182: Henry Jeppesen

Nostalgia Interviews with Chris Deacy

My guest this week is Henry Jeppesen, a freelance literary translator, who studied Single Honours Swedish at Lampeter from 1993-97. We learn about Henry’s Scandinavian background, find out why he fell in love with Lampeter and what happened on his Year Abroad.
In his time at university, Henry sat on the Ents Committee and remembers seeing Zodiac Mindwarp and Doctor and the Medics perform – though we learn that he didn’t quite manage to bring Oasis or Blur to Lampeter!
We learn about the impact Lampeter had on Henry, including the Students’ Union, and Henry reflects on what it would have been like to be at a different university.
Henry talks about learning a language from scratch, what it was like to go to Lampeter from a small town, and growing up in Norfolk.
We find out about the gigs Henry went to when young, including Def Leppard and he tells us whether he goes for the artists’ old or new music. Another of his favourite bands is The Manic Street Preachers, and we reflect on the fanzines that existed when we were young.
We talk about our chart obsessions. Like me, Henry bought the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles. He has always been into music, and he remembers the time that he went to see U2 in concert in Cape Town.
Henry shares some of the advice he has been given along the way as far as translating is concerned and he talks about how he has been able to use his Swedish professionally.
We also find out how Henry’s parents met, how life has worked out for him and how he has reconnected with people through social media.
And, at the end of the interview, Henry reflects on whether he is a looking back or a looking forward type of person.