsella, whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham, wrote the bestselling Shopaholic series. She also published books under the name Madeleine Wickham. Her most recent book, What Does It Feel Like?, is an autobiographical novel about a novelist dealing with brain cancer. “Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing,” she said about the book. “Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my […]

Romance writer Fern Michaels, 92, died on November 12 at her home in Summerville, SC. She was the bestselling author of over 200 thrillers and romance novels, selling an estimated 150 million copies worldwide. The author’s real name was Mary Kuczkir; Fern Michaels was a pen name she wrote under with writing partner Roberta Anderson. Michaels legally took over the pen name and made it her public persona in 1989. She was best known for the Sisterhood series.