Fergus Barrowman (born 1961) is a New Zealand publisher and literary commentator. He has been the publisher at
Victoria University Press
Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books.
History
Vi ...
since 1985.
Career
In addition to running Victoria University Press, Barrowman also edited and published the New Zealand literary magazine ''
Sport
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
'' from 1988 until its final issue in 2019.
He co-founded the magazine with
Elizabeth Knox,
Damien Wilkins and
Nigel Cox.
The name was Barrowman's idea and he intended it to be a playful reference to the divide between the worlds of sport and literature. He noted in 2005 that the name can cause problems: "I still get people saying I've never looked at ''Sport'' because I don't like sport".
''Sport'' published the first works of
Emily Perkins
Emily Jean Perkins (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian former actress, best known for her roles as Crystal Braywood in the TV series ''Hiccups'', young Beverly Marsh in '' Stephen King's It'', and Brigitte Fitzgerald in ''Ginger Snaps''. Since the l ...
and
Catherine Chidgey, as well as being an early publisher of Kate Flannery,
Annamarie Jagose, Chris Orsman and
Peter Wells.
In 2008,
Eleanor Catton
Eleanor Catton (born 24 September 1985) is a New Zealand novelist and screenwriter. Born in Canada, Catton moved to New Zealand as a child and grew up in Christchurch. She completed a master's degree in creative writing at the International In ...
's work first appeared in ''Sport'', before the publication of her first novel ''The Rehearsal''.
In 1996 Barrowman edited ''The Picador Book of Contemporary New Zealand Fiction''.
David Eggleton, in a review for ''
The Dominion Post'', commented: "Barrowman displays genuine talent as a connoisseur, showing us why we should sit up and take notice of the best of New Zealand writing."
Michael Morrissey in the ''
Sunday Star-Times'' was critical, however, saying that the anthology was dominated by Wellington writers and that important contemporary short story writers such as
Michael Gifkins and
Sherridan Keith had been omitted. He concluded: "This is a great collection marred by some regrettable omissions and by aggressive Wellington agendas."
In June 2014, Barrowman was made a member of the
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
for services to publishing.
Personal life
As of 2020 Barrowman lives in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
with his wife, the author
Elizabeth Knox, and their son, Jack.
Barrowman and Knox met when he was involved in publishing her first book, ''After Z-Hour'' (1987),
and married in 1989.
See also
*
New Zealand literature
New Zealand literature is literature, both oral and written, produced by the people of New Zealand. It often deals with New Zealand themes, people or places, is written predominantly in New Zealand English, and features Māori culture and the u ...
*
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well kno ...
References
External links
*
Interview with Fergus Barrowmanon the
Unity Books
Unity Books is an independent New Zealand bookseller. It has a flagship store in Wellington, and a location in Auckland with separate adult and children's bookshops.
The business was founded by Alan Preston in 1967.
Wellington store
In 2012, the ...
website
Interview with Fergus Barrowman (among others)in ''
The Dominion Post''
Interview with Fergus Barrowman on Elsewhere.co.nz
People from Wellington City
New Zealand publishers (people)
1961 births
Living people
{{NewZealand-bio-stub