World Editions

06/06/2024

10 Novels by BIPOC Norwegian Writers
Rashi Rohatgi recommends fiction in translation by Norwegians from Indigenous and minority backgrounds in Electric Literature

Emily Forever by Maria Navarro Skaranger, translated by Martin Aitken
Navarro Skaranger’s debut novel All Foreigners Keep Their Curtains Closed delved into the life of a teenage girl in a predominantly ethnic minority suburb of Oslo. The 2020 film adaptation is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Her latest book Emily Forever presents its young, pregnant, working-class protagonist through a kaleidoscope. The sharpness of the details describing Emily’s changing life are softly satirical—chosen, it feels, to match those that would delight a newspaper reporter penning their first expose about multiculturalism—and her dulled responses leave her something of an enigma. A quietly rebellious novel that sees Emily through the lens of others, the 19-year-old expectant mother refuses to grasp for something to make meaning of her life, stubbornly defying societal expectations.

06/04/2024

Publishing Today! EMILY FOREVER by , translated from the Norwegian by and supported by NORLA !

In this novel about poverty, social inequality, and class contempt in Norway, nineteen-year-old supermarket worker Emily is single, pregnant, and struggling to make ends meet.

Em’s nineteen years old and pregnant. Her boyfriend Pablo has gone out “to take care of something” and hasn’t returned. Her mother, who raised Emily alone, moves into the little apartment to help. Meanwhile, Em’s neighbour, who may or may not be a clergyman, wonders if it’s normal to be so infatuated with someone you’ve never spoken to. Em’s boss at the supermarket might have feelings for her too, if only she’d notice. Emily Forever is a poignant, achingly hard-hitting book about class and about digging deep to find what it takes to get by. At the same time, it’s a deeply original exploration of how a girl like Emily is seen from the outside, by those who think they know who she is and how her life is supposed to pan out. Empathetic and quizzical, and scathingly humorous, Emily Forever is a novel of unyielding solidarity and smoldering social dissent, by a new star of Scandinavian literature.

05/24/2024

We have three new babies and three buns in the oven! Check out our Fall galleys and don't forget to request your review copies via Edelweiss or Netgalley!

In September we're bringing you by , a debut novel about second-generation Greek immigrants who fail to realize the American dream in crisis-ridden 1980s New Jersey. Translated from the Greek by and supported by Hellenic Foundation for Culture - Worldwide

: Hardship and Hope in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland is the memoir of who survived the Russian occupation of Ukraine and mass deportation of Poles in the 1930s and became a renowned pediatrician. Translated from the Polish by and supported by Książki

By one of Colombia's most renowned novelists and reminiscent of Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, by Ricardo Silva Romero, translated by and supported by Ministerio de Cultura, tackles the topic of paramilitarism and violence in Colombia when a father of two sons is killed a few steps from his home and his wife seeks revenge.

05/23/2024

Here they are, all our Spring 2024 babies 🥰!

by , translated from the Arabic by
by Jaap Robben, translated from the Dutch by and supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature
, publishing in June, by , translated from the Norwegian by and supported by NORLA

05/21/2024

"I see them every time I close my eyes. Louis's feet, sticking out from under the foil blanket. Helpless. Slippers lost in the panic and confusion. His feet, so pale, so naked, as the paramedics slide him into the ambulance."

Keep reading a sample chapter of by Jaap Robben, translated by !

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05/11/2024

Jaap Robben introduces his new novel AFTERLIGHT, translated from the Dutch by David Doherty. Jaap Robben

"With its tight sentences and a fast pace, Afterlight moves like detective fiction. It’s a poignant novel in which a single pregnant woman is mistreated in her conservative society; she remains resilient and determined to honor her baby’s memory." —

The young free-spirited florist Frieda grew up in a strictly Catholic environment in the 1960s. When she steps onto a frozen river on a late winter afternoon, little does she know that everything is about to change for her. On the ice she meets the married Otto. They experience a love that begins stormy and ends fatefully: Frieda becomes pregnant - a scandal in the world in which she moves. And so she must never be the mother of her secret child. For decades she kept her memories of this episode in her life to herself. But the grief for the lost child remains, despite the later marriage, despite the son she still has. At the age of eighty-one, Frieda is suddenly alone again. The silent sorrow returns with force. Only then does she dare to face her story – and to share it. With Afterlight, inspired by true events, Robben not only pulls back the veil on Frieda’s story, but also shines a light on the experiences of countless women between the 1950s and 1980s. The result is an impressive story about buried female trauma, caused by society, organized religion and the dominant social mores.

05/07/2024

Jaap Robben fan's rejoice! Today is the on sale of AFTERLIGHT by acclaimed Dutch writer Jaap Robben . Jaap Robben has published four books with World Editions, all expertly translated by David Doherty. His last novel, SUMMER BROTHER, was shortlisted for the International Booker Award 2021.

A note from the author:
Several years ago, I was asked to imagine the unimaginable; to write a poem in memory of children who had been buried in secret, without a funeral. Stillborn babies born to Catholic mothers. In the Netherlands and neighbouring countries between the 1950s and the 1980s, these unbaptised infants were taken from their mothers at birth.

When my poem was unveiled at a cemetery in Nijmegen, women who had experienced this loss came up to me and shared their stories. Some had never spoken about it before. The enormity of the grief and injustice inflicted on them never left me.

How do you live with such grief? Where does the pain go? When does it surface? Silence may be easier at times, yet so hard to break. What place does this missing child have in a life that might otherwise be happy? There were so many questions—questions I could only explore by writing this novel.

The young free-spirited florist Frieda grew up in a strictly Catholic environment in the 1960s. When she steps onto a frozen river on a late winter afternoon, little does she know that everything is about to change for her. On the ice she meets the married Otto. They experience a love that begins stormy and ends fatefully: Frieda becomes pregnant - a scandal in the world in which she moves. And so she must never be the mother of her secret child. For decades she kept her memories of this episode in her life to herself. But the grief for the lost child remains, despite the later marriage, despite the son she still has. At the age of eighty-one, Frieda is suddenly alone again. The silent sorrow returns with force. Only then does she dare to face her story – and to share it. With Afterlight, inspired by true events, Robben not only pulls back the veil on Frieda’s story, but also shines a light on the experiences of countless women between the 1950s and 1980s. The result is an impressive story about buried female trauma, caused by society, organized religion and the dominant social mores.

Afterlight by Jaap Robben • Translated from the Dutch by David Doherty • May 7th, 2024 • Trade Paperback • 978-1-64286-147-1 • WORLD

05/04/2024

Let's have a toast, or five! 5 World Editions' titles have turned 5 this Spring. Do you remember these?

SALT ON MY SKIN by Benoîte Groult
"A leading French feminist and writer, Groult drew wide attention with this sexually daring novel"—The NY Times
A classic long-seller re-issued with a new introduction by renowned writer and feminist Fay Weldon.
(Translated by Mo Teitelbaum • Feb 5, 2019 • Trade Paperback • 978-1-64286-009-2)

GLIDING FLIGHT by Anne-Gine Goemans
“It's a funny, tenderhearted book reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine—it has a similar cast of lost, confused, and eccentric characters. The novel is a wonderful mix of humor and gentle melancholy. A sweet, sympathetic novel with a sense of humor.” —Kirkus Reviews
(Translated by .forestflier • March 5, 2019 • Trade Paperback • 978-1-64286-008-5)

THE STORYTELLER r by .jarawan
"A man is haunted by his father’s disappearance in this acclaimed debut novel set against the backdrop of Middle Eastern politics in this pacy Lebanese mystery." —The Guardian
(Translated by Sinéad Crowe and Rachel McNicholl • April 2, 2019 • Trade Paperback • 978-1-64286-011-5)

HIS NAME IS DAVID by
"So spare and classic are its virtues, and there's deep complexity in its considerations of fate, morality, and belief." —Kirkus Reviews
Flanders, 1915. David Verbocht, sentenced to death as a deserter, stands before the firing squad and looks back on his short and turbulent life.
(Translated by Vivien D. Glass• April 16, 2019 • Trade Paperback • 978-1-64286-012-2)

A DEVIL COMES TO TOWN by Paolo Maurensig
"A Devil Comes to Town is a brilliant form of torture...a huge amount of fun." —The Literary Review

A small Swiss village full of aspiring writers + The devil in the form of a hot-shot publisher = An international bestseller by the author of the Italian literary sensation The Luneburg Variation

(Translated by Anne Milano Appel • May 7, 2019 • Trade Paperback • 978-1-64286-013-9)

04/02/2024

We are deeply saddened to hear of Maryse Condé's passing. Condé was without a doubt one of the greatest authors of our times. Her writing was modern, witty and intelligent, as well as being daring and full of life, and her dedication to her art was second to none. She knew how to blow life into each and every of her characters. World Editions was honored to have published her last three books, and she was greatly admired as an author and human being by our team.

04/02/2024

On Sale Today! by Khaled Alesmael, translated by !

Furat, a Syrian in his early 20s, visits Sibki Park in Damascus, one of the city’s most popular cruising areas. There he learns about the hammams, secret meeting places for gay men located throughout the old city. Inside these public baths, the air is thick with the scent of bay laurel soap, and naked men hide in the steam. Furat faces sometimes violent disapproval from all levels of society—regime, religion, the man in the street—and yet he manages to find the love he’s been seeking just before his world collapses and he’s forced to flee. Selamlik is the story of Furat’s journey, along with that of other refugees. It’s a journey in which they face physical and economic hardship, draconian migration laws, and the unwelcome grief, shame, and hatred they’ve carried with them from their ever more distant pasts. Despite everything, Furat remains steadfast in his pursuit of passion, pleasure, and love.

02/06/2024

by SamarYazbek is publishing today! Beautifully translated from the Arabic by Leri Price.

“The potent latest from Yazbek (Planet of Clay) weighs the consequences of the Syrian civil war after a 19-year-old soldier, Ali, survives his patrol station’s 2013 bombing in the Lattakia mountains.This slim novel packs a punch.” —

01/10/2024

written by Kristien Hemmerechts and translated by published 5 years ago today!
The opening sentence is an absolute World Editions favorite: "The most hated woman in Belgium. That’s what they call me."

Need to keep reading? Find an excerpt here https://www.guernicamag.com/the-woman-who-fed-the-dogs/
Guernica Mag

12/05/2023

Happy pub day, Amin Maalouf and ! Today is the on sale date for , "an elegant portrait of a dying world and a beguiling, lyrical work of speculative fiction by a writer of international importance." —, *Starred Review*

11/14/2023

It is finally happening! The National Book Foundation Reading is tonight! If you can't make it, check out this excerpt of by Pilar Quintana and Lisa Dillman on Literary Hub!

https://lithub.com/abyss/

The National Book Foundation and the NYU Creative Writing Program present readings by each of the 2023 National Book Award Finalists

11/06/2023

published 5 years ago today! Happy 5th Birthday to Annelies Verbeke and !

Flanders in the USA Flanders Literature

10/03/2023

Today is the publication day of written by Germany's #1 bestselling author , translated by !

takes place in the middle of lockdown in spring 2020 and subtly describes the social and very private consequences of the pandemic.

Fleeing stay-at-home orders in the big city, Dora and her dog move to the countryside to sit out the pandemic. She knows that Bracken, a village in the middle of nowhere, isn’t the idyll most city dwellers dream of, but she’s desperate for space and a change of scene. The quaint old house she’s saved up for needs work, weeds have taken over the yard, and her skinhead neighbor fits all the stereotypes. Just what is Dora really looking for? Distance from her boyfriend Robert, whose climate activism has crossed into obsession? Refuge from her inner turmoil? Clarity on how the whole world got so messed up? As Dora tries to keep her demons in check, unexpected things start happening all around her. Juli Zeh’s epic new novel explores our present predicaments, biases, weaknesses, and fears, but—above all—it reveals the strengths that come to light when we dare to be human.

10/02/2023

Happy Book Birthday! We & Me by Saskia De Coster and Nancy Forest-Flier , Craving by Esther Gerritsen and Michele Hutchison and The Last Poets by Christine Otten and Jonathan Reeder are turning 5 today!

09/30/2023

Tomorrow is !

In 2018, the National Book Foundation first announced the National Book Award in . In the last 5 years, 5 World Editions titles have been honored by the award.

Enter our giveaway for a chance to win a bundle of our Prized Five!
https://forms.gle/nAhGHV9R16mppbSg6

09/30/2023

We are reminiscing...

This was our very first 5 years ago! It was SO exciting to see author Jaap Robben introducing his book on the main stage!

09/29/2023

The Brooklyn Book Festival is coming up! Stop by table #507, right by the main stage, on Sunday, 10/2 to check out our books and chat with World Editions staff. At 5pm, we'll be celebrating our 5th anniversary! Come for cupcakes and prosecco!!!

09/14/2023

Yay to Pilar Quintana and Lisa Dillman!

Five titles on this year’s longlist are set in Latin American countries.

09/04/2023

World Editions is turning 5 and we are celebrating!

World Editions launched in the US in 2018. Our first two books, Always Another Country by Sisonke Msimang and You Have Me to Love by Jaap Robben and David Doherty were published on September 4th, 2018, and we have come a long way since! Thank you to all our trade partners for supporting us on this journey.

5 fun facts about World Editions!

Published 61 books in 5 years
Published books from 24 countries
Translated books from 12 language
Published two National Book Awards and one International The Booker Prizes Finalists
Received 12 starred reviews fromPublishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews

Enter our epic giveaway for a chance to win a fabulous 5-book anniversary bundle of World Editions titles!

https://forms.gle/xvR8KKJHads7Z9yNA

Please help us spread the word by sharing the news and using hashtag

08/23/2023

Thank you to Dymocks Books and NewSouth Books for featuring so many of our titles for !

08/23/2023

August is Women in Translation Month! So I figured I’d round up some of this year’s best crime novels in translation by women from around the world. Below, you’ll find Norwegian s…

08/23/2023

Enter to win a Fall Reads Book Bundle, including titles from John Stamos and Diana Helmuth!

Simon Element Henry Holt World Editions Cambridge University Press
https://ow.ly/5cAQ50PnFyl

08/01/2023

is now available in stores! Happy pub day, and Michele Hutchison!

"In Gerda Blees’s novel We Are Light, a woman’s quiet, bizarre death exposes the tragic gap between ethics and legality. The leader of the Sound & Love Commune, Melodie manipulates loyalty and obedience from her small group of followers. When she tells them they can survive on light rather than food, they listen, even as Melodie’s sister Elisabeth starves to death before their eyes. We Are Light is a haunting novel in which obsession, mental illness, and deferred dreams lead to complex, compounding tragedies." ―, starred review

06/30/2023

We have big news! As of today, World Editions is a fully independent publisher!

International literature publisher World Editions announces a new structure following the company’s buyout by senior staff member Christine Swedowsky.
The company, which was set up in 2013 and expanded into the US in 2018, specializes in translated fiction including internationally acclaimed authors Maryse Condé, Amin Maalouf, Pilar Quintana, Jaap Robben and Zhang Yueran. It has published two National Book Award finalists, two National Book Award longlisted authors, one International Booker longlistee, and, most recently, the 2023 International Booker finalist The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Condé.
Previously owned by Libella Publishing Group, World Editions will close its London and Amsterdam offices and will operate worldwide as World Editions NY LLC, based in New York City. Brooklyn-based US Director Christine Swedowsky, who has been leading the US branch since March 2018, will run World Editions as Publisher and Principal.

Dear Colleague, After five years of being part of the Libella Publishing Group, international literature publisher World Editions announces a new structure as a fully independent publishing house. The company, which was set up in 2013 and expanded into the US in 2018, specializes in translated ficti...

06/11/2023

Congratulations!

The German translation of THE TALLY STICK by New Zealander author Carl Nixon is out with 🌿📚

06/11/2023

Ian McEwan, author of international bestseller Atonement, praises BREAKWATER by author Marijke Schermer and translator Liz Waters.

"Excellent novel. Packed with emotional truth and elegantly turned narrative. A fine translation too."―Ian McEwan, author of international bestseller Atonement

Ian McEwan