Candida Donadio | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1929 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 20, 2001 Stonington, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Literary agent |
Candida Donadio (October 22, 1929 – January 20, 2001) was an American literary agent. She represented many writers, includingMario Puzo,John Cheever,Philip Roth andCormac McCarthy.[1][2]
Donadio was referred to in the mid-1960s as part of whatEsquire called the "red-hot center" of contemporary literature, after shepherding books such asJoseph Heller'sCatch-22 (1961),Jessica Mitford'sThe American Way of Death (1963), andThomas Pynchon'sV. (1963) through successful publishing campaigns.[3][4]
Donadio was born on October 22, 1929, inBrooklyn, New York City.[5] Her parents were immigrants from Sicily.[5]
In 1953, Donadio worked as agirl Friday atMcIntosh & McKee, when Joseph Heller submitted a very early version of Catch-22. Heller later wrote in 1994 that Donadio's superiors had no interest in the book, finding it "incomprehensible," but Donadio took initiative to submit the chapter to periodicals.[6][7] After some time, Donadio convinced the literary magazineNew World Writing to accept the first chapter, which increased Heller's confidence in the work.[6]
By 1957, Donadio secured offers from bothSimon & Schuster andViking Press based on an early completely unfinished draft.[citation needed] Donadio and Heller decided to go with Simon & Schuster, in part due to the enthusiasm of then-editorial assistantRobert Gottlieb. Donadio moved toHerb Jaffe's agency as the firm expanded beyond representing playwrights and actors, with Donadio becoming one of its key literary representatives.[5]
Heller'sCatch-22 was initially calledCatch 18, and it was changed to avoid confusion withLeon Uris'sMila 18.[5][8] In interviews, Donadio claimed that the number was changed to her birthday as a gesture, though Robert Gottlieb rejected that narrative entirely as "lying" in his 2016 autobiography.[3] He claims that the title change developed from him, as he felt that "22" was much funnier than "18."[3]
The birthday story is still sometimes repeated as a possible reason for the name change, including in her obituaries.
While working throughCatch-22 with Heller, Donadio began to representPhilip Roth in 1958.[9] Donadio helped negotiate the sale of his first book,Goodbye, Columbus toHoughton Mifflin, boosting the publisher's advance offer from $1,000 to $2,500 by leveraging a counteroffer fromViking Press.[9] The debut won theNational Book Award for Fiction in 1960.[10]
Donadio served as Roth's agent from 1958 until 1972. While representing him, she notably negotiated large publishing and film rights contracts forPortnoy's Complaint.[11] In a 1972 letter after firing her as his agent, Roth wrote that "unlike Portnoy, I have no complaints," though biographerBlake Bailey speculates that her "very mothering" style and Roth's "general aloofness" had worn on the relationship.[12]
After Jaffe sold his agency in 1961, Donadio moved toRussell & Volkening, where she worked until 1968.[8] She founded her own namesake literary agency after leaving Russell & Volkening, which later bore the name of agents such asEric Ashworth andNeil Olson.[13][14]
Donadio's namesake agency ran for more than 20 years after her retirement and 17 years after her death, when it filed for bankruptcy in 2018.[15] The company's bookkeeper of 20 years, Darin Webb, was sentenced to two years in prison later that same month, for embezzling 3.4 million dollars from the agency.[16]
In 1984, Donadio sold 120 letters written by Pynchon to herself between 1962 and 1983 toCarter Burden for $45,000 via Santa Barbara book dealerRalph Sipper.[17]
Donadio resided inStonington, Connecticut. She was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, and she died on January 20, 2001.[5][8]
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