New Vessel Press
An American independent publisher specializing in translated international literature and narrative nonfiction.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
New Vessel Press is an American independent publishing house founded in 2012 by writer and translator Ross Ufberg and author and journalist Michael Z. Wise. The press was created to bring significant fiction, literary nonfiction, memoir, and cultural writing from outside the English-speaking world to English-language readers. Its first books appeared in 2013, establishing a program centered on translated literature rather than on a single national market, genre, or commercial franchise. The publisher's catalog draws from a wide range of languages and literary traditions, including Modern Greek, Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Scandinavian languages, and other languages represented in contemporary world literature. Its books frequently address migration, memory, war, political violence, family history, identity, art, sexuality, displacement, and the relationship between personal experience and national history. Alongside novels and short fiction, the list includes biographies, memoirs, essays, art writing, cultural criticism, and themed anthologies. New Vessel Press has developed a reputation for pairing international authors with established translators and for presenting books that might otherwise have limited visibility in the English-language market. Its titles have received attention from major publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Review of Books, and O, The Oprah Magazine. The press's translation program has also achieved notable literary recognition. Ersi Sotiropoulou's What's Left of the Night, translated from Modern Greek by Karen Emmerich, won the 2019 National Translation Award in Prose. Stênio Gardel's The Words That Remain, translated from Portuguese by Bruna Dantas Lobato, won the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature. The catalog includes both individual works and recurring anthology concepts. Its Very Christmas series presents seasonal writing from particular linguistic and cultural regions, while other books introduce readers to literary voices from countries and communities that are underrepresented in English translation. The list has included authors such as Sergei Lebedev, Jean-Philippe Blondel, Martin Suter, Marina Jarre, Maya Arad, and Anjet Daanje, as well as works translated from Brazil, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. New Vessel Press distributes its print books to American bookstores and online retailers through Consortium Book Sales & Distribution. Publishers Group Canada handles Canadian distribution, while Turnaround Publisher Services distributes the list in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its titles are also available in electronic formats, and many are issued as audiobooks. Cover art for some of the press's translations has been created by artists including Liana Finck and Beth Steidle. The company remains an independent, internationally oriented literary publisher whose central proposition is to expand access to translated writing in English.
History
New Vessel Press was established in 2012 by Ross Ufberg, a writer and translator, and Michael Z. Wise, an author and journalist. The founders intended to create an independent publishing house that would make notable foreign-language literature available to English-speaking readers. The press released its first books in 2013 and quickly built a catalog spanning Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and other literary regions. From the beginning, the company emphasized works that combine literary quality with strong cultural or historical perspectives. Early publications included Vladimir Lorchenkov's The Good Life Elsewhere, Pitigrilli's Cocaine, Marek Hlasko's Killing the Second Dog, Hilde Spiel's Fanny von Arnstein, and Pedro Mairal's The Missing Year of Juan Salvatierra. Subsequent lists expanded into contemporary fiction, historical novels, memoir, art writing, political and social commentary, and collections of seasonal stories organized by language or cultural tradition. The press's publishing strategy has relied on translation as a core editorial identity. Its books have introduced English-language readers to authors writing in Modern Greek, Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, and other languages. Translators are prominently associated with the books, and the list has included works by authors such as Sergei Lebedev, Jean-Philippe Blondel, Martin Suter, Marina Jarre, Igiaba Scego, Clara Beaudoux, Ronit Matalon, Maya Arad, and Anjet Daanje. A major turning point came with the critical and institutional recognition of What's Left of the Night by Ersi Sotiropoulou. Karen Emmerich's translation of the Modern Greek novel won the 2019 National Translation Award in Prose, demonstrating the press's ability to bring a comparatively less widely translated literary tradition to a broad English-language audience. In 2023, The Words That Remain by Brazilian author Stênio Gardel, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato, won the National Book Award for Translated Literature. The novel explores the lasting effects of poverty, illiteracy, and homophobia, and its award further strengthened New Vessel Press's profile in contemporary translated fiction. The press has also maintained a broad nonfiction and cultural program. Titles such as The Eye: An Insider's Memoir of Masterpieces, Money, and the Magnetism of Art, If Venice Dies, The Last Supper, and The Vanished Collection show the range of its interests beyond conventional novels. Recurring anthology projects, including Very French Christmas, Very Italian Christmas, Very Scandinavian Christmas, Very Mexican Christmas, Very Irish Christmas, Very Indian Christmas, and Very Brazilian Christmas, offer themed introductions to writing from particular cultural and linguistic contexts. New Vessel Press uses specialist distribution arrangements to reach readers beyond its own website. Consortium Book Sales & Distribution supplies bookstores and online vendors across the United States. Publishers Group Canada distributes the books in Canada, and Turnaround Publisher Services covers the United Kingdom and Ireland. The catalog is available in print and electronic formats, with many titles also released as audiobooks. The press has worked with cover artists including Liana Finck and Beth Steidle, giving visual identity an important role in presenting translated works. By the mid-2020s, New Vessel Press remained an active independent publisher with a list that continued to combine international fiction, narrative nonfiction, literary discovery, and translation. Its recognition for The Words That Remain and the later award attention received by The Remembered Soldier illustrate the continuing importance of translation to its editorial and commercial identity.
- 2026
The Remembered Soldier is reported on the International Booker longlist
[1]The Dutch novel is reported as longlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize.
- 2025
The Remembered Soldier becomes a National Book Award finalist
[1]Anjet Daanje's novel, translated by David McKay, is reported as a finalist for the National Book Award for Translated Literature.
- 2023
The Words That Remain wins the National Book Award for Translated Literature
[1]Stênio Gardel's Portuguese-language novel, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato, wins the National Book Award for Translated Literature.
- 2019
What's Left of the Night wins the National Translation Award in Prose
[1]Ersi Sotiropoulou's novel, translated by Karen Emmerich, receives the National Translation Award in Prose.
- 2013
First books are published
[1]The press releases its first titles, establishing a program focused on translated literature and international cultural writing.
- 2012
New Vessel Press is founded
[1]Ross Ufberg and Michael Z. Wise co-found the independent publishing house to bring foreign literature to English-language readers.
Products and positioning
An independent, translation-focused literary press connecting international fiction and narrative nonfiction with English-language readers.
Book publishing · 2013
Translated literary fiction
The core of New Vessel Press's program is English-language fiction translated from a broad range of languages. The list includes contemporary novels, historical fiction, psychological narratives, family stories, and politically engaged works. Examples include What's Left of the Night, Adua, Oblivion, The 6:41 to Paris, The Words That Remain, and The Remembered Soldier.
Book publishing · 2013
Translated narrative nonfiction
The press publishes memoirs, biographies, essays, cultural histories, and works of art writing translated into English. These books often connect individual lives with political history, visual culture, cities, memory, or social change. Representative titles include The Eye, If Venice Dies, The Madeleine Project, and The Vanished Collection.
Anthologies · 2016
Very Christmas anthology series
This recurring anthology concept gathers seasonal stories associated with particular linguistic and cultural traditions. Editions have focused on French, Italian, Scandinavian, German-speaking, Irish, Mexican, Indian, and Brazilian writing, giving readers a themed entry point into international literature.
Digital publishing
Digital editions and audiobooks
New Vessel Press makes its titles available as e-books and issues many of them in audiobook formats. These editions extend the reach of the translated list beyond physical bookstores and support access through online vendors and digital reading platforms.
Brand decisions
2013
Launch a geographically broad publishing listStrategyBackground
Rather than limiting the list to one national literature or genre, the press aimed to expose English-language readers to varied international traditions.
Action taken
The first and subsequent publishing seasons combined translations from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and other regions with literary nonfiction and themed anthologies.
Aftermath
The resulting catalog established New Vessel Press as a general international-literature imprint with translation as its defining editorial focus.
2013
Build multi-market distributionStrategyBackground
An international translation list requires access to readers and booksellers in multiple English-language territories.
Action taken
The publisher established distribution through Consortium Book Sales & Distribution in the United States, Publishers Group Canada in Canada, and Turnaround Publisher Services in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Aftermath
The arrangements broadened the physical and online availability of the press's books across major English-language markets.
2012
Adopt a translation-centered independent publishing strategyStrategyBackground
The founders sought to address the limited availability of international fiction and narrative nonfiction in English.
Action taken
New Vessel Press was created around acquiring, translating, and publishing foreign-language literary works for English-speaking audiences.
Aftermath
The strategy shaped the press's catalog, distribution relationships, translator partnerships, and later award recognition.
Recent events
- 2026
The Remembered Soldier is longlisted for the International Booker Prize[1]
Other
The New Vessel Press edition of Anjet Daanje's novel was reported as longlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize.
- 2025
The Remembered Soldier receives major award recognition[1]
Other
Anjet Daanje's Dutch novel, translated by David McKay, was reported as a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award for Translated Literature.
- 2023
The Words That Remain wins the National Book Award for Translated Literature[1]
Other
Stênio Gardel's Brazilian novel, translated from Portuguese by Bruna Dantas Lobato and published by New Vessel Press, won the National Book Award for Translated Literature.
- 2019
What's Left of the Night wins the National Translation Award in Prose[1]
Other
New Vessel Press's edition of Ersi Sotiropoulou's novel, translated from Modern Greek by Karen Emmerich, received the National Translation Award in Prose.
Sources2 sources
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