Michael Gifkins

Michael Gifkins (1945–2014) was a New Zealand literary agent, short story writer, critic, publisher and editor.

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] 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]

Gifkins was the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Auckland in 1983, the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellow in Menton, France, in 1985, 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]

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The Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel has been awarded annually by the New Zealand Society of Authors since 2018.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. The prize's final year will be 2021.[1][4]

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".[5]

References
  1. "Michael Gifkins Prize". Text Publishing. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  2. "Michael Gifkins, a major figure in New Zealand book publishing passes". Griffith Review. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. "Three talented Kiwis shortlisted for Michael Gifkins Prize". Booksellers NZ. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. "Michael Gifkins's Biography". The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
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