This week, we're speaking with the lovely H.S. (Helle) Norup about the stories which shaped her, and it's a stroll through folklore, faerie hills, and fantastical worlds. Come with us as we talk about the differences between modern children's books and classic books from our childhoods, the intersections between languages and how one would go about translating 'lashings of ginger beer' into Danish, and a children's book so influential (and controversial) that it was discussed in parliament! Settle in, grab your hat, and get Storyshaped with us.

Find Helle online:

www.hsnorup.com

Twitter: H.S. Norup

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Helle's own:

The Missing Barbegazi (Pushkin Children's)

The Hungry Ghost (Pushkin Children's)

Into the Faerie Hill (Pushkin Children's)

And the books which shaped her include:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Never Ending Story by Michael Ende

The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren

Ronja the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren

Emil and the Detectives by Eric Kastner

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

The work of Agatha Christie

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula le Guin

Dune by Frank Herbert

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

"Fairy tales are more than true - not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten." Neil Gaiman, misquoting G.K. Chesterton

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In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

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