Jayne Anne Phillips Remembers Sam Lawrence

Jayne Anne Phillips spoke with Narrative about her beloved editor and friend, Seymour “Sam” Lawrence (1927–1994). Passionately committed to writers and writing, Lawrence discovered and championed many remarkable authors, including Susan Minot, Jim Harrison, Richard Brautigan, Kurt Vonnegut, William Styron, Katherine Anne Porter, William Saroyan, Frank Conroy, Miguel Angel Asturias, and Pablo Neruda. Above, Sam is pictured in his office at his home and as a young boy in a keepsake photo he gave to Jayne Anne. A legendary old-school editor, he hand-sold his authors to publishers and booksellers, a kind of personal touch all but vanished from publishing today.