For the season finale, we sit down with Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg, an up-and-coming American translator of Scandinavian fiction and non-fiction. After falling in love with Danish literature at school, she swapped Long Island for Copenhagen — and hasn’t looked back.

From deciphering Danish idioms to navigating Copenhagen's literary "hothouse," Sherilyn shares her translation journey. You'll hear about learning a language that can sound like "French underwater", translating books that blur poetry and prose, and why AI can't match the human touch for capturing nuance.

Whether you’re a bookworm or a language lover, this episode is a delightful deep dive into the art and joy of bringing Danish stories to the world.

Links:

Sherilyn’s official website

Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst

After the Sun by Jonas Eika

Deficit by Emma Holten

The Employees by Olga Ravn

My Work by Olga Ravn

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

Henrik Knudsen is the Elvis Presley superfan who built Memphis Mansion — a brick-for-brick replica of Graceland in the Danish city of Randers.

From his 148 pilgrimages to America to the legal showdown with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Henrik's story is a rollercoaster of obsession, risk, and rock history.

This episode is a love letter to fandom, a testament to following your wildest ideas, and a reminder that sometimes, the craziest dreams make the best stories.

Visit https://www.memphismansion.dk/ for more.

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

The Human Library is a groundbreaking initiative founded in Copenhagen in 2000, where instead of borrowing books, visitors "borrow" people — volunteers who share their personal stories and experiences to challenge prejudice and foster understanding.

In this episode, founder Ronni Abergel shares the origins of the project, its global expansion to over 80 countries, and the careful process of selecting and supporting "books" to ensure a safe, respectful environment for both storytellers and readers.

The episode delves into the transformative power of these encounters, both for the volunteers and the public, and discusses the challenges of maintaining the project in a changing social and corporate landscape. This is the extraordinary story of an ongoing mission to break down barriers, one conversation at a time.

Find out more about the Human Library at https://humanlibrary.org/.

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.