Lawrence Osborne

{{Short description|British author (born 1958)}} {{About|the British author|the English footballer|Lawrence Osborne (footballer)|the American baseballer|Bobo Osborne}} {{Use British English|date=April 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox Writer  | name = Lawrence Osborne | image = Lawrence Osborne author photo.jpg | caption = | alt = | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1958}} | birth_place = [[London]], England | education = [[Fitzwilliam College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]; [[Harvard University]] | death_date = | death_place = | awards = {{nowrap|[[Edgar Award]] nomination Best Novel (2019)<br /> [[Best American Short Stories]] (2012) <br /> ''[[The New York Times]]'' Notable Book (2018)}} }}

'''Lawrence Osborne''' (born 1958) is a British [[novelist]] and [[journalist]] who is currently residing in [[Bangkok]]. Osborne was educated at [[Fitzwilliam College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]],<ref name="fitz"> {{cite web|url=http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/mi-client/media/import/documents/optima_19_web.pdf|title=Books by Members – Optima (p. 18)|year=2013|publisher=Fitzwilliam College|accessdate=7 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222005538/http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/mi-client/media/import/documents/optima_19_web.pdf|archive-date=22 February 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and at [[Harvard University]], and has since led a nomadic life, residing for years in Poland,<ref>Cumming, Ed (7 February 2016), [https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/feb/07/lawrence-osborne-novelist-interview-graham-greene-thailand "Lawrence Osborne interview: how the novelist became the new Graham Greene"], ''The Observer''.</ref> France, Italy, Morocco, the United States, Mexico, Thailand, and Istanbul.

Osborne has been published widely as a long-form [[journalist]] in the United States, most notably in ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'',<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch?query=lawrence+osborne& New York Times Search: Lawrence Osborne]</ref> ''[[The New Yorker]]'',<ref>Osborne, Lawrence (18 April 2005). [https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/04/18/050418fa_fact_osborne "Letter from New Guinea: Strangers in the Forest"], ''The New Yorker'', p. 124.</ref> ''[[Gourmet (magazine)|Gourmet]]'', ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'', ''[[Playboy]]'', and ''[[Condé Nast Traveler]]''. His writings about wine and spirits appeared in a regular column called Cellar in ''[[Men's Vogue]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://santamaddalena.org/lawrence-osborne/|title = Lawrence Osborne|date = 8 June 2019}}</ref> He has also been an occasional Op-Ed columnist at [[Forbes.com]] and is a frequent contributor to ''[[Newsweek International]]'', ''[[The Daily Beast]]'', and ''The Wall Street Journal Magazine''. His feature for ''Playboy'', "Getting a Drink in Islamabad", won a 2011 Thomas Lowell Award for Travel Journalism. He is also a regular contributor to the London ''Spectator'' where his short story ''Demonia'' appeared in the 2024 Christmas edition.

He is the author of the novel ''Ania Malina'';<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n4sH_xO3vPgC | title=Ania Malina| isbn=9780140113105| last1=Osborne| first1=Lawrence| date=1989-02-01| publisher=Penguin Books}}</ref> a book about [[Paris]], ''Paris Dreambook'';<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=82IYYSPHoBAC | title=Paris dreambook: An unconventional guide to the splendor and squalor of the city| isbn=9780679737759| last1=Osborne| first1=Lawrence| date=1992-06-02| publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing}}</ref> the essay collection ''The Poisoned Embrace'';<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gvYhAAAAMAAJ | title=The poisoned embrace: A brief history of sexual pessimism| isbn=9780679427230| last1=Osborne| first1=Lawrence| date=1993-10-01| publisher=Pantheon Books}}</ref> a controversial book about [[autism]] called ''American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome'';<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5bPdBgAAQBAJ | title=American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome| isbn=9780387218076| last1=Osborne| first1=Lawrence| date=2007-05-08| publisher=Springer}}</ref> and three subsequent [[Travel literature|travel books]] published by [[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] between 2004 and 2009: a book about wine, ''The Accidental Connoisseur'';<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v8Lr1Am6OtYC | title=The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World| isbn=9781429935111| last1=Osborne| first1=Lawrence| date=2004-03-15| publisher=Macmillan + ORM}}</ref> ''The Naked Tourist'';<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b2KqMxKPc_YC | title=The Naked Tourist: In Search of Adventure and Beauty in the Age of the Airport Mall| isbn=9781429934985| last1=Osborne| first1=Lawrence| date=2007-06-12| publisher=Macmillan + ORM}}</ref> and an account of [[expatriate]] life in [[Bangkok]] called ''Bangkok Days''.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-42c31y-xYC | title=Bangkok Days: A Sojourn in the Capital of Pleasure| isbn=9781429957328| last1=Osborne| first1=Lawrence| date=2009-05-26| publisher=Macmillan + ORM}}</ref> His short stories have appeared in many American magazines. His story "Volcano", originally published in ''[[Tin House]]'', was selected for inclusion in ''[[The Best American Short Stories 2012]]''. His novel ''[[The Forgiven (novel)|The Forgiven]]'' was published in 2012 to widespread acclaim. It was selected by ''[[The Economist]]'' as one of the Best Books of the Year for 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Osborne |first=Lawrence |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/boxer-godfather-politician-can-manny-pacquiao-do-everything.html |title=Boxer, Godfather, Politician. Can Manny Pacquiao Do Everything? |publisher=Thedailybeast.com |date=30 October 2011 |accessdate=29 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Osborne |first=Lawrence |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/09/25/pedro-almod-var-on-the-verge.html |title=Pedro Almodóvar on the Verge |publisher=Thedailybeast.com |date=25 September 2011 |accessdate=29 December 2013}}</ref> Osborne's next book, ''[[The Wet and the Dry]]'', a [[Travel literature#Travel journals|travelogue]] about [[Islam]] and [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]], was published in 2013. It was included in the Top 10 Books of 2013 by ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'' critic, [[Dwight Garner (critic)|Dwight Garner]].

==Reception==

Reviewing Osborne's 2004 nonfiction wine-world travelogue ''The Accidental Connoisseur'' in ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Tony Hendra]] wrote: "Osborne is a new voice in the wine world, smart, generous, perceptive, funny, sensible, free of cant and arrogance and self-interest."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/books/the-reign-of-terroir.html|title=The Reign of Terroir|first=Tony|last=Hendra|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 March 2004}}</ref>

A novel, ''[[The Ballad of a Small Player]]'', was published by [[Hogarth Press|Hogarth]] in spring 2014 to considerable critical acclaim, both in the United States and the United Kingdom. ''The New York Times'' selected it as one of its 100 Notable Books of 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2014-12-02|title=100 Notable Books of 2014|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2014.html|access-date=2020-09-08|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[NPR]] also included it in its Year's Best Books of 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apps.npr.org/best-books-2014/|title=NPR's Book Concierge: Our Guide To 2014's Great Reads|date=3 December 2014|access-date=2020-09-08|website=apps.npr.org}}</ref> Paul French in the ''[[Los Angeles Review of Books]]'' wrote that "Osborne's novel is the best on contemporary China since [[Malraux]]'s."<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://blog.lareviewofbooks.org/chinablog/book-china-crowd-missed-lawrence-osbornes-ballad-small-player/ | title=The Book the China Crowd Missed – Lawrence Osborne's the Ballad of a Small Player|first=Paul |last=French|date=14 January 2015|work=Los Angeles Review of Books}}</ref> [[Neel Mukherjee (writer)|Neel Mukherjee]] picked it as one of his Books of the Year in ''The [[New Statesman]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Books of the Year: NS friends and contributors choose their favourite reading of 2014|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/11/books-year-ns-friends-and-contributors-choose-their-favourite-reading-2014|access-date=2020-09-08|website=www.newstatesman.com|date=19 November 2014 |language=en}}</ref> In the ''[[The Sunday Times|London Sunday Times]]'', Robert Collins wrote: "A modern [[Graham Greene]].... into this relatively quiet period for British fiction, someone remarkable and unexpected has emerged fully armed with a formidable, masterly grip on the British novel. At precisely the point where most novelists start to show signs of flagging, Osborne has hit his creative, fictional stride...and has arrived as a thrilling, exceptional talent in British fiction's landscape."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Collins|first=Robert|title=The Ballad of a Small Player by Lawrence Osborne|newspaper=[[The Times]]|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-ballad-of-a-small-player-by-lawrence-osborne-xgzk8c2zlgf|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210928045522/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-ballad-of-a-small-player-by-lawrence-osborne-xgzk8c2zlgf|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 September 2021|access-date=2020-09-08|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> [[File:The_Glass_Kingdom_by_Lawrence_Osborne.jpg|alt=|thumb|258x258px]] His third novel, ''[[Hunters in the Dark]]'', was published by Hogarth in May 2015 and received glowing reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. [[Arifa Akbar]], literary editor of ''[[The Independent]]'' in London, selected it as one of her 15 Best Novels of 2015,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-best-fiction-of-2015-a6750551.html |first=Arifa|last=Akbar| title=Christmas 2015: The top 15 books in fiction|work=The Independent| date=2015-11-26}}</ref> and the novel was notably praised by Neel Mukerjee in ''[[The Guardian]]''<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/06/hunters-in-dark-lawrence-osborne-review-written | title=Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne review – edgy, gripping and beautifully written| newspaper=The Guardian| date=2015-05-06| last1=Mukherjee| first1=Neel}}</ref> and by [[Lee Child]] in ''The New York Times Book Review''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Child|first=Lee|date=2016-01-13|title='Hunters in the Dark,' by Lawrence Osborne|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/books/review/hunters-in-the-dark-by-lawrence-osborne.html|access-date=2020-09-08|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Nishant Dahiya reviewed it for NPR.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/2016/01/16/462262247/hunters-is-a-dark-elegant-tale-of-east-and-west | title='Hunters' is a Dark, Elegant Tale of East and West|first=Nishant|last=Dahiya|newspaper=NPR|date=16 January 2015}}</ref> British critic David Sexton wrote in the ''[[Evening Standard]]'': "Those comparisons with Graham Greene aren't even flattering any more."<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/stepping-out-of-the-shadow-of-graham-greene-10233208.html | title=Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne - review: Stepping out of the|work=Evening Standard|first=David|last=Sexton| date=2015-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/france/paris/hunters-in-the-dark-by-lawrence-osborne-wf8hm5m3rc5 | title=Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne| newspaper=The Sunday Times| date=2015-05-03| last1=Kemp| first1=Peter}}</ref> [[Anita Sethi]] reviewed it in ''The Guardian'' with praise for its stylistic finesse.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/24/lawrence-osborne-hunters-in-the-dark-review-anita-sethi | title=Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne review – expert narrative| newspaper=The Guardian| date=2015-05-24| last1=Sethi| first1=Anita}}</ref>

''[[Beautiful Animals]]'' was published by Hogarth in July 2017 and was featured on the cover of ''The New York Times Book Review'' with a review by the Japanese-American novelist [[Katie Kitamura]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/books/review/beautiful-animals-lawrence-osborne.html?_r=2 | title=Affluent Idlers Find a Just Cause in a Refugee Swept Ashore| newspaper=The New York Times| date=2017-07-05| last1=Kitamura| first1=Katie}}</ref> In her long review of the novel in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [[Lionel Shriver]] wrote: "So let's not mince words. This is a great book."<ref name="BeautifulAnimals">{{cite news |last1=Shriver |first1=Lionel |title=Let's not mince words: Lawrence Osborne's 'Beautiful Animals' is a great book |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/lets-not-mince-words-lawrence-osbornes-beautiful-animals-is-a-great-book/2017/07/11/25b69b4a-5c12-11e7-a9f6-7c3296387341_story.html |accessdate=6 March 2019 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en|date=13 July 2017}}</ref>

Osborne was asked by the [[Raymond Chandler]] estate to write the next [[Philip Marlowe]] novel, released in 2018. Widely and favourably reviewed, ''[[Only to Sleep]]'' was selected by philosopher John Gray as his Book of the Year in the ''New Statesman'',<ref>[https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2018/11/best-books-of-the-year-2018-new-statesman "The best books of 2018"], ''New Statesman'', 14 November 2018.</ref> and was included in ''The New York Times'' 100 Most Notable Books of 2018<ref>[https://www.yearendlists.com/2018/11/new-york-times-100-notable-books-of-2018 "New York Times: 100 Notable Books of 2018"], ''The New York Times'', 20 November 2018.</ref> and [[NPR]]'s Best Books of 2018.<ref>[https://apps.npr.org/best-books-2018/ "NPR's Book Concierge | Our Guide To 2018's Great Reads"], NPR, 27 November 2018.</ref> It was selected by [[William Boyd (writer)|William Boyd]] in the same category in ''The Guardian''.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/07/summer-reading-writers-recommend-part-one-hilary-mantel-yuval-noah-harari-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie "Best summer books 2018, as picked by writers – part one"], ''The Guardian'', 7 July 2018.</ref>

''[[The Glass Kingdom]]'' was published in 2020 and was included in the ''New York Times'' Notable 100 Books of 2020. It was also reviewed at length in a profile of the author by John Gray in ''The New Statesman''.<ref>[https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/fiction/2020/10/how-lawrence-osborne-subverts-crime-genre], ''New Statesman'', 7 October 2020.</ref>

A novel ''[[On Java Road]]'', set in Hong Kong, appeared with Random House in August 2022 to enthusiastic reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. It was named as a recommended book by Molly Young in the New York Times. A collection of short stories, ''Burning Angel'', appeared a year later in 2023 and was selected as a New Statesman "Book of the Year 2023."

==Films== As reported by ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', Osborne sat on the jury of the 2017 [[Macau Film Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macau Festival Chief on Making the Casino Capital into a Major Moviegoing Destination (Q&A) {{!}} Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/macau-festival-chief-making-chinas-casino-capital-a-major-moviegoing-destination-q-a-1065644|date=8 December 2017|access-date=2020-09-08|website=www.hollywoodreporter.com}}</ref> The screen version of ''[[The Forgiven (2021 film)|The Forgiven]]'' was announced at [[Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]] in 2018 with director [[John Michael McDonagh]] and [[Ralph Fiennes]], [[Jessica Chastain]] and [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]] attached. Shooting began in Morocco in February 2020 and was completed in September of that year. The film was shown at a Gala opening at the 2021 Toronto Film Festival and was shown at the Tribeca Festival in 2022 prior to its US release with Focus and Roadside.<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Michael McDonagh's The Forgiven commences filming|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/386519/|access-date=2020-09-08|website=Cineuropa - the best of european cinema|date=4 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

Set in [[Macau]], ''[[Ballad of a Small Player]]'' was shot in summer 2024 in both Macau and [[Hong Kong]]. Directed by [[Edward Berger]], starring [[Colin Farrell]], [[Tilda Swinton]] and [[Fala Chen]], the film was released by [[Netflix]] in 2025.

In June 2020 it was announced by both ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' and ''The Hollywood Reporter'' that Osborne will script and co-produce the film adaptation of [[Jon Swain]]'s 1997 Vietnam war memoir ''River of Time'' in conjunction with [[Indochina Productions]]. His script "Solstice" is currently in development, to be shot in Mongolia.

"On Java Road" is currently being produced as a feature film with Anonymous Content. His novel "Children of Wolves," set in Istanbul, is scheduled for publication in 2026.

Osborne is a voting member of the European Film Academy.

In May 2025, Deadline announced the creation of JAVA ROAD, a production company formed by Osborne, producers Mike Goodridge of Good Chaos and Nicholas Simon of Indochina Productions (based in London and Asia).

==Bibliography== ===Non-fiction=== *''[[American Normal]]'' (2002) *''[[The Accidental Connoisseur]]'' (2004) *''[[The Naked Tourist]]'' (2006) *''[[Bangkok Days]]'' (2009) *''[[The Wet and the Dry]]'' (2013)

===Fiction=== *''[[Ania Malina]]'' (1989) *''[[The Forgiven (novel)|The Forgiven]]'' (2012) *''[[The Ballad of a Small Player]]'' (2014) *''[[Hunters in the Dark]]'' (2015) *''[[Beautiful Animals]]'' (2017) *''[[Only to Sleep]]'' (2018), a [[Philip Marlowe]] novel *''[[The Glass Kingdom]]'' (2020) *''[[On Java Road]]'' (2022) *''[[Burning Angel and Other Stories]]'' (2023) *''Children of Wolves'' (2026)

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Lawrence}} [[Category:Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]] [[Category:21st-century English novelists]] [[Category:English male journalists]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Harvard University alumni]] [[Category:English male novelists]] [[Category:21st-century English male writers]] [[Category:1958 births]]