Michael Gifkins
- Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship (1983)
- Lilian Ida Smith Award (1989)
Michael Gifkins (1945 – 29 July 2014) was a New Zealand literary agent, short story writer, critic, publisher and editor. Having written three collections of short stories himself in the 1980s, Gifkins later represented a number of leading New Zealand writers, including Lloyd Jones. After his death, the New Zealand Society of Authors established the Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel which is awarded annually.
Life and career
Gifkins was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1945. He attended the University of Auckland where he later taught English literature.[1]
As literary agent, Gifkins represented a number of leading New Zealand writers, including Lloyd Jones and Greg McGee.[1] As Jones' literary agent, Gifkins played a major role in the international success of both the novel and film of Jones' novel Mister Pip.[2]
Gifkins wrote three short-story collections: After the Revolution (1982), Summer Is the Côte d'Azur (1987) and The Amphibians (1989).[1][3] His stories appeared in a number of New Zealand literary journals including Landfall and Islands,[4] and in 1984 one of his stories featured in Some Other Country: New Zealand's best stories, an anthology edited by Bill Manhire and Marion McLeod.[5] He also edited and published a number of anthologies, beginning with The Gramophone Room (with C. K. Stead in 1983) and Listener Short Stories 3 (1984),[3] and including Through The Looking Glass (1988), in which he collected the childhood recollections of 20 well-known New Zealanders.[6]
In 1982, Owen Marshall reviewed Gifkins' first collection for The Press. He described Gifkins' writing as having a contemporary, modern focus, with several of the stories dealing with "the questing, mobile lifestyle of young adults". he also noted that the stories had an authentic New Zealand character and setting.[4] In a review of Gifkins' second collection, Marshall described Gifkins as "that rare creature among contemporary writers — the short story specialist" and noted that his short stories often featured "wit and urbanity", but also "a sense of individual distance which is almost sadness".[7]
In 1985 Gifkins was the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellow in Menton, France. He described it as his "first taste" of an OE (overseas experience), and used the time to work on his third short story collection.[8]
Gifkins was the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Auckland in 1983, and won the Lilian Ida Smith Award for fiction in 1989. He was a member of the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) from 1982 until his death.[1][3] He died on 29 July 2014.[9]
Legacy
The Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel has been awarded annually by the New Zealand Society of Authors since 2018. The recipient receives a publishing contract from Text Publishing and an advance in the value of NZ$10,000.[1][10]
Michael Heywood of Text Publishing said of Gifkins: "[He] was kind, wise and generous. A gifted writer himself, he was a fine agent, and completely committed to the cause of New Zealand literature. He loved his writers. He challenged them, spurred them on, and caught them when they fell".[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Michael Gifkins Prize". Text Publishing. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "Michael Gifkins, a major figure in New Zealand book publishing passes". Griffith Review. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Robinson, Roger (2006). "Gifkins, Michael". In Robinson, Roger; Wattie, Nelson (eds.). The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195583489.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-1917-3519-6. OCLC 865265749. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ a b Marshall, Owen (27 November 1982). "Contemporary concerns". The Press. p. 16. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Hannah, Michael (23 March 1985). "Distinctive N.Z. voices". The Press. p. 22. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Forrester, Kay (10 December 1988). "Memories of childhood". The Press. p. 27. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Marshall, Owen (30 May 1987). "Rare skill from Gifkins". The Press. p. 23. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Taste of O.E. for writer". The Press. 5 December 1984. p. 34. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Michael Gifkins's Biography". The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ "Three talented Kiwis shortlisted for Michael Gifkins Prize". Booksellers NZ. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
External links
- Michael Gifkins at the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection archive
- Michael Gifkins, profile at the Arts Foundation of New Zealand website
- Michael Gifkins Prize at the Text Publishing website
- v
- t
- e
- 1970 Owen Leeming
- 1971 Margaret Scott
- 1972 C. K. Stead
- 1973 James McNeish
- 1974 Janet Frame
- 1975 David Mitchell
- 1976 Michael King
- 1977 Barry Mitcalfe
- 1978 Spiro Zavos
- 1979 Philip Temple
- 1980 Marilyn Duckworth
- 1981 Lauris Edmond
- 1982 Michael Jackson
- 1983 Allen Curnow
- 1984 Rowley Habib
- 1985 Michael Gifkins
- 1986 Michael Harlow
- 1987 Russell Haley
- 1988 Louis Johnson
- 1989 Lloyd Jones
- 1990 Lisa Greenwood
- 1991 Nigel Cox
- 1992 Maurice Gee
- 1993 Witi Ihimaera
- 1994 Vincent O’Sullivan
- 1995 Fiona Farrell
- 1996 Owen Marshall
- 1997 Roger Hall
- 1998 Maurice Shadbolt
- 1999 Elizabeth Knox
- 2000 Stephanie Johnson
- 2001 Catherine Chidgey
- 2002 Jenny Bornholdt
- 2003 Tessa Duder
- 2004 Bill Manhire
- 2005 Ian Wedde
- 2006 Fiona Kidman
- 2007 Stuart Hoar
- 2008 Damien Wilkins
- 2009 Jenny Pattrick
- 2010 Ken Duncum
- 2011 Chris Price
- 2012 Justin Paton
- 2013 Greg McGee
- 2014 Mandy Hager
- 2015 Anna Jackson
- 2016 Kate Camp
- 2017 Carl Nixon
- 2019 Paula Morris
- 2020 Sue Wootton
- 2023 Charlotte Grimshaw