Bill Swainson

Bill Swainson
OBE, Hon. FRSL
Born
William John Galliene Swainson[1]

Lancaster, Lancashire, England
EducationUniversity of Leeds
OccupationsEditor, publisher, literary consultant
AwardsTA First Translation Prize

Bill Swainson OBE, Hon. FRSL is an English editor and literary consultant, who has several decades of experience working in independent and mainstream publishing, including with John Calder Ltd, Allison & Busby, Fourth Estate, the Harvill Press and Bloomsbury Publishing until 2015. Since then, he has been consultant editor at MacLehose Press, and non-fiction editor-at-large for Oneworld Publications, He serves as a trustee of the Lancaster Literature Festival and the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation.

Biography

Born in Lancaster, Lancashire,[2] Swainson studied at the University of Leeds, where he read English, before beginning a career in publishing. From 1976 to 1988, he was employed by John Calder Ltd, going on to work with Allison & Busby (1980–87), Fourth Estate (1987–88) and the Harvill Press (1989–1995), followed by a period as a freelancer, before joining Bloomsbury Publishing in 2000 as senior commissioning editor, until 2015.[3][4] He has subsequently been consultant editor at MacLehose Press, focused on fiction in translation,[5] and non-fiction editor-at-large for Oneworld Publications.[4][6][7] He has been described as "an enthusiast for literature in translation",[8] and has been a judge for prizes including the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation[9] and the Translators Association First Translation Prize.[10][11]

Among many notable authors with whom Swainson has worked in an editorial capacity are Mourid Barghouti, Javier Cercas, Paul Durcan, Al Gore, A. C. Grayling, Dermot Healy, Elizabeth Kolbert, David Kynaston,Amin Maalouf, Laurie Penny, Agnès Poirier, Jacqueline Rose, Judith Schalansky, W. G. Sebald, Will Self, Matthew Sweeney, Juan Gabriel Vásquez and Delphine de Vigan.[4][12]

In 2000, Swainson was editor of The Encarta Book of Quotations (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc). In 2019, he was co-editor (with Barbara Schwepcke) of A New Divan: A Lyrical Dialogue Between East and West (Gingko Library), a multilingual anthology in honour of the 200th anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem sequence West-Eastern Divan.[13][14] Among contributors to A New Divan are Adonis, Mourid Barghouti, Jan Wagner, Don Paterson, Jo Shapcott, George Szirtes, Lavinia Greenlaw and Robin Robertson.[15][16]

Swainson has served in roles as adviser and board member of literary organizations including the British Centre for Literary Translation,[17] The Poetry Society, the Poetry Book Society, the Poetry Translation Centre, and is a trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation and the Lancaster Literature Festival (LitFest).[2][3][4] He convenes the LitFest International Book Club.[18]

Awards and recognition

In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Swainson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Literary Translation.[1]

In 2022, the TA First Translation Prize for debut translation from any language, shared between the translator and their editor, was awarded to Jackie Smith together with Swainson as editor, for a translation of An Inventory of Losses by Judith Schalansky, published by MacLehose Press.[19]

Swainson was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (HFRSL) in 2023.[20]

In July 2026, he received an honorary degree (D Litt 'Honoris Causa') from Lancaster University.[21]

Personal life

Swainson is married to Caroline McCormick, director and founder of cultural sector consultancy company, Achates.[22][23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Queen's birthday honours list 2015: OBE". The Guardian. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Meet the Board | Bill Swainson". Litfest. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Interview: Bill Swainson". newspanishbooks.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "About". culturalphilanthropyfoundation.co.uk. Cultural Philanthropy Foundation. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  5. ↑ Onwuemezi, Natasha (26 February 2016). "Swainson acquires Cercas and Vásquez for MacLehose". The Bookseller. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Campbell, Lisa (16 January 2017). "Bill Swainson joins Oneworld as editor at large". The Bookseller. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  7. ↑ de Chamberet, Georgia (19 March 2017). "What do Book Editors Want? Spotlight". BookBlast. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Lea, Richard (16 November 2007). "Lost: translation". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "The 2016 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation". The Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Onwuemezi, Natasha (17 January 2018). "Inaugural First Translation Prize shortlist revealed". The Bookseller. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Anderson, Porter (1 March 2018). "Bela Shayevich's Translation of 'Second-Hand Time' Wins Inaugural TA First Translation Prize". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Swainson, Bill (9 August 2013). "Matthew Sweeney obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "The Story". A New Divan. Gingko. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "#Riveting Reviews: Rüdiger Görner reviews A NEW DIVAN: A LYRICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST edited by Bill Swainson and Barbara Schwepcke, with forewords by Daniel Barenboim and Mariam C. Said". European Literature Network. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Gingko marks 200th anniversary of Goethe's West-Eastern Divan with two books". The Bookseller. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "A celebration of East-West dialogue through poetry and music". The New Arab. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Swainson, Bill (April 2020). "Excitement and Possibility". newwriting.net. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Litfest International Fiction Online Book Club". litfest.org. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Wood, Heloise (10 February 2022). "Death wins for third time at 2022 SoA Translation Prizes". The Bookseller. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Bill Swainson". Royal Society of Literature. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Honorary degree for Bill Swainson OBE HFRSL". Lancaster University. 17 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "About | The Achates Team | Caroline McCormick". achates.org.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Meet the Founder: Caroline McCormick". womensprize.com. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
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