Lawrence Osborne (British writer) Add a review

Lawrence Osborne (born 1958) is a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. Osborne was educated at Cambridge, where he studied medieval Italian, and at Harvard University. He has since led a nomadic life, residing for years in Paris, 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, The New Yorker, Gourmet, Salon, Playboy, and Condé Nast Traveler. His writings about wine and spirits appeared in a regular column called Cellar in Men's Vogue. He is also a regular contributor to the London Spectator where his short story Demonia appeared in the 2024 Christmas edition. The Wet and the Dry, a travelogue about Islam and alcohol was published in 2013 and was included in the Top 10 Books of 2013 by The New York Times Book Review critic, Dwight Garner.

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. Most recently the Tokyo-set "Hotel" was published in 2026 in London Magazine. Osborne's stories were published by Chatto and Windus in London as the collection "Burning Angel" in 2023.

As of 2025 Osborne is a co-founder of the London based film production company Java Road.