diff --git a/nsv/ensv.py b/nsv/ensv.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37704b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nsv/ensv.py
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+from typing import List, Iterable
+
+from .reader import Reader
+from .writer import Writer
+
+
+def lift(seqseq: Iterable[Iterable[str]]) -> List[str]:
+    """
+    Lift a seqseq into a single row (sequence of strings), removing one
+    dimension without losing structural information.
+
+    Escapes every cell and chains them with empty-string separators
+    between rows (separator semantics, not terminator).
+    """
+    result = []
+    first = True
+    for row in seqseq:
+        if not first:
+            result.append('')
+        for cell in row:
+            result.append(Writer.escape(cell))
+        first = False
+    return result
+
+
+def unlift(seq: Iterable[str]) -> List[List[str]]:
+    """
+    Unlift a sequence of strings back into a seqseq, recovering the
+    dimension collapsed by lift.
+
+    1. If the current element is non-empty, unescape it and append to the
+       current row
+    2. If the current element is empty, terminate the current row
+    3. At end of input, terminate the current row
+    """
+    rows = []
+    row = []
+    for element in seq:
+        if element != '':
+            row.append(Reader.unescape(element))
+        else:
+            rows.append(row)
+            row = []
+    rows.append(row)
+    return rows
diff --git a/tests/test_lift.py b/tests/test_lift.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19776e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_lift.py
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+import unittest
+
+from nsv.ensv import lift, unlift
+from nsv.util import escape_seqseq, spill
+from test_utils import SAMPLES_DATA
+
+
+# All non-empty samples — [] is irrepresentable by lift.
+LIFT_SAMPLES = {k: v for k, v in SAMPLES_DATA.items() if v}
+
+
+class TestLift(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def test_single_row_single_cell(self):
+        self.assertEqual(['a'], lift([['a']]))
+
+    def test_single_row_multiple_cells(self):
+        self.assertEqual(['a', 'b', 'c'], lift([['a', 'b', 'c']]))
+
+    def test_multiple_rows(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            ['a', 'b', '', 'c', 'd'],
+            lift([['a', 'b'], ['c', 'd']]),
+        )
+
+    def test_ragged_rows(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            ['a', 'b', '', 'c'],
+            lift([['a', 'b'], ['c']]),
+        )
+
+    def test_single_empty_row(self):
+        """[[]] lifts to [] — the single empty row becomes an empty sequence."""
+        self.assertEqual([], lift([[]]))
+
+    def test_two_empty_rows(self):
+        self.assertEqual([''], lift([[], []]))
+
+    def test_three_empty_rows(self):
+        self.assertEqual(['', ''], lift([[], [], []]))
+
+    def test_empty_row_between_data(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            ['a', '', '', 'b'],
+            lift([['a'], [], ['b']]),
+        )
+
+    def test_escaping_backslash(self):
+        self.assertEqual(['a\\\\b'], lift([['a\\b']]))
+
+    def test_escaping_newline(self):
+        self.assertEqual(['a\\nb'], lift([['a\nb']]))
+
+    def test_escaping_empty_cell(self):
+        self.assertEqual(['\\'], lift([['']]))
+
+    def test_escaping_multiple_specials(self):
+        result = lift([['a\\b', 'c\nd'], ['', 'e']])
+        self.assertEqual(['a\\\\b', 'c\\nd', '', '\\', 'e'], result)
+
+
+class TestUnlift(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def test_single_element(self):
+        self.assertEqual([['a']], unlift(['a']))
+
+    def test_multiple_elements_single_row(self):
+        self.assertEqual([['a', 'b', 'c']], unlift(['a', 'b', 'c']))
+
+    def test_multiple_rows(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            [['a', 'b'], ['c', 'd']],
+            unlift(['a', 'b', '', 'c', 'd']),
+        )
+
+    def test_empty_input(self):
+        """Empty input unlifts to [[]] — terminates the (empty) current row."""
+        self.assertEqual([[]], unlift([]))
+
+    def test_single_separator(self):
+        """A single empty string produces two empty rows."""
+        self.assertEqual([[], []], unlift(['']))
+
+    def test_unescaping_backslash(self):
+        self.assertEqual([['a\\b']], unlift(['a\\\\b']))
+
+    def test_unescaping_newline(self):
+        self.assertEqual([['a\nb']], unlift(['a\\nb']))
+
+    def test_unescaping_empty_cell(self):
+        self.assertEqual([['']], unlift(['\\']))
+
+    def test_trailing_separator(self):
+        self.assertEqual([['a'], []], unlift(['a', '']))
+
+
+class TestLiftUnliftRoundtrip(unittest.TestCase):
+    """unlift(lift(x)) == x for all non-empty seqseqs."""
+
+    def test_roundtrip(self):
+        for name, seqseq in LIFT_SAMPLES.items():
+            with self.subTest(name=name):
+                self.assertEqual(seqseq, unlift(lift(seqseq)))
+
+    def test_lift_produces_no_newlines(self):
+        for name, seqseq in LIFT_SAMPLES.items():
+            with self.subTest(name=name):
+                for cell in lift(seqseq):
+                    self.assertNotIn('\n', cell)
+
+
+class TestUnliftLiftRoundtrip(unittest.TestCase):
+    """lift(unlift(y)) == y for valid lifted sequences."""
+
+    CASES = [
+        ['a'],
+        ['a', 'b'],
+        ['a', 'b', '', 'c'],
+        ['a', '', '', 'b'],
+        [''],
+        ['', ''],
+        ['a', ''],
+        ['\\'],
+        ['a\\\\b', 'c\\nd'],
+        ['a\\\\b', 'c\\nd', '', '\\', 'e'],
+    ]
+
+    def test_roundtrip(self):
+        for seq in self.CASES:
+            with self.subTest(seq=seq):
+                self.assertEqual(seq, lift(unlift(seq)))
+
+
+class TestLiftDecomposition(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Verify equivalence: lift = init . spill[String, ''] . map(map(escape))."""
+
+    def test_equivalence(self):
+        for name, seqseq in LIFT_SAMPLES.items():
+            with self.subTest(name=name):
+                via_decomposition = spill(escape_seqseq(seqseq), '')[:-1]
+                self.assertEqual(via_decomposition, lift(seqseq))
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()