Georges Borchardt, one of the most important literary agents for more than half a century, died January 18. He was 97.

Borchardt, who emigrated to the U.S. from France in 1947, stood out from many agents with his French accent and flair. In the 1999 book Literary Agents, former PW editor-in-chief John Baker called Borchardt “the very model of a dapper Frenchman.”

Throughout the 1950s, Borchardt, who at the time represented several French publishers in the U.S., contributed annual missives on the state of French publishing to PW, sharing the latest trends and innovations from the publishing hub of Paris.

Early in his career, Borchardt represented the French president Charles de Gaulle. Borchardt was also responsible for bringing Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot to the U.S. Though Borchardt became known for introducing a number of European authors to the U.S., he went on to represent scores of American authors ranging from Jane Fonda to T.C. Boyle.

Along with his wife, Anne, Borchardt started the Georges Borchardt Inc. literary agency in 1967. The firm continues to represent more than 200 mainly English-language authors today, including Ian McEwan and Lily Tuck, and its principals include Borchardt’s daughter Valerie.

Borchardt is best known for bringing Night, Elie Wiesel’s memoir of the Holocaust, to the U.S. Over the course of his career, Borchardt’s agency represented eight Pulitzer Prize winners and five Nobel Prize winners.

A frequent speaker at industry events, Borchardt served on the board of International PEN and as president of the Association of Authors' Representatives (now the Association of American Literary Agents).

“Georges embodied the very highest professional and ethical standards of our field. A true gentleman, he practiced literary agenting with conviction and moral clarity, always mindful that our work carries cultural responsibility,” Regina Brooks, founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and president of the AALA, told PW. “He brought to the attention of the world extraordinary writers whose work expanded and shaped cultural consciousness. Those who knew him will remember his deep wisdom, his quirky sense of humor, and his unwavering commitment to his authors. He will be sorely missed.”