Sven Axelrad
novelist etc.
Sven Axelrad burst onto the literary scene in 2023 with his magical and quirky debut, Buried Treasure followed by God's Pocket in 2024, and The Nicotine Gospel in 2025 (all three with Penguin South Africa). His forth novel, The Dogs of Vivo (Picador Africa) hit stores in May 2026. Sven is an accountant who reads a lot, is covered in tattoos, plays the guitar, and loves his dog.
Buried Treasure has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Award / longlisted for both the South African Literary and HSS awards
God's Pocket has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Award, The Book Lounge Book of the Year and the HSS Award (Emerging Writer)
The Nicotine Gospel has been Longlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Award (2026)
Sven has published short stories in New Contrast and Fragment Collective and been longlisted for the Desperate Literature Prize in Madrid. In 2025 he attended the Havana Book Fair as a South African delegate for literature.
