27 - 30 June 2024
For a dozen years, from the time he set up in 1986, Welsh-born Jonathan Williams had the distinction of being Ireland’s only literary agent. He says himself that it took him more than half that time just to become established. Over the years he has represented writers as diverse as Benedict Kiely, John Montague and John Waters. During his career of over 30 years in the business (he intends to retire and read whatever he wants sometime soon), the role of the agent has changed radically. They have, in effect, replaced the talent-spotting editor. They are the buffer between the writer and the publisher, who no longer accepts material not sent them by an agent. Jonathan will talk about his three decade ‘adventure in the book trade’.
