Carmen Balcells, a literary agent who represented some of the biggest names in 20th-century Spanish literature and several Nobel laureates, died this week in Barcelona. She was 85.

Her agency said Balcells died Sunday in Barcelona. It did not give a cause of death.

Balcells, who never attended university, created her Barcelona-based agency in 1956. She found her first success with Latin American writers, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jorge Luis Borges and Pablo Neruda.

Amid growing international prestige, Balcells turned to Spanish authors and represented Camilo Jose Cela, among others.

Her clients included intellectuals and popular writers, and huge sales by the authors made her a powerful figure in Spanish literary circles.

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