K.E. Semmel

K.E. Semmel is an American author, literary translator, and disability advocate. He is best known for his translations of contemporary Danish and Norwegian literature into English, including works by Jussi Adler-Olsen, Karin Fossum, Simon Fruelund, and Naja Marie Aidt. In 2024, he published his debut novel, The Book of Losman, which explores the intersection of translation and Tourette syndrome. A 2016 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Translation Fellow,

Early life and education Semmel attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts. He later received a Master of Arts in English from Kansas State University.

Career Semmel is a prolific translator of contemporary Scandinavian literature. In 2016, he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Literature Fellowship for Translation.

In addition to translation, Semmel is a fiction writer and essayist. His debut novel, The Book of Losman, was published in 2024 by SFWP. The book was recognized by Debutiful as a noteworthy debut of 2024. an experience that facilitated his fluency in the Danish language and provided the cultural immersion that informed his later career as a translator and a novelist.

Semmel resides in Scottsville, New York, near Rochester. Having lived with Tourette syndrome since childhood, he is an active advocate for the community. He was a keynote speaker at the 2025 TIC-CON (Tourette Association of America) Conference. Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and World Literature Today. Notable pieces include: "How Should Debut Novelists Measure Success?" (The Millions, 2024) "7 Novels Set in Copenhagen" (Electric Literature, 2024)