Interview with Daniela Di Sora, founder and publisher of Voland Editions

newitalianbooks’s series of interviews with the heads of Italian publishing houses continues in this instalment with Daniela Di Sora, founder and publisher of Voland Editions.

How would you describe Voland’s identity to newitalianbooks readers abroad? What are its characteristics and strengths?

At Voland, we strive to publish books that we love, that engage us, and that we believe are necessary in some way. By necessity, our selection is ruthless; by choice, we publish only 24–25 titles a year, and of these, just 4–5 are by Italian writers; the rest are translations, often from less ‘common’ languages such as Bulgarian, Serbian, Czech… but also Portuguese, Spanish, French, German…

Before deciding to found a publishing house – now more than thirty years ago – I was (and still am) an avid, discerning reader who loves stories that are anything but run-of-the-mill; the language, too, must be anything but run-of-the-mill, a little unsettling, requiring a modicum of effort. That is why we always rely on excellent translators, such as Professor Bruno Mazzoni, to whom we owe the discovery of a great author like Mircea Cărtărescu and my much-loved Matei Vișniec, a Romanian novelist, poet and playwright naturalised as a French citizen with boundless imagination.

I also believe (and hope) that our books appear ‘aesthetically’ well-crafted: the basic design choices were made years ago by an exceptional graphic designer, a partner in the publishing house and my partner, Alberto Lecaldano, who decided on the type of paper, the thread-bound bindings, the dust jackets, the typeface… choices that are still upheld today by a highly sensitive and capable professional graphic designer, Francesco Sanesi.

In short: we do everything we can to ensure our books are carefully selected and produced. And if they demand a little effort from the reader… I think and hope that they offer unconventional perspectives on the world.

Which literary and non-literary ventures have worked best in Italy and, if applicable, in other countries, and in your opinion, why?

As far as Voland is concerned, the gambles that have worked best are undoubtedly Amélie Nothomb and Georgi Gospodinov.

For Nothomb, the reason is obvious: an extraordinary author, known and loved all over the world, who tells us fascinating and surprising stories every year, on a regular basis, and who has managed to establish an annual appointment with her Italian readers, an appointment she adheres to religiously… and what’s more, she remains loyal to a small independent publishing house!

And it was precisely for Amélie that we embarked on a real adventure: her latest books, starting with Aerostati (2021), have all been translated by the highly talented Federica Di Lella, and we have become convinced that hers is Amélie’s true Italian voice, the only one capable of fully capturing her spirit in our language; and for this reason we have decided to entrust Federica with the retranslation of all her previous titles.

Of course, it wasn’t an easy decision to make; it will be a long and financially demanding process, but for Amélie, this and more!

Georgi Gospodinov was harder to introduce and build a readership for in Italy: we published his first book, Natural Novel, in 2007, but it took almost ten years for the Bulgarian writer to find success in Italy, largely thanks to The Physics of Melancholy, a book brimming with imagination, humour and grace, and the European Strega Prize he won in 2021 for Chronorifugio. I am absolutely delighted that today this formidable author enjoys the worldwide appreciation and honours he deserves.

In general, I would like to emphasise that for us it is essential to follow an author’s entire body of work, to become their Italian home—as long as the ruthless logic of the publishing market allows it—rather than limiting ourselves to the mere ad hoc publication of a single title. It is often an ambition that takes time to bear fruit, but we are rather stubborn and persist to the bitter end.

As for Italian authors, I can only say that, paradoxically, it is harder for Voland to establish them, but we persevere when we believe in an author… To name a few: Valerio Aiolli, who has been shortlisted for the Strega Prize twice, first in 2019 with Nero ananas and then just last year with the magnificent Portofino Blues; Sebastiano Martini, nominated for the current edition with Il frastuono del mondo; Roberta Lepri, invited to take part in the programme for Italy as Guest of Honour at the 2026 Guadalajara International Book Fair, winner of the 2024 Chianti Prize with Dna chef and soon to be translated into Serbian with Hai presente Liam Neeson?; Ilaria Gaspari, who made her debut with us in 2015 with Etica dell’acquario, which we republished in paperback in 2023, and many others… I love the way they tell extraordinary stories, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. For them and for us at Voland. But of course also for those who love reading good stories.