Curtis Brown Ltd. lost a beloved family member last week when Emilie Jacobson passed away at age 85. Emmy started working at Curtis Brown in 1946, and though she had planned an upcoming retirement, she was working tirelessly to the very end.
She didn’t love e-mail and would brag that when the Internet or e-mail server went down she could still get work done on her typewriter, but she still gamely kept on top of new technology. And in fact just a couple of weeks ago she sent me an idea for a blog post that I was planning to tackle very soon:
Incidentally, out of curiosity I looked recently at your blog about writing a synopsis. You’re right, it’s a pain and, actually, what counts is how the skeleton is eventually clothed. Nevertheless, there’s a crucial point that you might want to address if you return to the subject. I find that more often than not the author concocts essentially a blurb, not a synopsis. Might be useful to discuss the difference. (The other common mistake is a lettered and numbered construction, the kind of “outline” one is taught in school.)
Emmy’s client Emily St. John Mandel recently posted a beautiful tribute at The Millions that captures Emmy’s spirit and dedication:
Emilie was so much a part of Curtis Brown that it was almost impossible to conceive of her being outside it, no longer coming into this office every day. I asked what she planned to do after retirement. She said she thought it would take her about a year to clean the stacks of manuscripts out of the closets in her apartment, and then she was going to read for pleasure. She thought she might like to do some writing. We talked about books for a while—she’d just read and loved The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. We spoke about her career.
“You were my first champion,” I told her. I told her how much I appreciated everything she’d done for me, the faith she’d always had in my work.
She smiled and began reminiscing about other firsts: a piece of Joyce Maynard’s that she placed in The New York Times when Maynard was eighteen (“An 18-Year-Old Looks Back On Life”), a John Knowles story that eventually became the climactic scene in A Separate Peace. She asked if I was working on a new novel and I told her that I was.
“Oh, this is why I’ve delayed retirement for so long,” she said. “I always want to see what everyone’s going to do next.”
Emmy was an immensely classy lady who saw many evolutions of the publishing industry–when she started, the magazine industry was so robust her job was to place stories and articles in periodicals. But while the industry changed around her, her dedicated work for her clients never wavered.
She was similarly supportive of her colleagues, and I’d always make sure to visit her office for some friendly advice when I worked in New York and then always when I returned for a visit.
It really is hard to imagine Curtis Brown without her. We’ll miss her very, very much.
Thank you for that tribute.I love what Emilie said about the synopsis. My condolences to you and the entire agency.
I'm sorry for your loss. She sounds like an incredible person to have known.
Wonderful post, Nathan. And I am so very sorry for your loss.
My condolences. She sounds like she was quite a woman. May she rest in peace. God bless her and all of you.
What a beautiful lady. I'm sorry I didn't know her. Those who did have been fortunate.
Thank you for posting this.
What a heartfelt tribute, Nathan. She was truly a Curtis Brown babe.
Mel x
What a remarkable lady.
One of the persons you wish you'd met.
What a wonderful tribute you have written. My sincerest condolences to her family and colleagues.
You and all her family and friends have my sympathies for the loss of one who obviously meant a great deal to a great many–one who must have been a great lady.
I never met "EJ," but we exchanged some correspondence (real letters on paper) that were very special to me. She was my grandmother's agent in the 1970-80's and when I decided to pursue a fiction career, I sent her my novel-that-should-have-stayed-in-the-drawer. She was very generous with her time and tactful with her advice. I'm so glad I sent her a copy of my first published fiction, "Oliver's Surprise," last fall as a thank you, and I hope she enjoyed it. RIP, EJ. Curtis Brown and the fiction world will continue, but an era has ended.
awe. Really sweet and heartfelt tribute to a lady who influenced your life. You made us all feel like we wished we had known her. I'm sorry for your loss and everyone at Curtis Brown.
She sounds a wonderful person who led a full and generous life. A lovely tribute to her.
Thanks for this, Nathan. Emmy was my agent. She kept me grounded. She had no time for the latest new trend, maybe because she'd seen so many of them come and go. "Write the book you want to write," she said. "Can't wait to read it." Thank you, Emmy.
She sounds like she was a fine person with remarkable dignity. Your tribute is excellent. Sorry for your loss.
My first agent, a wonderful and patient woman with a large heart and a sharp wit. the very best.
Emilie Jacobson was my agent for many years. She offered support, encouragement, consolation, a few pep talks ("put a little more sunshine in your typewriter"), but essentially, she wanted me to succeed, and could see me tipping into an area of writing that might do me more harm than good. We separated at some point, but about a year ago I wrote her that I appreciated her kindness and her hand on my shoulder through all the tough rejections. She wrote back that she would treasure my note. I'm grieved she is gone.
Merrill Joan Gerber
http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~mjgerber
I loved Emmy. She sold me one of my favorite books when I was an editor, a biography of Isadora Duncan.
Emmy was a lovely, classy lady.
Emilie Jacobson was my first agent and sold my first story, “Creative Evolution at Harvard” to New World Writing 20 in 1962. That publication led to a fellowship to
the Iowa Writers Workshop and that led to a job starting the writing program at the
University of Montana (1966). I have long since retired (I996). I owe my life to Emilie.
She saw some talent in me and made me believe in myself. She was a wonderful woman!