Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard The Hidden Lives of Writers

S03 E02 Sven Axelrad

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Sven Axelrad is a Durban-based writer whose debut novel Buried Treasure took the South African literary world by storm in 2023.

Sven joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he balances his day job as an accountant with the demands of his lively literary imagination. He talks about the influence of the South American magical realists on his work and discusses the significance of the Bob Dylan lyrics that appear at the start of each chapter of his book.

Fiona and Gail disagree about whether Buried Treasure is a light book with dark moments or a dark book with light moments. They also debate the significance of the dog named God. Sven reveals how many stories he envisions for his fictional town of Vivo and gives listeners inside information about his upcoming novel God’s Pocket.

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25 Mar English South Africa Books · Arts

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