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VOLUME 36 NATURAL WONDERS Ten of South Africa’s most exquisite spots HOMEGROWN FARE Dombolo and peppermint crisp ice cream sandwiches FIVE MINUTES WITH Country of My Skull author Antjie Krog ON MY MIND The path Milton Schorr chose to follow WIN A BOOK STACK TO THE VALUE OF R1 000! SVEN AXELRAD THE MAGAZINE ABOUT BOOKS FOR BOOK LOVERS THE PENGUIN POST INHALING THE MAGIC WITH YOUR FREE COPY! NEW LOOKA dazzling and sweeping new novel from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author EMILY HENRYWelcome! Though things may look a little different, we continue to bring you the best in author interviews, columns and books in every genre you can imagine. Kicking off with our cover feature, there’s something delightfully odd – and oddly delightful – about stepping into a Sven Axelrad novel. His latest, The Nicotine Gospel, is no exception. It’s strange, tender, darkly funny, and filled with the kind of characters who feel too weird to be real – and yet, somehow, too real to be made up. Sven chats to us about magical thinking, his hometown, and the reason he took up smoking. This issue is filled with stories that bend reality and truth in fascinating ways. Antjie Krog reflects on autofiction and how memory and history collide on the page. Sophie Stava explores the lies we tell to be loved. Tom Eaton talks about the strange confidence it takes to write fiction. We also head into wilder places, with real life stories that refused to be silenced, and a roundup of South Africa’s top ten natural wonders. And we serve up something comforting: Warren Mendes gives SA classics a bold new twist (yes, there’s peppermint crisp – and, spoiler, it’s in ice cream form). It’s all a reminder, really, that whether in fiction or food, the best stories always have a little magic. So, settle in, and until next time ... happy reading! contents 02 BOOKSCAPE Dan Brown’s new novel, the book topping the bestsellers list and a chat with Antjie Krog 06 COVER Why Sven Axelrad’s new novel drove him to smoking 10 FICTION A compulsive liar who bends the truth to fit in, sibling dynamics, and more in top fiction 14 IN CONVERSATION WITH Rachel Joyce 16 ON WRITING Tom Eaton on what it takes to write a winning novel 18 ENCHANTED SHELF A tale of a carousel that causes people to inexplicably vanish 19 AFRIKAANS Bettina Wyngaard en Pieter Stoffberg gesels oor hul nuutste boeke 21 WELLBEING Mel Robbins on how stepping back can lead to the biggest breakthroughs 22 SPECIAL Three authors, three stories of survival, power, and justice 25 NATURE Ten of South Africa’s most exquisite natural wonders 30 FOOD Spiced fried chicken dombolo and peppermint crisp ice cream sandwiches 32 ON MY MIND Milton Schorr on choosing a path with heart Johannesburg | Growthpoint Business Park, Unit 12A, 162 Tonetti Street, Halfway House Ext 7, Midrand, 1685 | 011 327 3550 Cape Town | Estuaries No 4, Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, 7441 | 021 460 5400 © Copyright Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd. The Penguin Post is published by Penguin Random House South Africa. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the editor is strictly forbidden. Editor Lauren Mc Diarmid Designer Sean Robertson Sub Editor Frieda Le Roux Contributors Annica Hendricks, Antjie Krog, Sven Axelrad, Rachel Joyce, Tom Eaton, Bettina Wyngaard, Pieter Stoffberg, Popina Khumanda, Karin Mitchell, Peter Auf der Heyde, Milton Schorr Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Lauren Mc Diarmid ThePost@penguinrandomhouse.co.za 25VOLUME 36 2 bookscape news | snippets | what’s new Worldwide number one bestselling author Dan Brown’s new novel, The Secret of Secrets, will be published on September 9, 2025. Brown is the author of the international publishing phenomenon, The Da Vinci Code, featuring Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, and his novels are published in 56 languages internationally with over 250 million copies in print. Brown is also the author of numerous bestsellers, including Origin, Inferno, The Lost Symbol, Angels & Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress. Dan Brown says, “The Secret of Secrets is by far the most intricately plotted and ambitious novel I’ve written to date – and also the most fun. Writing it has been an unforgettable journey of discovery.” Penguin Random House Global CEO Nihar Malaviya says, “Dan Brown has created a new Robert Langdon thriller that will mesmerise and delight readers across the world. The hallmarks of Dan’s books – codes, art, history, religion, and cutting-edge science – are on full display alongside a propulsive plot. And we find one of fiction’s greatest heroes, Robert Langdon, in love and on the run in one of the most mysterious and beautiful cities in the world. The Secret of Secrets is Dan’s best novel yet and this will be the biggest publishing event of 2025.” Brown’s longtime editor Jason Kaufman says, “Dan always amazes me with his masterful plotting and prescient ideas. The Secret of Secrets delivers ingeniously, unveiling a fascinating world – with twists you’ll never see coming. This is classic Dan Brown.” Everyone’s talking about … Dan Brown’s New Robert Langdon Novel IT’S FREE! Visit www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/ penguin-post and sign up to receive each new edition directly to your inbox. The Secret of Secrets hits shelves September 2025. DOMINATING THE BESTSELLER LISTS Precipice by Robert Harris “Harris’s novel reads almost like a thriller, as the sense of impending doom, both in the relationship and in the political world, is built up. Despite Asquith’s astonishing behaviour, Harris creates in him a believable and even sympathetic character, and as events move towards their poignant climax, the reader cannot help feeling for Asquith and Venetia, caught in a web of their own making. Precipice is a skilful and fascinating novel – Harris in top form.” Margaret von Klemperer, Sunday TimesVOLUME 36 3 UPFRONT In her own words, Annica Hendricks is a crazy-coloured book-loving graphic designer, who finally understands the concept of ‘me time’ and fills it with as many fantasy and thriller books as she can. “In 2013, Laura Nowlin gave us If He Had Been with Me (IHHBWM). In 2024, she surprised us with a masterpiece, If Only I Had Told Her. If you’re thinking, There is no way she can break my heart more than she already has, be prepared to sob. If you’re asking yourself, Why should I read this novel? I mean, it’s just IHHBWM from the Finn’s perspective, I’m here to tell you it’s not just about love and loss; this book is about what happens after loss – the nasty moving on part that sucks. When grownups say to teenagers, This is not the end, and, It gets better, that’s this book! Laura is saying at least try. Autumn and Finn were destined to be, but life has a way of making fools of us all. If you’re looking for that happily ever after, don’t read this; however, if you’re looking for a beautifully written book about love, loss, grief and survival, this is the book for you.” If Only I Had Told Her is out now. MUST of the MONTH A hamper of books from this issue valued at R1 000 is up for grabs to one lucky reader. To enter, scan the code using your phone camera, or visit www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/ competitions. Ts & Cs apply. Entries close 30 June 2025. WIN! WIN! WIN! OUT IN PAPERBACK THE BOOK OF DOORS by Gareth Brown Cassie Andrews, a New York bookseller, discovers a magical book that grants extraordinary abilities. As danger and violence surround her, she must rely on Drummond Fox to survive. TABLE FOR TWO by Amor Towles A collection of six stories that explore fate and marriage, plus a noirish Hollywood novella following Evelyn Ross from Rules of Civility as she forges a new future in 1930s Los Angeles. 3,4k followers @where.the.pages.bleed #bookstagram ERUPTION by Michael Crichton and James Patterson A massive volcanic eruption threatens Hawaii, but a long- buried military secret could make it even deadlier. Now, a few brave individuals must act fast to save the island – and the world. To enjoy life, you don’t need fancy nonsense, but you do need to control your time and realise that most things just aren’t as serious as you make them out to be. Timothy Ferriss, The 4-hour Work Week VOLUME 36 4 Five minutes with … ANTJIE KROG The concept of autofiction blurs the lines between autobiography and fiction. How do you navigate this genre, and what freedoms or constraints does it present? Determining the “genre” of a book is essential for bookshops: where to put these books on their shelves? Also, perhaps, for reviewers: what are the yardsticks to measure the success or failure of the text? For writers it matters less. Because of having published books for nearly five decades, I have experienced the germination of this concept that tries to encompass the eternal tension between “truth” and “fiction”. As a writer, I know that the moment something is in language, it is already no longer the “truth” that it was, while at the same time the words make it more the “truth” than ever before. Country of My Skull was marketed as “literary non-fiction” – the “truth” but with literary devices affecting this truth. My later books were “faction” – facts presented in the format of fiction. I am now at autofiction – autobiographical facts presented in the format of fiction. The thing is that a telling remains a telling. It must have characters, it must develop, it must have a kind of climax and an ending. Even those who write only facts write to keep the reader engaged. Antjie Krog explores autofiction’s blurred lines between truth and storytelling, tracing her literary evolution to Blood’s Inner Rhyme. Blood’s Inner Rhyme is out now. Ook beskikbaar as Die binnerym van bloed.PHOTOGRAPH: Brenda Veldtman Your previous works have addressed national trauma and reconciliation. Does Blood’s Inner Rhyme continue this exploration on a more personal level? My very first poetry volume published in 1970, Dogter van Jefta, covered a few themes: love, land, politics and writing. Looking back, I can see how that remains the basic fields of my literary explorations through various works and as time changed so did the perspectives. Blood’s Inner Rhyme is still about national trauma and reconciliation but in terms of love, land, politics and writing. How do you envision readers from different cultural backgrounds connecting with the Afrikaner heritage and historical contexts in the book? I think no text worth its salt is without a cultural context. The art lies in telling a story that transcends the specifics of culture and moves into the domain of the humane. Blood’s Inner Rhyme explores how intimate contact with various cultures, literatures and beliefs affect the expiry date of many cherished Afrikaner values. South African literature is uniquely interesting in that we can access such different worlds to find the truth of characters other than ourselves. Reflecting on your extensive literary career, how does Blood’s Inner Rhyme represent your evolution as a writer, and what new directions do you foresee in your future works? I published my last poetry volume a few years ago, and this will be my last prose book. It is important to know when to stop. I am stopping now. The world is changing so fast that it would take a tremendous effort to keep oneself drenched in current issues, strife, anger and discourses to engage meaningfully through literature. I want to let go of a lot of the noise necessary to keep pace with the contemporary and rather enjoy the abundance of life still gifted to somebody my age. Since introducing readers to the quirky characters living in Vivo, first in Buried Treasure and then God’s Pocket, Sven Axelrad has become a fast favourite. He tells us more about his latest book The Nicotine Gospel, his hometown, Durban, and the two women is his life.COVERNext >