Cyrilly Abels (October 12, 1904 – November 8, 1975) was an American editor and literary agent.
Biography
Abels graduated from Radcliffe College in 1926.[1] In the 1930s, she was the executive secretary of the League of American Writers.[2] She served as the managing editor of Mademoiselle magazine between 1945 and 1960.[3] Under her leadership, the magazine's focus shifted from fashion to literature, publishing stories by Truman Capote, Dylan Thomas, and Carson McCullers.[4]
Abels was a close friend of Katherine Anne Porter.[5] In addition to Porter, Abels served as the literary agent for Christina Stead, Francis Steegmuller, Zelda Popkin, and Robert Scheer, among others.[6]
Legacy
Abels served as Sylvia Plath's model for the editor Jay Cee in The Bell Jar.[7] Her papers, including her correspondence with Porter, are held at the University of Maryland.[8]