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| Two Lines Press | |
|---|---|
| Name | Two Lines Press |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Country | United States |
| Publications | Books |
| Topics | Translation, World Literature, Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction |
Two Lines Press
Two Lines Press is an independent literary publisher specializing in contemporary world literature and translation. Founded in the early 21st century, the press has developed relationships with translators, authors, and cultural institutions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Its catalog spans poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and emphasizes voices from Argentina, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, and Spain among others.
Two Lines Press was established amid a resurgence of independent presses influenced by movements surrounding Small Press Distribution, Poetry Foundation, and independent imprints in cities such as New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago. Early collaborators included translators and editors who had worked with institutions like Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley. The press's development intersected with festivals and networks such as Prague Writers' Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and partnerships with cultural bodies like the British Council and the Goethe-Institut.
The press's mission emphasizes translation and cross-cultural exchange, aligning editorial priorities with translators, literary agents, and programs at PEN America, Literary Translators Association (UK), and university presses such as Harvard University Press and Yale University Press. Editorial curation frequently references contemporary movements and figures tied to Latin American literature, Russian literature, and Modern Japanese literature, while commissioning work from translators linked to Princeton University and University of Chicago. The press seeks to amplify writers whose work has appeared alongside authors associated with prizes like the Nobel Prize in Literature, the International Booker Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Two Lines Press publishes novels, poetry collections, and essayistic works, often translating from languages including Spanish language, Japanese language, Russian language, Arabic language, and Portuguese language. Notable titles have been discussed in outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Los Angeles Review of Books. The press has released anthologies and single-author volumes that have been taught in classrooms at institutions like Columbia University School of the Arts and featured at events such as BookExpo America and Frankfurt Book Fair.
Authors in the press's catalog include contemporary and emerging figures connected to literary scenes in Mexico City, Lagos, Seoul, Istanbul, and Cairo. The press works with translators who have collaborated with publishers such as Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Penguin Random House, and Graywolf Press, and with writers whose careers intersect with editors from Granta, Tin House, and The Paris Review. Contributors have participated in residencies at Yaddo, MacDowell, and Bellagio Center.
Distribution networks for the press have involved partnerships with nonprofit and commercial entities including Small Press Distribution, university bookstores, and distributors active at trade fairs such as Bologna Children's Book Fair and London Book Fair. The press has formed cultural partnerships with organizations like the African Writers Trust, Asia Society, and the Instituto Cervantes, and has collaborated with academic programs at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and Stanford University for translations and symposia.
Titles from the press have been shortlisted for and received attention from prizes and honors including the International Booker Prize, the National Translation Award, and recognition in lists by The New Yorker, Time magazine, and NPR. Critical acclaim has come from reviewers at The New York Review of Books, Los Angeles Times, and Slate, and translations have been acknowledged by panels associated with the Modern Language Association and the Academy of American Poets.
As with many independent publishers, the press has faced debates over editorial decisions, translation fidelity, and market visibility in contexts involving agents, prize juries, and festival programming such as Hay Festival and Cheltenham Literature Festival. Critics have compared its editorial choices to those of larger houses including Faber and Faber and Bloomsbury Publishing while commentators in outlets like The New Republic and The Atlantic have scrutinized the negotiation between literary ambition and commercial sustainability.
Category:Independent book publishers Category:Publishers of translated literature