LETTER OF FOUNDER

When I founded World of Words, Gstaad’s first English language literature festival, in 2020 my hope was that it would one day become as permanent and regular a fixture in the cultural calendar of the Saanenland as are the Menuhin Festival, the Polo, the Tennis, Country Night and all the other wonderful events we enjoy in the region. As we approach our fifth anniversary event on the weekend of 30-31 August 2025 that hope seems ever closer to reality.

Our goal at WoW Gstaad remains to provoke thought, to share discussions with the world beyond our community, and to support writers and readers. Words matter, and every so often people need to be reminded of the influence stories have on our lives, the ongoing relevance of literature in modern society, and the importance of literacy. We all - authors, organisers, donors, sponsors, ticket buyers - can play our part in improving the world around us.

Gstaad may be a small community but it has a far-reaching voice and we are proud to be a part of it. For many years, the village, with its warm and welcoming locals, has hosted visitors from around the world, including luminaries in the fields of cinema, art, music, sport, and literature. Those visitors, along with holiday regulars are Gstaad’s ambassadors and supporters. We hope you too will become a part of this beautiful community.

A lot has happened since our first edition and we have had such a tremendous quantity and quality of authors speaking on the WoW Gstaad platforms over the years that simply listing them would not do them justice. Instead, I encourage you to click the Authors & Galleries tab, above, to see recordings of past presentations as well as videos highlighting the related activities and meals that makes WoW Gstaad such a unique and intimate event. There’s plenty going on and I hope you’ll come and see for yourself this summer.

Thank you all for believing in words, in the World of Words, and for helping us achieve our mission:

Preserving Literature, Supporting Writers, and Encouraging Readers

Thomas D. Alexandrou - Gommes

Founder & Literary Director

Born in London of a French father and a Greek mother, Thomas completed his B.A. degree in History, his J.D. degree in Law, and his Master’s degree in Journalism, all at Columbia University in the City of New York. After qualifying as a lawyer in New York and in London, he practiced corporate law for 15 years before moving in 2017 to live in the Saaneland region and pursue his lifelong passion to become a full-time writer. Thomas is currently working on two collections of short stories and building the World of Words, Gstaad literature festival, into a permanent fixture in the international literary calendar for the benefit, preservation and encouragement of writing, writers and readers.

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Kyra Dupont Troubetzkoy

born in 1971 in Geneva, holds a double master's degree in International Relations from The Graduate Institute, Geneva and Journalism from City University, London. Her attraction to humanitarian and environmental causes led her to Cambodia as a senior reporter in 1996; producer for the correspondent of CNBS Asia, she directed, among other things, a feature-length documentary, As long as There is Paper, in 2000. After numerous collaborations in the written press, radio and television in France, the United States, and Switzerland, she took the lead on the International Section of daily paper 24 Heures. In 2007, she embarked on full-time writing and published several works including her fifth novel, "L’envol des milans » and « Geneva, at the Heart of the World" for Assouline, both released in November 2021. She also works as a freelance journalist and is on the committee of J’aime ma planète, an association dedicated to sustainable development and the environment. She is also a freelance journalist for Heidi.news and Geneva Solutions.

Dennis Paul

Dennis is a Senior Advisor at The Blackstone Group. He is also the Founder and Managing Member of Thyra Global, a boutique private equity and venture capital firm. Dennis holds a BA from Columbia University, New York. He is a Trustee of the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, where he serves on the Executive Committee. He is Co-Founder of both the educational non-profit, REACT to FILM, and the for-profit production company React Films which has produced award-winning films and television series such as 100 Foot Wave (HBO), The Workers Cup (Passion River), Slay the Dragon (Magnolia Pictures), and The Story of Plastic (Discovery Networks).

Meet The Literature Committee: