Hilary McPhee, McPhee Gribble founder, dies
McPhee founded McPhee Gribble in 1975 with Diana Gribble. The publisher worked with Helen Garner and Tim Winton.
When Hilary McPhee and Diana Gribble opened McPhee Gribble in 1975, Australian publishing was run almost entirely by men. Industry figures warned them to stick to niche categories like pornography or books about horses.
McPhee Gribble ignored the skeptics. McPhee Gribble published Australian writers no one else would touch, including Helen Garner and Tim Winton.
The company became known as a feminist publisher. The company ran for 14 years before Penguin bought it in 1989.
McPhee later became the first woman chair of the Australia Council for the Arts. She was awarded an Order of Australia in 2001 for her service to literature and the arts.
She was known for her editorial discipline, marking manuscripts with a 2B pencil. She met writers face to face to discuss changes.
- 1975
- Founded
- Diana Gribble
- Co-founder
- 14 years until 1989
- Years operating
- 2001
- Order of Australia
Why it mattersMcPhee broke open a male-only publishing world. She proved a small Australian operation could publish world-class literature on its own terms.
AustraliaAustralian readers gained access to books that shaped the nation's literary voice because one editor refused to accept the industry's limits.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 58 min ago
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