Seymour Lawrence (1926–1994) was an American publisher, first with the
Atlantic Monthly Press
Grove Atlantic, Inc. is an American independent publisher, based in New York City. Formerly styled "Grove/Atlantic, Inc.", it was created in 1993 by the merger of Grove Press and Atlantic Monthly Press. As of 2018 Grove Atlantic calls itself " ...
, and later with his own imprint,
Seymour Lawrence, Inc.
Early life and career
Seymour Lawrence was born on 11 February 1926 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, to Jack and Sophie L. Lawrence.
He attended
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where he was the editor of the literary magazine ''Wake'', and graduated in 1948.
He worked briefly as a representative for the Van Nostrand Company before joining the Atlantic Monthly Press in 1950. By 1952, he had reached the rank of associate editor. In 1964, he joined
Alfred A. Knopf Inc. as editorial vice president.
In 1965, he launched his own imprint,
Seymour Lawrence, Inc. The imprint operated as a division of
Dell Publishing
Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and ...
for seventeen years, until Dell declined to re-new their co-publishing agreement. Lawrence's imprint moved to
E. P. Dutton
E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group.
Creator
Edward Payson Dutton (January 1, ...
from 1982 to 1988, and in 1988 became a division of
Houghton Mifflin
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
.
As a publisher, he was known for his work with a number of distinguished authors, including four
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
winners:
Miguel Ángel Asturias
Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales (; 19 October 1899 – 9 June 1974) was a Guatemalan poet-diplomat, novelist, playwright and journalist. Winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967, his work helped bring attention to the importance of i ...
,
Camilo José Cela
Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement.
He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Liter ...
,
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...
, and
George Seferis
Giorgos or George Seferis (; ), the pen name of Georgios Seferiadis (Γεώργιος Σεφεριάδης; March 13 – September 20, 1971), was a Greek poet and diplomat. He was one of the most important Greek poets of the 20th century, and ...
.
He is credited with discovering a number of notable American authors, including
Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was an American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, poet, and political activist. Her 1962 novel '' Ship of Fools'' was the best-selling novel in the United States that y ...
,
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
,
Richard Brautigan
Richard Gary Brautigan (January 30, 1935) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. He wrote throughout his life and published ten novels, two collections of short stories, and four books of poetry. Brautigan's work has been publi ...
,
Richard Ford
Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story author, and writer of a series of novels featuring the character Frank Bascombe.
Ford's first collection of short stories, ''Rock Springs (short stories), Rock Springs ...
, and
Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is the 1961 novel '' Catch-22'', a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for ...
; he published ''
Ship of Fools
The ship of fools (Modern German: ; ), is an allegory, first appearing in Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system ...
'', ''
Trout Fishing in America
''Trout Fishing in America'' (1967) is a novella written by Richard Brautigan. It consists of short pieces linked by recurring characters.
Technically it is Brautigan's first novel, as he completed it in 1961. But his book '' A Confederate Ge ...
'', and ''
Slaughterhouse-Five
''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his ...
'', among others.
He was "passionately committed to writers and writing"; Vonnegut described him as "a very good scout of talent".
Personal life
Lawrence lived in
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
for most of his life.
He was married to
Merloyd Ludington, with whom he had a son and a daughter, from 1952 to their divorce in 1985.
In the year before the divorce, she created her own imprint,
Merloyd Lawrence Books Merloyd Lawrence Books was an imprint of Merloyd Ludington Lawrence at:
* Seymour Lawrence/Delacorte Press (1965–1982)
*Addison-Wesley (1982–1997)
*Perseus Books Group
Perseus Books Group was an American publishing company founded in yea ...
.
In his later years, he lived with writer
Joan Williams.
His friendship with
Barry Hannah
Barry Hannah (April 23, 1942 – March 1, 2010) was an American novelist and short story writer from Mississippi.Kellogg, Carolyn (March 2, 2010)"Author Barry Hannah, 67, has died" ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved May 18, 2013. Hannah was born in ...
, one of the authors he discovered, led him to purchase a home in
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...
. After his death, his collection of American art was donated to the
University of Mississippi Museum.
Lawrence died on 24 January 1994 in
Englewood, Florida
Englewood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte and Sarasota counties in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 20,800, up from 14,863 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sara ...
of complications from a heart attack.
See also
*
Seymour Lawrence Books
References
External links
Seymour Lawrence papersat the
University of Maryland Libraries
The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library system in the Washington D.C.–Baltimore area. The system includes eight libraries: six are located on the University of Maryland, College Park, College Park campus, while ...
The Seymour Lawrence Collection of American Artat
University of Mississippi Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Seymour
1926 births
1994 deaths
American publishers (people)
Harvard University alumni