Lawrence & Gibson

Lawrence & Gibson is an independent publisher founded in Wellington, New Zealand in 2005.[1] The organisation functions as a non-profit worker collective where profits are split 50/50 between author and publisher.[1]

Lawrence & Gibson
Founded2005
Country of originNew Zealand
Headquarters locationWellington
Publication typesBooks (fiction)
Official websitewww.lawrenceandgibson.co.nz

Their most notable releases are Richard Meros' On the condition and possibilities of Helen Clark taking me as Her Young Lover[2] (2005) and Brannavan Gnanalingam's Sprigs (2020). As of 2023, the collective is steered by Murdoch Stephens (co-founder), Brannavan Gnanalingam (2011) and Thomasin Sleigh, all of whom have released multiple titles with the collective.[3]

Notable authors

Notable authors include Richard Meros,[4][5][2][6] William Dewey,[7] Brannavan Gnanalingam,[8] Thomasin Sleigh,[9] Murdoch Stephens, Alice Tawhai, Tīhema Baker, Rhydian Thomas,[10] and Sharon Lam.[11][12] The Dominion Post described it as one of the capital city's most promising independent publishers.[13]

Publications and awards

In 2016, Gnanalingam's A Briefcase, Two Pies and a Penthouse, which was long-listed for novel of the year in New Zealand's Ockham Book Awards.[14] The following year, his novel Sodden Downstream was short-listed for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards novel of the year.[15]

Both of their 2017 novels - Milk Island and Sodden Downstream - received critical acclaim. Milk Island was judged as the fifth best book of 2017 by the Spinoff,[16] while Sodden Downstream was described by the same publication as 'surely the best local novel of 2017 by a long stretch. No other novel comes close to achieving such a close examination of life in New Zealand right now.'[17]

The 2019 release of Lonely Asian Woman by Sharon Lam marked the twenty-fifth publication from the collective.[11][12][18] The novel was long-listed for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards novel of the year.[19]

In 2020, the publisher and founder of Lawrence & Gibson, Murdoch Stephens revealed himself as the author behind the Richard Meros novels.[20][21] Concurrently, the collective released a debut novel under Stephens' own name Rat King Landlord.[22][23]

Gnanalingam's sixth book with the collective, Sprigs, was released to widespread acclaim in 2020.[24][25][26] It was short-listed for the best fiction of the year and described by The Spinoff as "having that rare thing in a novel: impetus" .[27] The success of the novel led to Gnanalingam authoring a fortnightly column in the Sunday Star-Times.[28] Sprigs won the Ngaio Marsh Award for best work of crime fiction in the 2021 ceremony.[29]

References
  1. Lang, Sarah (2014) 'Uber Cool and has a social conscience' Capital Magazine April pp. 60-62
  2. "Shortcuts". The Guardian. 21 June 2005. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  3. Lawrence and Gibson website. "Contact us". Lawrence and Gibson homepage. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  4. Dalgleish, Jodie (2011) 'Generation Xperimental' Landfall Review Online October http://www.landfallreview.com/2011/10/generation-xperimental.html?q=Lawrence+and+Gibson
  5. Cohen, David (2008) 'Mystery Man' NZ Listener 9 August http://www.listener.co.nz/uncategorized/mystery-man/
  6. Finnermore, Sam (2011) 'Privatising Parts by Richard Meros and Getting Under Sail by Brannavan Gnanalingam review' http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/books/privatising-parts-by-richard-meros-and-getting-under-sail-by-brannavan-gnanalingam-review/
  7. Richards, Lily (2013) 'Life in a Day' NZ Listener 20 June
  8. Dennerstein, Natasha (2014) 'Book review: You Should Have Come Here When You Were Not Here, by Brannavan Gnanalingam' 30 January.
  9. Oliver, Angela (2014) 'Book Review, Ad Lib by Thomasin Sleigh' http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/book-review-ad-lib-by-thomasin-sleigh/
  10. "The Poetics of Planned Obsolescence". Landfall. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  11. "Lonely Asian Woman: A hilarious, smart Kiwi book of our era". Stuff. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  12. "'The smallest of things: a review of Sharon Lam's "Lonely Asian Woman"', by Shu-Ling Chua". The Lifted Brow. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  13. Burgess, Malcolm (2011) 'Small and Cheekily Formed' The Dominion Post, May 11.
  14. Blundell, S. (2016) 'Longlist revealed for the 2017 Ockham Book Awards' NZ Listener, 22 November http://www.noted.co.nz/culture/books/longlist-revealed-for-the-2017-ockham-book-awards/
  15. "Diana, Brannavan, and the others: announcing the 2018 Ockham national book awards shortlist". The Spinoff. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  16. Barbon, Joseph (18 December 2017). "The fifth best book of 2017: Milk Island by Rhydian Thomas". The Spinoff. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  17. "The best books of 2017: the 20 best novels". The Spinoff. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  18. "Book review: Lonely Asian Woman". NZ Herald. 27 May 2019. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  19. "The top 40 books in New Zealand of 2019, according to the experts". Stuff. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  20. Stephens, Murdoch (14 July 2020). "Meros is dead. Long live Murdoch". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  21. "Murdoch Stephens - a new book, under his real name!". RNZ. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  22. Adams, Josie (16 August 2020). "My flatmate, the rat". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  23. "Books of the Week: Woke fiction". Newsroom. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  24. Dean, Uther (30 July 2020). "Rugby, rape and the rest of us: Sprigs is a surefooted novel about heavy subjects". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  25. "Brannavan Gnanalingam: 'There are ways of being male without it coming at the expense of other people'". Stuff. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  26. "Brannavan Gnanalingam tackles toxic masculinity in new novel Sprigs". RNZ. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  27. Woulfe, Catherine (3 March 2021). "Ockham NZ Book Awards shortlist, 2021: the brutal cull, revealed – plus, our pick for the win". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  28. "The dumbest thing I ever did". Stuff. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  29. Neil (5 May 2022). "Author Interview: Ngaio Marsh winner Brannavan Gnanalingam". Library Blog. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
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