Daves, Joan (1919–1997)

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Daves, Joan (1919–1997)

German-born literary agent. Born Liselotte Davidson, Nov 14, 1919, in Berlin, Germany; died of complications from asthma, June 25, 1997, in Bedford Hills, NY; dau. of a Jewish banker who died in Auschwitz; m. Joe H. Kirchberger.

Joined Harper & Row as editor (1942); founded the Joan Daves Agency (1953); gained a reputation for handling authors of serious international fiction and nonfiction; was exclusive agent for Martin Luther King Jr.; also represented Vaclav Haval, Isaac Babel, Herman Hesse, Heinrich Boll, Nelly Sachs, Rachel Carson, Frank O'Connor, and Gabriela Mistral, among others.

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