Esther Whitby, former André Deutsch editor, dies aged 91
Esther Whitby, one of the longest-serving editors at André Deutsch and a champion of new writers for more than three decades, has died aged 91.
Whitby joined André Deutsch in 1962 after spells at Methuen and Anthony Blond, remaining with the independent publisher for 31 years. During her career she became known for her commitment to reading unsolicited manuscripts and championing new writers, including her former secretary, the novelist Clare Chambers.
Born in London in 1934 to an Estonian-Jewish mother and an Estonian-English father, Whitby read English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, before entering publishing.
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Over three decades at André Deutsch, she worked across both commercial and literary publishing, editing hundreds of titles. Among the authors she published were Roy Clarke, Faith Addis, Nadeem Aslam, Robert Edric and William T Vollmann. She also worked on books by businesswoman Leah Hertz and photojournalist Leo Regan.
Whitby helped to bring Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea (André Deutsch) to publication and competed with fellow André Deutsch editor Diana Athill to edit Molly Keane’s Good Behaviour (André Deutsch).
In 2014, writing as Esther Menell, she published her memoir, Loose Connections: From Narva Maantee to Great Russell Street (Westhill Books).
Following her retirement, Whitby travelled extensively with her second husband, writer and academic Robert Harbison, until his death in 2021. Despite periods living in Yorkshire, she remained an active resident of Camden for more than 60 years.
She is survived by her son Aaron, daughter-in-law Diane and grandson Zachariah.
