THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180467
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
Anita Diamant Berke, a literary agent who nurtured the career of V.C. Andrews, the best-selling novelist, died Saturday at her home in Weston, Conn. She was 78.
The cause was a heart attack, relatives said.
Anita Diamant, as she was known in her professional life, created the Anita Diamant Literary Agency in 1971 after working in various magazine posts. The agency now represents about 125 writers.
In 1976, Diamant got a letter from a Norfolk, Va., woman who wanted to be a writer. The woman, V.C. Andrews, soon sent along a manuscript, which Diamant liked and sold to the Pocket Books division of Simon & Schuster.
The book, ``Flowers in the Attic,'' has sold millions of copies worldwide and led to Andrews' fame.
Diamant was a longtime member of the Overseas Press Club and was its first female president, from 1981 to 1986.
Her husband, Harold Berke, died in 1972. Surviving are a daughter, Allyson Forsythe; a brother, David Diamant, and two grandchildren, all of Weston. by CNB