World Editions promotes voices from around the globe by publishing books from many different countries and languages into English translation. Through our work, we aim to enhance dialogue between cultures, foster new connections, and open doors which may otherwise have remained closed.

World Editions was founded in 2013 by Eric Visser, publisher of Dutch literary house De Geus―home to many Nobel Prize-winning authors. Since 2016, World Editions has been part of the independent Libella Group, a European publisher with bases in Switzerland, France, and Poland, led by the renowned Vera Michalski.

Judith Uyterlinde was Publishing Director of World Editions from 2017 to 2023. In 2018, World Editions successfully launched in the US. In 2023, World Editions became a fully independent publisher by way of a management buyout from Libella Group to previous US Director Christine Swedowsky. World Editions is now based in New York.

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World Editions publishes long-established authors, such as recent winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize, Maryse Condé, and the internationally acclaimed Paolo Maurensig, alongside promising debut novelists, such as rising stars Adeline Dieudonné and Pierre Jarawan.

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Christine Swedowsky

Publisher and Principal

Christine Swedowsky grew up in Germany and is now based in New York. She holds a Master’s Degree in Publishing and has extensive Marketing & Sales experience in both US- and Europe-based publishing houses. Most recently, Christine was Director of International Marketing at Penguin Random House in New York, in charge of leading a team responsible for the global marketing strategy of the entire PRH list. She is particularly interested in international expansion and global business development. In 2018, Christine joined World Editions as Head of the US entity, spearheading the company’s market entry into the US and Canada and driving international expansion. In 2023, Christine became Publisher and owner of World Editions.

Lisa Grgas

Editor

Lisa Grgas earned BAs in English Language and Literature and Creative Writing and an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She was awarded the Beverly Saul Award for Creative Writing and nominated for the English Department’s Theodore Ross Prize. Her thesis was nominated for a Portz Prize sponsored by the National Collegiate Honors Council. Lisa joined The Literary Review as an intern in 2003 and served as Supervising Editor until the journal’s closure twenty years later. She also reviewed titles and interviewed writers for Adroit Journal and read submissions for Tin House, Bellevue Literary Review, Poetry Northwest and Tiferet Journal.

Tessa van der Waals

Art Director & Cover Designer

Tessa van der Waals is responsible for the cover design, cover typography, and art direction of all World Editions books. She works in the internationally renowned tradition of Dutch Design. Her bright and powerful visual aesthetic maintains a harmony between image and typography, and captures the unique atmosphere of each book. She works closely with internationally celebrated photographers, artists, and letter designers. Her work has frequently been awarded prizes for Best Dutch Book Design.

Alex Thornber

UK Marketing & Publicity

Alex Thornber is a writer, poet, and bookseller residing in Brighton, UK. He has spent the better part of the last decade celebrating and championing independent publishers and writers both in the bookshops he has worked in and as a freelancer for numerous publishers. He most recently worked for Myriad Editions as their Book Sales and Promotions Coordinator. He is currently studying for a masters degree in English Literature.

Euan Monaghan

Book Design

Euan Monaghan is a book designer based between the Netherlands and the UK. He is responsible for typesetting and ebook production at World Editions.

Cora Hume-Fagin

Publishing Assistant

Cora Hume-Fagin was born and raised in New York City. She earned a BA in Art History and French Literature from Vassar College and is currently based in Lower Manhattan. Cora is a curator and director at All Street Gallery, and also works as a bookseller at Sweet Pickle Books. She is dedicated to supporting accessible creative spaces for New York’s art and literature community, on both a local and global scale. Cora is passionate about translated literature and is thrilled to be part of World Editions as a Publishing Assistant.