The Wise Man from the Sea: Time and Place, Spirit and Eternity is a collection of previously unpublished texts, collected from letters, notebooks and excerpts from the novels by the acclaimed Faroese writer and artist William Heinesen. It constitutes a key to his thoughtscape.

He writes on the extensive connections between consciousness and cosmos, poetry and religion, humanity and mankind, the human and the humane. The texts contain observations on childhood, old age, and his own life’s work. Additionally, the texts contain thoughts on science, politics, and acculturated European ideas spanning from antiquity up until modern society, leading finally to how Heinesen worked to address his fight against the cultural polarisation that characterised his time. It is a clarion call to remember our connection with our fellow humans and all the other creatures that share in this cosmos. A life wisdom as relevant as ever.

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About the translator:
Marita Thomsen is a literary translator from the Faroes, where the wind often roars, and now lives in Keele, where it whispers. Her love of languages and stories has crystallised into English translations of Faroese, Danish and Spanish language authors, while her work as a conference interpreter satisfies her curiosity and wanderlust. She is also a mentor for emerging translators from Faroese at the National Centre for Writing in Norwich, UK. Marita is keen to collaborate across the North Atlantic and further afield with a special interest in queer, marginalised and women's writing. Hearing readings brings her joy, as does taking part in readings.

Published works include: On the Other Side is March by Sólrún Michelsen (Transit Books, US), the first Faroese queer poetry collection The Suntrap by Beinir Bergsson (Francis Boutle Publishers, UK), contributions to the anthology The Dedalus Book of Faroese Literature (Dedalus, UK) the lyrical novel the play Castle of Joy by Búi Dam, which had a sell-out run at the Barbican, and award-winning children’s books by Bárður Oskarsson. Marita has contributed to Circumference Magazine, Asymptote Journal and anthologies published by Pushkin Press and Dedalus Books, her translation of Dead Men Dancing by Jógvan Isaksen received the 2024 Petrona Award.

About the author:
William Heinesen (born Jan. 15, 1900, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, Den.—died Mar. 12, 1991, Tórshavn) was a Faroese writer of Danish-language poetry and fiction in which he used his remote North Atlantic homeland as a microcosmic setting for universal social, psychological, and cosmic themes. In 1921, while studying in Copenhagen, Heinesen published a volume of lyric poetry, Arktiske Elegier (“Arctic Elegies”). He wrote three more collections of poetry before he returned to the Faroe Islands in 1932. In his novels, beginning with Blæsende Gry (1934; “Windswept Dawn”), he combined elements of tragedy, comedy, satire, allegory, and social criticism to explore such themes as the harshness of nature and the rights of the individual as opposed to the collective good. His other works include the novels Noatun (1938; Niels Peter), De fortabte Spillemænd (1950; The Lost Musicians), Det gode Håb (1964; “The Good Hope”), and Tårnet ved Verdens Ende (1976; The Tower at the End of the World), as well as several volumes of short stories. He was elected to the Danish Academy in 1961.

This reading was contributed as part of the 2026 Association of Danish-English Literary Translators feature week for Translators Aloud.

The world has ended. The last human being arrives in the last city, where he falls in love with La Maga, a woman who may exist only in the pages of a novel. Presiding over it all is the Great Hare, the world’s creator: sardonic, compassionate, and determined to retell the whole sorry history of humanity before time itself comes to an end.

By turns creation myth, post-apocalyptic fable, and metafictional love story, _The Chronology of Innocence_ follows the last man’s pursuit of La Maga and, in the ruined town of Nod, two women’s struggle to imagine a future after genocide and environmental devastation. At its heart lies a question: might grief, rather than conquest or progress, offer humanity one final chance?

Translator bio
*Misha Hoekstra* has translated more than twenty books from Danish, including novels by Dorthe Nors, Tine Høeg, and Christian Jungersen. His work has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and recognized with a three-year literary fellowship from the Danish Arts Foundation. Based in Aarhus, Hoekstra also writes and performs songs for the duo Bear & Butterfly.
mishap13@gmail.com
https://minkahoist.bandcamp.com/album/croons-tunes

Author bio
*Sofie Kragh-Müller* combines myth, philosophy, and environmental concerns in formally inventive narratives that explore grief, memory, and the limits of language. _The Chronology of Innocence_ (_Uskyldens kronologi_, Jensen & Dalgaard, 2025) is her third novel.

This reading was contributed as part of the 2026 Association of Danish-English Literary Translators feature week for Translators Aloud.

Mathilde Walter Clark’s Det blinde øje (A Blind Eye) is an essayistic work that begins in Autumn 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic. The author is sitting at home in isolation when she starts to see footage of the cull that would eventually kill the more than 15 million minks being raised on Denmark’s fur farms. The gruesome images she is witnessing do not seem to align with the official story, and she begins to suspect that there are other motives for the cull than protecting public health. The investigation she pursues takes her to different countries and into the past.
The book, which won several prizes, is an indictment of humanity’s relationship with animals and draws attention to why a human-centric worldview is problematic.
This excerpt is taken from the very beginning of the book, where Walter Clark describes the moment that she first heard about the mink cull.

“Wildly fascinating, thorough, and rich in perspective” ~ Kristeligt Dagblad (5 out of 5 stars)

“Nothing less than outstanding” ~ Weekendavisen

“The greedy mink farming industry exposed in a disturbingly good book. Hats off to Mathilde Walter Clark!” ~ Litteratursiden

“Fierce and brilliant (…) a powerful demonstration of linguistic precision, moderation, research, and composition. My perspective has been changed forever.” ~ Information

“A major eye-opener that gives you food for thought” ~ Bogblogger.dk

Translator bio
Tyler Langendorfer is a translator from Danish, Dutch, German, and other languages. He has an MA in Culture, Policy and Management from City St George's, University of London, and his nonfiction interests include film, history, human rights, and music. He also specializes in children’s/YA literature, drama, and poetry. His translations have been featured in Eurozine and Versopolis, among other places.
Originally from the US, Tyler is now based in Berlin, Germany.

Author bio
Mathilde Walter Clark is a Danish-American writer of essays, novels, and short stories who grew up in Denmark. She obtained a master’s degree in Danish and Philosophy from Roskilde University and New York University. Her breakthrough novel, Lone Star, was published in English in 2021 by Deep Vellum, in a translation by K.E. Semmel. In 2023, A Blind Eye was one of two of her bestselling books on animals published that year, the other being the essay Hvordan man laver dyr (How to Make Animals).

This reading was contributed as part of the 2026 Association of Danish-English Literary Translators feature week for Translators Aloud.