The Penguin Post Volume 32

VOLUME 32

JAN BRAAI

T H E M A G A Z I N E A B O U T B O O K S F O R B O O K LOV E R S

YOUR FREE COPY!

20 EPIC YEARS AT THE FIRESIDE

LATEST RELEASES FROM JODI PICOULT AND PAULA HAWKINS TO JO NESBO AND LEE CHILD AT MY DESK

Richard Osman’s new adventure

WIN

A BOOK STACK TO THE VALUE OF R1 000!

AQUATIC WONDERS Paul Skelton and freshwater fishes

ONE-PAN MEALS Simplify dinner, amplify flavour

ON MY MIND

Steve Smith inside The Pain Cave

Welcome!

Welcome to another great issue of your ultimate guide to the world of books.

contents

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BOOKSCAPE Yuval Noah Harari’s new book, the novel that’s dominating the bestseller lists and five minutes with Gareth Crocker

COVER Jan Braai on the power of a fire, plus a mouthwatering recipe from his new cookbook AT MY DESK Richard Osman’s new adventure, and top new fiction BOOK CLUB Jodi Picoult’s new novel, By Any Other Name SPECIAL South Africa through the eyes of its authors

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AFRIKAANS Ons het die skrywers van vier splinternuwe Afrikaanse boeke ’n paar vrae gevra NATURE Paul Skelton’s life in fish taxonomy and conservation WELLBEING Gabor Maté exposes how toxic culture harms true well-being and health, and Thomas Erikson’s Surrounded by series in quotes FOOD Simplify your dinner routine with these flavourful one-pan dishes ON MY MIND Steve Smith, familiar yet unaware of endurance suffering’s true Pain Cave

Johannesburg | Growthpoint Business Park, Unit 12A, 162 Tonetti Street, C OVER PHOTOGRAPH: David Leyes

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

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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 Tams Lomas, Gareth Crocker, Jan Braai, Ilse Verster, Bun Booyens, Erla-Mari Diedericks, Martin Steyn, Paul Skelton, Steve Smith

This edition is brimming with memories, ideas and opinions that make a difference – the perfect companion for any book lover.

We start with our exclusive interview with Jan Braai, who celebrates South Africa’s Heritage Day (or, heritage month, as some might celebrate it) with tales of unity and unforgettable braai memories.

In fiction, we discover more about Richard Osman’s latest adventure (we’ll give you a clue: it involves a murder) and Gareth Crocker’s chilling new thriller. We’re also super excited to welcome Jodi Picoult to the Penguin family.

Her novel is a literature lover’s dream, which raises the question, What if Shakespeare was a woman? We already know you can’t wait to dig your teeth into that one, so we’ve given you an extract! Thank us later.

In keeping with the spirit of heritage, this issue also pays tribute to South African authors who, with their writing, have captured the essence of our diverse nation. Wellbeing features Gabor Maté’s exploration of the illusion of wellness and in Nature, Paul Skelton describes his fascinating journey into the world of freshwater fishes. Plus, we’ve got delicious one-pan recipes that will make dinner a breeze.

And finally, as we approach the new year, we’d love to hear your thoughts on our beloved magazine. What do you want to see more of?

What can we do without? Share your thoughts, and you could stand in line to win a stack of books from this issue to the value of R1 000.

So, find your happy place and happy reading!

Lauren Mc Diarmid ThePost@penguinrandomhouse.co.za

bookscape news | snippets | what’s new

Everyone’s talking about …

THE MAJOR NEW PUBLICATION BY

YUVAL NOAH HARARI

Stories brought us together. Books spread our ideas – and our mythologies. The internet promised infinite knowledge. The algorithm learned our secrets – and then turned us against each other. What will AI do? From renowned historian and the bestselling author of Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari, comes the story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world.

For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI – a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. If we are so wise, why are we so self-destructive?

Nexus considers how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world.

Taking us from the Stone Age through the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.

Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon.

Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and of rediscovering our shared humanity.

Nexus is a deeply entertaining and engaging work of history and philosophy, much like Sapiens, that reminds us that we are all living on a continuum, that everything is connected. AI didn’t come out of nowhere, and it is only by understanding our past that we can begin to shape our future.

Nexus is on shelves now.

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DOMINATING THE BESTSELLER LISTS A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

“I just reread A Gentleman in Moscow ... It’s a wonderful book at any time, and this time it brought home to me how people find ways to be happy, make connections, and make a difference to one another’s lives, even in the strangest, saddest and most restrictive circumstances.”

Tana French, author of The Hunter

PHOTOGRAPHS: Richard Stanton

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UPFRONT

#bookstagram

MUST of the MONTH OUT IN

PAPERBACK The Last Devil to Die

by Richard Osman

@bookwolftams

The fourth and final novel in the Thursday Murder Club series involves a friend’s murder and a missing package.

The team faces art forgers, fraudsters, and dealers. Will their luck run out?

5.1k followers Tams Lomas is a book-loving stay-at-home mum trying to find time to read all the fantasy, YA and historical fiction novels on her to-be-read pile.

“It was great to be back in the world of Otera (or maybe not, because it’s falling apart, thanks to the gods) with Deka and her friends. In The Eternal Ones, the third and final book in Namina Forna’s Gilded Ones trilogy, we discover that there is more to the pantheon of gods than just the Oteran ones. Like Deka, I very much kept waiting for the other shoe to drop when we met the Maiwurian gods, but thankfully they were awesome through and through. I absolutely love that you find out Iksa’s origins and get to meet his family, because he has been my favourite companion throughout the series. And speaking of favourite companions, Britta never fails to stand by Deka’s side and just be awesome. Britta is the absolute most valuable player of this little found family. One of my favourite things about Namina Forna’s writing is that there is love and friendship but the romance never gets in the way of the plot at pivotal points. It is fantasy first and foremost which I really enjoyed.”

The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna is out now.

WIN! WIN! WIN! Let us know what you think of The Penguin Post, and you could be the lucky winner of a hamper of books from this issue valued at R1 000. To enter, scan the code using your phone camera, or visit www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/ competitions.. Ts & Cs apply. Entries close 31 October 2024.

The Burnout

by Sophie Kinsella

Sasha, overwhelmed and seeking solace at a rundown Devon resort, meets Finn.

Shared messages on the beach reveal deeper connections and mysteries. The bestselling author’s new standalone.

Island in the Sun

by Katie Fforde

Amid hurricane devastation, photographer Cass travels to sunny Dominica to photograph rare stone carvings, assisted by journalist Ranulph. Despite the circumstances, and Cass’s doubts, love may just blossom.

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone

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UPFRONT

Five minutes with …

GARETH CROCKER

A man with many irons in the fire, Gareth Crocker luckily found the time to write a chilling new thriller.

Who is Gareth Crocker?

Former footballer who dreamed of playing right wing for Manchester United, author of seven novels (including the fanfavourite Finding Jack), international screenwriter/ director and father of two brilliant young women.

Now You Suffer is your comeback book. Tell us about it.

Now You Suffer is a novel I’ve been itching to write.

It tells the story of a suicidal detective who, after losing his daughter in a botched kidnapping, wants to end his life.

However, he’s trapped in a kind of purgatory as he can’t check out until he finds the man responsible for murdering his child.

Sounds depressing, right?

Only it isn’t. If anything, this novel has more humour in it than anything I’ve ever written. It’s also fast-paced with the kind of ‘big-swing’ twist that has kept me awake for more nights than I can remember. Ultimately, Now You Suffer is an entertaining and uplifting story that will take readers

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to a very unexpected place. I’m already working on the follow-up, Now You Bleed, which will be out next year.

So who are the main characters and what can readers look forward to?

Both Now You Suffer and the novels to follow will be centred around Detective Ruben Ellis, a behemoth of a man. As an ex-South African Special Forces Brigade operative, Ruben is no stranger to pain and suffering. He also has a gift for spotting details – the slightest minutia – that others are oblivious to. His ageing and sarcastic partner, Zander Malan, is a dry and loyal soul who’s doing his best to support Ruben even as he navigates his way through a catastrophic divorce. Ruben and Zander are complemented

by Ruben’s highly unconventional therapist, Melissa Evans, who is trying her utmost to keep Ruben alive. Bold, brash and brilliant, Melissa soon begins to assist Ruben and Zander on the case. Now You Suffer also introduces

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a one-of-a-kind villain.

A man who lives deep underground … and who has more than a few buried secrets to share.

Do you plot your stories, or did Ruben Ellis and the other characters surprise you as you kept on writing?

I always plot upfront and create a broad outline.

I think too many authors are guilty of coming up with a great idea to begin a story … but have no idea how to finish it. If I don’t have a clear idea of where I’m going, I won’t waste my time (or the readers).

Of course, the outline is only a rough guide and will always change as I explore the story, but most of the key markers – the reasons I set out to write the book in the first place – will

remain. Of course, the best part of writing is how your characters surprise and delight you along the way. As I see it, Ruben, Zander and Melissa have now transcended the page and are real people living out in the world.

Now You Suffer is out now.

COVER

In 2005, Jan Braai founded the National Braai Day initiative, which has become synonymous with South Africa’s Heritage Day, celebrated annually on September 24th.

With a trip down memory lane, across stunning locations and delicious fare, Jan pays heed to the unifying power of a fire, which captures the warmth and joy of SA’s heritage.

or me, the perfect Braai Day celebration is when all South Africans gather with family and friends around a fire, sharing our heritage and waving our flag. It’s about unity and celebrating our shared culture.

Reflecting on past Braai Days, each one is different, and involves braaiing a variety of dishes. From breakfast options like Shakshuka and chicken livers to hand-chopped burgers, peri-peri chicken, and even pizza, each year’s National Braai Day adds to the repertoire.

These experiences are distilled into the recipes in my new cookbook, Atmosfire, highlighting the diversity and creativity of braai.

Balancing innovation with tradition in my recipes is a delicate art. Having played a significant role in National Braai Day and built a career around braaiing, I’ve gathered extensive knowledge over time. I’ve authored books, filmed a cooking show, promoted Braai Day, and developed various braai products.

My approach to braai involves constant improvement, never settling for conventional wisdom alone. This means integrating new ideas and techniques while respecting the traditional roots of braai.

In Atmosfire, I aimed to blend traditional and unconventional recipes. Each recipe reflects the influences of South Africa’s diverse culinary landscape and my personal journey.

I allow myself the freedom to make radical changes when needed, such as braaiing snoek with foil or adding soy sauce to a classic basting recipe. This blend of innovation and tradition creates a unique culinary experience.

One recipe that might surprise readers is my preparation of sirloin steak. At first glance, it might seem unconventional, but once you understand the reasoning, it makes perfect sense and could become a standard practice in the braai world.

The title Atmosfire is a play on words, capturing the essence of the atmosphere around a fire – a fundamental part of South African culture. A fire is a place of warmth, light, food, conversation, and safety. It’s central to Braai Day and embodies the South African spirit.

Over the past 20 years of leading the National Braai Day initiative, I’ve been lucky enough to build fires in some of the most breathtaking spots imaginable. From the

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highest point in South Africa at Mafadi Peak in the Drakensberg, to the northernmost tip at Mapungubwe, all the way to Isimangaliso in the east, Agulhas in the south, and Alexander Bay in the west, I’ve enjoyed stunning locations. I’ve braaied in the Pinnacle Point Caves, South Africa’s newest World Heritage Site, and at various other world heritage sites globally. From the red dunes of Namibia and Botswana’s Okavango Delta, to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and tropical beaches in Mozambique and Madagascar, back to SA, and it’s lush forests in Knysna, the Drakensberg, and the Lowveld. Yet, the most spectacular spot remains the one on the cover of Atmosfire – at home on my Klein Karoo farm.

Braai Day has significantly contributed to national unity and identity in South Africa, and over the past two decades, has confirmed its importance in our national fabric. Looking ahead, my hope is that Braai Day will evolve into a global celebration, akin to Saint Patrick’s Day, where people around the world gather around a fire every year on 24 September to celebrate South Africa’s heritage.”

Atmosfire is in stores now.

Ook beskikbaar in Afrikaans.

COVER

Fillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce “Overcooking is your greatest risk when braaiing a fillet. Some people like to braai fillet steaks whole and only slice them afterwards, but I prefer to cut the fillet beforehand and braai single medallion portions. This exposes a greater surface area of the meat to the searing heat of the fire, which adds more flavour, something fillet steak needs. The steaks should be cut fairly thick in order to have a nice and juicy medium-rare inside while being completely seared and sealed on the outside. To achieve this, fillet steaks naturally need to be braaied on extremely high heat. Eating fillet steak is not a challenging or complex matter as it’s so tender and has no sinew, skin or bones. It is a very comfortable and familiar meal that I like to pair with mushroom sauce.

With mushroom sauce you can go to town, but I like an honest, dependable, classic, no-nonsense mushroom sauce with fillet steak.

It is as easy to make as it is to braai fillet medallions and it’s as familiar and comfortable to eat as the steak we’re serving it with.”

WHAT YOU NEED 1 kg piece of fillet steak salt and pepper FOR THE SAUCE 1 onion 1 punnet mushrooms (250 g) 1 tot butter 1 tsp salt 1 tub cream cheese 1 cup fresh cream 1 tot soy sauce 1 tsp black pepper 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Make a very big fire. Bigger is in fact better.

off, and if they don’t, then don’t worry, this will happen later.

Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before the braai so that it can come to room temp. Remove the steak from its packaging, wash it under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Now use a sharp knife and cut the fillet into four equal portions, which on a 1 kg steak should mean fillet medallions of around 5 cm thick.

A fillet medallion works well in the region of 200–300 g, so if the whole piece of fillet you’ve bought is much bigger than 1 kg, make more medallions. Add salt and pepper onto all sides of each steak.

Add the cream cheese, cream, soy sauce, pepper and sprigs of thyme.

Mix well and let this simmer until the sauce is thickened to your liking.

Taste and add extra salt and pepper if needed. Set aside, and reheat the sauce just before serving.

Make the sauce: Chop the onion and mushrooms. Add the butter, onion, mushrooms and salt to a pan and fry until the onions are golden.

If the mushrooms release their water during this time, let it cook

FEEDS

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Braai the steaks over extremely hot coals for 8–10 minutes, making sure that all sides of each steak face the coals for at least 1 minute at a time.

A 5-cm-thick fillet steak will have at least four but possibly six sides.

Remove from the fire and serve with the mushroom sauce. This can be done in a number of ways, but for me a quite sensible direction to take is to pack the medallions into the pan with the mushroom sauce as it looks good and saves on washing another platter.

FICTION

AT MY DESK

Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders introduces a trio of detectives: glamorous bodyguard Amy, ex-cop Steve, and bestselling author Rosie. Expect laughter, engaging characters, and a cleverly crafted mystery in this thrilling new adventure.

“H

ello there! I’m Richard Osman, and I’m absolutely delighted – thrilled, even – to introduce you to my latest book, We Solve Murders. If you enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club, I think you’re going to find this new adventure just as captivating. Of course, no guarantees; let’s just ease into it and see how it goes.

In this latest tale, we have a dynamic trio of detectives, each distinct and equipped with their own unique abilities. First, meet Amy Wheeler, a bodyguard to billionaires whose life is as glamorous as it sounds, revolving around private jets and luxurious islands. Amy brings a sharp eye and a nononsense attitude to the team.

Then there’s Steve Wheeler, Amy’s father-in-law. An ex-cop, Steve is trading his small-town private investigator role for a high-stakes global tour of murder-solving.

The catch? He’s going to miss his beloved pub quiz, which he’s not exactly thrilled about, but he’s ready to dive into this new challenge with gusto.

Lastly, we have Rosie D’Antonio, Amy’s current client and one of the world’s bestselling crime authors – though, admittedly, she’s in a tight competition with Lee Child. Rosie is a delightful mix of sophistication and mischief, with a

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If you enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club, I think you’re going to find this new adventure just as captivating

We Solve Murders is out now.

penchant for Martinis and manicures that match her larger-than-life personality.

As you delve into this book, I hope you’ll find plenty of laughs, come across characters that warm your heart, and enjoy the process of unravelling a cleverly devised mystery.

And while you’re enjoying the story, I’ll be off doing a bit of research myself – specifically, how many private jets Lee Child might have.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Combining the heart and humour of The Thursday Murder Club with an international mystery, Richard Osman’s new blockbuster series begins. Retired Steve Wheeler enjoys a quiet life with familiar routines, while his daughter-in-law Amy thrives on adrenaline as a private security officer.

Tasked with protecting a famous author on a remote island, Amy’s easy job turns perilous with a dead body, money, and a deadly enemy.

She calls for Steve’s help, sparking a global chase. A puzzling international mystery, welcome to the blockbusting new series from the biggest new fiction author of the decade.

FICTION

TOP FICTION September

Safe Enough

by Lee Child

The world’s top thriller writer presents twenty pulse-pounding standalone short stories in one collection, each featuring unforgettable characters like assassins, CIA agents, and gangsters. From a drug-dealing hit man to an overlooked rookie cop, these meticulously plotted tales showcase humanity at its best and worst. Complete with an introduction from the author, this collection promises economical prose and unexpected twists only Jack Reacher’s creator could deliver.

Lies He Told Me

by James Patterson & David Ellis

When her husband saves a drowning stranger, Marcie Bowers discovers his secret life, putting their family in danger.

Celebrated as a hero, David’s newfound fame threatens to unravel his mysterious past. As a former big-city lawyer, Marcie must uncover the truth to protect their lives. In the small town of Hemingway Grove, everyone knows the Bowers, but Marcie faces the ultimate test of trust and survival.

This is a thriller you won’t want to miss.

Precipice

by Robert Harris

From the bestselling comes a thrilling novel set in Summer 1914.

Venetia Stanley, 26, has a love affair with Prime Minister H. H. Asquith. Asquith leads Britain into war, while a young intelligence officer investigates a leak of top secret documents, turning their intrigue into a national security crisis that will alter political history. A novel that seamlessly weaves fact and fiction in a way that no writer does better.

You won’t be able to put this one down.

Gabriel’s Moon

by William Boyd

In his most exhilarating novel yet, Britain’s greatest storyteller takes you from sixties London to the shadows of espionage. Gabriel Dax, haunted by a childhood tragedy, travels as a writer during the Cold War. Offered an interview with a political figure, he’s drawn into a web of duplicity. Under the influence of MI6 handler Faith Green, he becomes ‘her spy,’ facing peril, paranoia, and lifechanging revelations.

An adventure story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Welcome to Rook Hall. Ex-detective Jackson Brodie, staving off midlife malaise, is called to a sleepy Yorkshire town for a stolen painting case. This leads to the disappearance of a Turner from Burton Makepeace, now a hotel hosting Murder Mystery weekends. With guests including a vicar and ex-army officer, a clever mystery unfolds, paying homage to Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. Atkinson’s wit and narrative brio shine in Death at the Sign of the Rook.

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FICTION

TOP FICTION October Blood Ties by Jo Nesbo

From the bestselling author comes an explosive thriller about family, loyalty, and power. Brothers Carl and Roy Opgard have risen to the top in their small town, managing a spa hotel and planning an amusement park. But Sheriff Kurt Olsen has new evidence linking them to past murders. As he seeks justice, the brothers will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. A gripping tale of ambition and betrayal.

Here One Moment

by Liane Moriarty

All strangers, each with a life heading in a particular direction, encounter an elderly woman who makes a prediction that ties their fates together.

They face similar existential dilemmas, questioning if she is a genuine clairvoyant, a charlatan, an answer to prayers, or a harbinger of nightmares. She becomes an agent of chaos, fraying relationships and unraveling the most ordered lives in unexpected ways.

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Odyssey

by Stephen Fry

The epic final chapter in Fry’s retelling of the Greek myths. Troy has fallen, and the Greeks return home. Agamemnon faces his vengeful wife, Clytemnestra, who rages over their daughter’s sacrifice.

Meanwhile, Odysseus, cursed by Poseidon, endures monsters and gods as he struggles to return to Ithaca and his wife, Penelope. A tale of love and longing, return and redemption, home and hope.

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The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave

On a beautiful Californian evening, a wealthy businessman falls to his death from his cliff-top house. Nora and her half-brother Sam suspect foul play and team up to uncover the truth. Their strained relationship is tested as they delve into their elusive father’s mysterious past, uncovering tangled love affairs and dark family secrets. A gripping mystery filled with passion, intrigue, and deception.

The Blue Hour

by Paula Hawkins

From the bestselling author of The Girl on the Train comes her most gripping thriller yet. Eris, a remote island with only one house and inhabitant, is isolated from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours daily.

Formerly home to the artist Vanessa and her missing husband, Eris is now inhabited by Grace, who enjoys her solitude.

But when a startling discovery is made in London, dark secrets of Eris begin to surface.

BOOK CLUB

WHAT IF SHAKESPEARE WAS A WOMAN?

PHOTOGRAPH: Rainer Hosch

Read an extract from Jodi Picoult’s new novel,

By Any Other Name, the story of two women, centuries apart, who defy societal limitations to have their voices heard. Picoult is the acclaimed author of 29 novels with over 40 million copies sold.

Melina, May 2013 “Many years after Melina graduated from Bard College, the course she remembered the most was not a playwriting seminar or a theater intensive but an anthropology class. One day, the professor had flashed a slide of a bone with twenty-nine tiny incisions on one long side. ‘The Lebombo bone was found in a cave in Swaziland in the 1970s and is about forty-three thousand years old,’ she had said. ‘It’s made of a baboon fibula. For years, it’s been the first calendar attributed to man. But I ask you: what man uses a twenty-nine-day calendar?’ The professor seemed to stare directly at Melina. ‘History,’ she said, ‘is written by those in power.’ The spring of her senior year, Melina headed to her mentor’s office hours, as she did every week. Professor Bufort had, in the eighties, written a play called Wanderlust that won a Drama Desk Award, transferred to Broadway, and was nominated for a Tony. He claimed that he’d always wanted to teach, and that when Bard College made him head of the theater program it was a dream come true, but Melina thought it hadn’t hurt that none of his other plays had had the same critical success.

He was standing with his back to her when she knocked and entered. His silver hair fell over his eyes, boyish. ‘My favorite thesis student,’ he greeted.

‘I’m your only thesis student.’ Melina pulled an elastic from her wrist and balled her black hair on top of her head in a loose knot before rummaging in her backpack for two small glass

She was going to be one of the few to make it as a produced playwright.

By Any Other Name is out now.

bottles of chocolate milk from a local dairy. They cost a fortune, but she brought Professor Bufort one each week. High blood pressure medication had robbed him of his previous vices – alcohol and cigarettes – and he joked that this was the only fun he got to have anymore. Melina handed him a bottle and clinked hers against it.

‘My savior,’ he said, taking a long drink.

Like most high school kids who had notched productions of The Crucible and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on their belts, Melina had come to Bard assuming that she would study acting.

It wasn’t until she took a playwriting course that she realized the only thing mightier than giving a stellar performance was being the person who crafted the words an actor spoke. She started writing one-acts that were performed by student groups. She studied Molière and Mamet, Marlowe and Miller. She took apart the language and the structure of their plays with the intensity of a grandmaster chess champion whose understanding of the game determined success.

She wrote a modern Pygmalion, where the sculptor was a pageant mom and the statue was JonBenét Ramsey, but it was her version of Waiting for Godot, set at a political convention where all the characters were awaiting a saviorlike presidential candidate who never arrived, that caught the attention of Professor Bufort. He encouraged her to send her play to various open submission festivals, and although she never was selected, it was clear to Melina and everyone else in the department that she was going to be one of the few to make it as a produced playwright.”

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OUR RICH HERITAGE OF

STORYTELLING Set somewhere in South Africa (or very close by), there is a story for every one of our country’s children. You just have to read.

WORLD-WEAVING POET

Siphokazi Jonas is a weaver of seemingly discordant worlds. Growing up in an Afrikaans dorpie during the transitional years of a newly democratic South Africa and going on annual holidays to a village made this a necessity. Her work as a spoken word poet often fuses poetry, theatre and film, and she brings this genre-mixing to the pages of Weeping Becomes a River by using the intsomi form to weave the narrative of her poems together.

INSIDE DOBSONVILLE

With Junx, Tshidiso Moletsane delved deep into his own psyche to offer a glimpse into

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a world many of us are completely ignorant of. If you’ve never been young and anxious in Dobsonville, how are you to know what it is like? Especially on the eve of one of the greatest parties Joburg has ever seen, while you are navigating between places, people and narcotics. The party has only just begun.

NAVIGATING DUAL WORLDS

With a home life that’s culturally very different from his school life, and a disrupted adolescence, thanks to divorce, finances and mental health issues, author Onke Mazibuko’s protagonist in The Second Verse is only too recognisable. Part of South Africa’s “missing middle”, Bokang Damane

SPECIAL is not rich enough to enjoy the same luxuries as his peers, yet not poor enough for state interventions. But life goes on and Bokang has no choice but to make the best of life in the East London of 1998.

THE POWER IN A NAME

In Sven Axelrad’s debut novel Buried Treasure, Mateus, the elderly cemetery keeper, buries bodies in the wrong graves due to poor eyesight. When he stumbles upon Novo, a young homeless girl, he makes her his apprentice, and Novo aims to organise the disoriented ghosts stuck between life and death, all while facing a mysterious threat. With its unique setting, and a town you’ll never find on any map of South Africa, Axelrad’s novel explores identity in a magical and quirky adventure.

RINGING REMEMBRANCE

A Sin of Omission is Marguerite Poland’s elegy for a life promised and lost amidst the ringing of bells – those of the Native College in Grahamstown, the Missionary College in Canterbury, England, and a dilapidated mission near Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Stephen Mzamane, a young Anglican priest, must journey to his mother’s rural home to inform her of his elder brother’s death. But it is his own life that is caught in the brass echoes.

TOWNSHIP GIRLHOOD

In Fred Khumalo’s vibrant coming-of-age tale, Two Tons o’ Fun, 14-year-old Lerato Morolong gives the reader a glimpse into

what it’s like to be a young girl growing up in a township. Lerato’s mother is not the best maternal figure, but that’s ok, as our heroine finds sanctuary at the house of her best friend, Janine, one half of the dancing duo Two Tons o’ Fun. As Lerato grows, she uncovers family secrets, her writing talent, and explores her sexuality, all while understanding her mother’s tough love.

RECIPE FOR FICTION

A recipe puts together distinct ingredients to create something completely new – but still recognisable for its parts. When she created the series, Sally Andrew mixed together a place (Ladismith) with a language (English, but spoken the Afrikaans way), a type (a widow whose late husband had a terrible temper), an institution (a small-town newspaper) and a way of coping (sharing recipes). And she has created one of the most instantly recognisable figures in recent South African fiction: Tannie Maria.

LANDSCAPES OF LITERATURE

As the pages of Justin Fox’s Place attest, a story is often bound to a place. In the same way, an author is often bound to a place as well. Fox identified nine seminal South Africa authors and visited their landscapes – and their books. By connecting person and place to a life and stories, many more stories come to the fore, often to shed new light on a book and a place you thought you knew well.

HISTORIC CONNECTIONS

South Africa’s past struggles are vast, complex and not limited to geographic borders. In our own struggles, we have learnt from others; maligned people around the world, fighting for their freedom. In How to Be a Revolutionary, author CA Davids plays with the way in which like-minded people find each other – despite time or border. Because the story is so deeply rooted in South Africa, Davids has the freedom and courage to transcend both space and time, incorporating China and the United States of America in this bold exploration.

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BOOK CLUB

VIER MAAL SO LEKKER!

Ons het die skrywers van vier splinternuwe Afrikaanse boeke ’n paar vrae gevra.

‘Baie mense dra vandag nog geestelike bagasie saam’ Bun Booyens was die stigtersredakteur van die reistydskrif Weg! en redakteur van die dagblad Die Burger. Hy was ’n voetsoldaat tydens diensplig en werk tans as ’n vryskutjoernalis.

Daar is al baie geskryf oor die skade wat die Grensoorlog en diensplig jong manne aangerig het. Hoe wyd en diep is hierdie probleem?

Wat was die saadjie wat tot Troep aanleiding gegee het?

Die dienspliggenerasie het intense dinge beleef. Die jare stap aan en dit is belangrik om nou so veel as moontlik van hierdie ervaringe op te teken. Ek het probeer om daardie dinge wat elke oud-dienspligtige dadelik sal herken, in een boek saam te vat.

Ek het nie die syfers nie, maar baie mense dra vandag nog geestelike bagasie saam omdat hulle destyds nie behoorlike berading ontvang het nie. Sedertdien het hulle ook nie eintlik die kans gekry om met begrip aangehoor te word nie. Ek hoop familielede van ouddienspligtes lees hierdie boek, want dit is nie bloot ’n klomp “armystories” nie.

Ek het probeer om iets oor die realiteit van destyds vas te lê. Hopelik help dit mense om te verstaan hoekom hul huweliksmaats en pa’s is soos hulle is.

Die boek bring die stemme van baie voormalige dienspligtiges saam. Hoe het jy te werk gegaan om die boek aanmekaar te sit?

Daar is klomp goeie militêre Facebookgroepe en webwerwe en ek het oor die afgelope drie of vier jaar al begin om interessante materiaal eenkant te sit. Verlede jaar het ek mense begin opspoor en op die ou end omtrent 150 mense se stories bymekaargemaak. Party is letterlik net een of twee sinne, ander vyf of ses bladsye lank. Wanneer jy dan ’n paar verhale opgeteken het, begin die boek as’t ware die groter storie self aanmekaarsit.

Dink jy daar is plek vir verpligte diensplig van ’n aard in Suid-Afrika vandag?

Troep is in Oktober op die rakke.

Dalk eerder ’n jaar van gemeenskapswerk?

As almal van ons vir ’n jaar, sê maar, gaan help om die paaie en spoorlyne reg te maak?

‘Die stiltes tussen die lyne fassineer my’

Erla-Mari Diedericks is al meer as 30 jaar ’n verslaggewer en het talle titels op haar kerfstok, insluitend die spanningsverhale, Dominique, Die bewonderaar en Salemstraat.

Wat is die saadjie wat aanleiding tot Swyg gegee het?

16

Feite word dikwels ingesamel en geskiedenis saamgestel oor dié dinge waaroor gepraat word, maar die eintlike waarheid, die goed wat regtig gebeur het en so verskriklik was – word dikwels vir eeue oor geswyg. Dit waaroor geswyg word, die stiltes tussen die lyne, fassineer my.

het – met verreikende gevolge jare later. Daar is ook die bekende Donkermann-familie wat swyg oor al hul donker geheime en ’n vrou wat sit in ’n inrigting en nie die waarheid kan vertel oor wat daardie aand gebeur het nie weens geheueverlies. Maar wat as haar geheue terugkom – en hoe lank kan mens geheime bewaar...?

Praat bietjie oor die titel – swyg, stilbly, nie iets sê nie?

Waar in die menslike psige het jou navorsing vir hierdie boek jou geneem?

Die boek gaan oor mense wat een aand iets beleef het en mekaar tot stilswye gesweer

Die mens se donker kant fassineer my altyd.

Hierdie boek fokus op selfdood, die sondes

THE PENGUIN POST VOLUME 32

AFRIKA ANS

‘Ek sien half meer kans vir treinpatrollie …’

Martin Steyn, skrywer van ondermeer Donker spoor, Skuldig, Swartval en Losprys, het ’n voorliefde vir die makabere, en ’n belangstelling in kriminologie en reeksmoordenaars.

Wat is die saadjie wat tot Donker water gelei het?

Dit het met Swartval begin. Die oorspronklike weergawe was baie anders en het ook ’n polisieondersoek ingesluit. As deel van die soektog na Claire het ek met ’n polisieduiker gaan praat. Dit was reeds ’n baie interessante onderhoud, maar toe hy vir my die toerusting in die stoor gaan wys, en die ander duikers bykom en begin om hulle stories uit te pak, het ek net geweet ek gaan moet terugkom en ’n boek oor hulle skryf.

Ek het net geweet ek gaan moet terugkom en oor hulle skryf.

Jy skram nie weg van die swaar in die lewe nie. Maar daar is ook mooi en lig in Alex Steytler en sy kollega Pyper se lewens, of hoe?

Ja, daar is baie humor ook. Ek het Steytler en Pyper se interaksie baie geniet om te skryf. Hulle is anders, maar dit het my nogal laat dink aan Mags en Menck in Donker spoor.

Party van die ouer duikers kan soms baie droog wees en ek waardeer nogal ’n droë opmerking.

Is jy ’n duiker?

Ná die skryf van Donker water, wat kies jy: Spoorwegpolisie of Duikeenheid?

Nee, ek is nie ’n duiker nie. Ek het jare terug ’n paar keer saam met iemand by Pringlebaai gaan duik. Dit was toe kreefseisoen nog lank aangehou het en jy net ’n paar meter moes ingaan voor jy die perlemoen sien.

Ons moes beurte maak met sy duikpak en in die praktyk het hy die kreef, perlemoen en alikreukels uitgeduik en ek het op die oppervlak tussen die rotse gesnorkel en net gekyk hoe als lyk, wat ’n ongelooflike ervaring was.

Dis moeilik. Ek het ’n spesiale plekkie in my hart vir die duikeenheid. Wat hulle doen, fassineer my, maar ek dink nie dis vir my nie. Ek sien half meer kans vir treinpatrollie, maar dis ook nie iets wat ek wil doen nie. Nee, my plek in die polisie sou eerder by forensies gewees het, toneelontleding, bloedspatsels, ballistiek dalk. Ek het ’n goeie skeut OCD weg, ek is goed met details, noukeurig, meet ’n ding drie keer voordat ek saag of boor ... my persoonlikheid pas baie beter by forensiese werk.

Donker water is nou beskikbaar.

van die voorgeslag, pedofilie en wat sal gebeur as die regte dwelms op die verkeerde tyd jou geestestoestand vir altyd aantas en psigose veroorsaak.

kombinasie van narsistiese karakters wat ek ontmoet het in die joernalistieke wêreld.

Lesers het al tevore vir dr Ann Marais ontmoet. Wie is sy en waarom het jy haar terug gebring?

Jy gee die leser ’n kykie in die uitgewersbedryf. Vind jy dat die ego’s inderdaad groter en geheues langer is?

Ek bied ook ’n kykie in die akademiese wêreld en die karakters – Didi Donkermann is geinpsireer deur dosente en redakteurs waarmee my pad al gekruis het. Die skrywer Louis Donkermann, is geskoei op ’n

Swyg is in Oktober op die rakke.

Dr Ann Marais is ’n forensiese psigiater wat in my vorige boeke by Molenberg Psigiatriese Staatshospitaal verbonde was en sedertdien bedank het. Ek hou daarvan om ’n pad saam met my lesers te stap en baie lesers was mal oor hierdie uiters eksentrieke karakter, so sy is in al my boeke.

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AFRIKA ANS

‘Ek moes leer om die lig op die regte plekke in my lewe te laat skyn’ Ilse Verster se eerste boek, So lyk ’n vrou, het in 2022

by Lapa verskyn. Sy skryf ook kortverhale en artikels.

Jou eerste boek, So lyk ’n vrou, is baie goed ontvang en daar is wyd gevra vir ’n (gelukkiger?) opvolg. Wanneer het jy besluit om dit te doen en ’n tweede boek te skryf?

Die reaksie op So lyk ’n vrou het my totaal onverhoeds gevang. Vanaf vrystelling het mense my gekontak met vrae oor hoe om so ’n situasie te hanteer, baie wou meer weet oor narsisme en hoe om te ontsnap. Die opvolg was ’n natuurlike uitvloeisel.

Die meeste slagoffers is uitgelewer aan verwerpling

Geslagsgebaseerde geweld is hemelhoog in Suid-Afrika. Daar word dikwels gesê

Beslis, afwesige vaderfigure skep die perfekte slagoffers en aan die ander kant ook mense wat geweld gebruik om hulself te laat geld.

Die meeste slagoffers is uitgelewer aan verwerping of ouers wat nie opgewasse is vir die rol van ouerskap nie. Tog is daar baie ander oorsake van die tipe van geweld.

Het vroue ’n rol te speel by die beëindiging van geweld teen vroue? Of is dit die mans wat moet opstaan?

Die inhoud van albei boeke sny na aan die been. Hoe herbesoek ’n mens wat gebeur het sonder om elke keer van voor te moet begin wat verwerking betref?

Elke herbesoek is traumaties. Ek moes reeds met So lyk ’n vrou emosionele bestuur aanleer.

Tog was die skryf ook terapeuties en het my baie gehelp om die lig op die regte plekke in my lewe te laat skyn eerder as om die verlede toe te laat om my nuwe lewe te infiltreer.

die oorsaak is afwesige vaderfigure – stem jy saam of meen jy dit lê elders?

’n Vrou staan op is nou op die rakke.

Albei geslagte moet opstaan. Mans is net soveel slagoffers as vroue. Hoewel vroue meer bewus is van hul regte en moderne vroue selfhandhawend begin optree, is dit noodsaaklik dat mense bewus moet wees van die tekens van narsisme en ander manupilerende gedragsafwykings. Dit kan tragedies voorkom. Beter beskerming, strenger wetgewing en meer veiligheidshuise is ’n dringende behoefte. Die ontstaan van die Wet op Gesinsgeweld het baie deure oop gemaak.

Lauren, we have space here for a strip ad. Possibly something for latest Afrikaans releases?

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THE PENGUIN POST VOLUME 32

NATURE

SWIMMING THE MAINSTREAM WITH

FRESHWATER FISHES Gamtoos Redfins

With characteristic enthusiasm, Paul Skelton, Emeritus Professor of Ichthyology at Rhodes University, shares his unexpected journey into the world of freshwater fishes.

“T

o say I ‘bumbled into freshwater fishes’ is an understatement. I hardly knew they existed until I came to Rhodes and met Rex Jubb in the tearoom of the Zoology Department when doing my honours degree. Rex was ‘old school’ – a retired meteorologist and a gentleman, a devoted and highly skilled naturalist who had then recently been honoured by Rhodes with an Honorary Doctorate for his contributions to freshwater fishes. He was the doyen of freshwater ichthyologists and had stamped his legacy with his landmark book, The Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa. I bought a copy with my student prize at the end of the year (it cost a whopping R12.50). Following that introduction, I continued my post-graduate studies at Rhodes but running out of funds after the first year and with Rex’s encouragement applied for, and was offered, the job of Curator of Freshwater Fishes at the Albany Museum, starting in January 1972. The rest, they say, is history.

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NATURE

1 Fish fences for setting traps

2 Southern rainbow killifish

3 Snorkeler

4 School of ghieliemientjies 5 Clanwilliam sawfin

6 Bluegill sunfish 7 Cape kurper

1

2

I knew from the moment I walked into the Albany Museum that this was what I wanted to do. I had been fond of nature all my life, from visiting the Kruger Park with family to the galleries of the Transvaal Museum where I could get up close to creatures great and small. My job entailed curating the freshwater fishes and all the vertebrate collections in the museum and dealing with the public when specimens were brought in for identification or as curiosities from the district. In the early years I worked hand in hand with nature conservation in the Cape and elsewhere in southern Africa. The time I spent in the field was simply the best life one could imagine, and as a budding taxonomist, by far the best way to get to know the beauty and diversity of our fishes.

I was determined to study further and on Rex Jubb’s advice initiated an MSc, later upgraded to a PhD, on the redfin minnows from the Cape Fold Mountains. I approached Margaret Smith the Director of the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology, to do this through

20

THE PENGUIN POST VOLUME 32

3

I knew from the moment I walked into the Albany Museum that this was what I wanted to do.

the Institute – and thus became the first in a long line of post-graduates to study fishes in that fertile channel. I was fortunate to have young dynamic supervisors ripe from the USA to guide me in systematics and taxonomy.

My final supervisor was Prof Mike Bruton, now well known for his prolific production of books on a variety of subjects, who became the Director of the Institute after Margaret Smith.

The 1970s was an exciting time for systematic science as a major philosophical revolution was in progress – this introduced cladistics philosophy where organism relationships are based on a clear derived characteristics rather than just similarity. So my thesis was possibly the first in southern Africa to embrace this new philosophy and open the door for a more far-reaching understanding of the phylogenetic and biogeographic nature of our fauna. You can see the results of this revolution written all over my book.

Looking back on my career, one can see reflected a clear dichotomy of interest – systematic science on the one side, and

4 5

6

conservation on the other. I had no choice but to engage with the conservation crisis that was and still is facing our freshwater fishes as I got into the field. At that time the conservation crisis was just emerging.

Indeed when Rex suggested I investigate the redfins it was because he had found that they were disappearing from the waters of the Fold Mountains and, in places, were already exterminated. So I provided an initial conservation assessment of freshwater fishes in the 1970s in the form of a Red Data Book, and followed this up with a substantial account in the 1980s. Those assessments were the foundation that has since been updated by teams of researchers across the landscape. Sad to say, the situation continues to be critical in many areas as the human population has exploded and demand for water resources increased. It is none-the-less very gratifying to see the sustained commitment of individuals and public and private agencies actively promoting conservation of freshwaters in Southern Africa.

Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa is out now.

7

There are two other standouts that I have in looking back on a long career in aquatic science in South Africa. The one is the vast swing for scientists to engage with the public education of science. It is one reason why I consider a book like mine to be among the most significant products of my life. There is real joy and pleasure seeing the latest scientific knowledge being transformed into public content in such a dynamic and beautiful way. Struik Nature is a superb partner to do this effectively.

The second standout is witnessing the enthusiasm and energy that the new generations are engaging with scientific endeavours in nature and the environment.

They are the future and we need informed and educated people to ensure a future for ourselves and the planet and its precious life.

The quality of experience and of the work that is emerging from our universities and institutes is growing all the time. A book like mine serves, I hope, as inspiration for these young people, and that is no trivial thing.”

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NATURE

MARINE & FRESHWATER GUIDES Living Shores

by George Branch and Margo Branch First published in 1981, Living Shores became a key reference for marine science students and nature enthusiasts for its insights into marine habitats. This first of two volumes explores marine ecosystems and human interactions, covering coastal ecology, the impact of climate change, and environmental protection, all illustrated with photos, diagrams, and graphs.

A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World

by David A. Ebert, Marc Dando and Sarah Fowler

Sharks are highly misunderstood and critically threatened with extinction, needing urgent conservation.

This guide is the only one of its kind to identify and describe every known shark species, including new species and lavish images. It also features sections on identifying shark teeth and fins, and explores shark biology, ecology, and conservation.

22

Fishes of the Okavango Delta & Chobe River, Botswana

by Glenn Merron, Mike Bruton and Paul Skelton

This comprehensive guide details diverse aquatic habitats, fish feeding, breeding, and survival strategies. It includes species entries with key ID points, habits, and occurrence, accompanied by colour illustrations or photos. Essential for fishermen, naturalists, conservationists, and tourists, it concludes with conservation tips for the region’s fishes.

THE PENGUIN POST VOLUME 32

Marine Mammals

Freshwater Life

This easy-to-use identification guide to the whales, dolphins and seals found in Southern African waters and the Southern Ocean is compact yet comprehensive. Close to 50 species occur in the region: from the demonstrative Humpback Whale and Dusky Dolphin to the striking Leopard Seal and massive Blue Whale. This book covers key identification features, explains common behaviours, and so much more.

A groundbreaking illustrated field guide for southern Africa, detailing over 1,000 freshwater organisms from large vertebrates to microscopic taxa. It includes species likely to be encountered, with photos and distribution maps. A comprehensive introduction covers freshwater ecology. This indispensable guide is invaluable for outdoor enthusiasts, students, and conservationists.

by Chris and Mathilde Stuart

by Charles Griffiths, Jenny Day & Mike Picker

THE POWER OF

WELLBEING

PERSPECTIVE In a world where we’re quick to give labels to those around us, Thomas Erikson’s Surrounded by series serves as an invaluable guide for navigating complex social landscapes by offering a refreshing perspective on human behaviour.

“The most important lesson that you can walk away with is that the idiots who surround you are, in fact, not idiots at all. Instead, they are individuals worthy of respect, understanding, and being valued.”

– Surrounded by Idiots

“If you don’t think that anybody can love you, terrible as you are, then you’ll be willing to invite in anybody who shows you the slightest appreciation.”

– Surrounded by Psychopaths

When the recipient has filtered the message though their frame of reference, prejudices, and experiences, what remains is what they understand.

Regardless of what you actually meant.”

– Surrounded by Psychopaths

“The boss is the person I must follow, and the leader is the person I want to follow.”

– Surrounded

by Bad Bosses

“Just as we keep the weeds away from the garden to provide space and amazing flowers, we all need to find an approach to our adversity.

And give us the chance to turn everything into success.”

– Surrounded by Setbacks

“Trust your gut instincts. If something feels wrong, chances are it is wrong. There’s no need to apologise for your feelings in a situation like this. You have the right to do whatever you need to do to protect yourself.”

– Surrounded by Narcissists “Energy vampires can rob you of your enthusiasm without the slightest effort.”

– Surrounded by Vampires

Surrounded by Liars hits shelves in October.

“You have most probably run into this person: an exciting human being who is incredibly charismatic, nice, charming and helpful. Who always has a compliment up his/her sleeve.

And who will be guaranteed to make you feel good.”

– Surrounded by Psychopaths

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THE ILLUSION OF

WELLNESS

Despite unprecedented access to health solutions and self-improvement trends, our collective health is deteriorating. In The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté explores how a toxic culture – rooted in social and emotional contexts – fuels chronic illness and prevents true well-being, revealing deep-rooted societal flaws.

WELLBEING

“I

n the most health-obsessed society ever, all is not well.

Health and wellness have become a modern fixation. Multibillion-dollar industries bank on people’s ongoing investment – mental and emotional, not to mention financial – in endless quests to eat better, look younger, live longer, or feel livelier, or simply to suffer fewer symptoms. We encounter would be bombshells of “breaking health news” on magazine covers, in TV news stories, omnipresent advertising, and the daily deluge of viral online content, all pushing this or that mode of self-betterment.

We do our best to keep up: we take supplements, join yoga studios, serially switch diets, shell out for genetic testing, strategise to prevent cancer or dementia, and seek medical advice or alternative therapies for maladies of the body, psyche, and soul.

And yet our collective health is deteriorating.

What is happening? How are we to understand that in our modern world, at the pinnacle of medical ingenuity and sophistication, we are seeing more and more chronic physical disease as well as afflictions such as mental illness and addiction? Moreover, how is it that we’re not more alarmed, if we notice at all? And how are we to find our way to preventing and healing the many ailments that assail us, even putting aside acute catastrophes such as the COVID-19 pandemic?

As a physician for over three decades, in work ranging from delivering infants to running a palliative care ward, I was always struck by the links between the individual and the social and emotional contexts in which our lives unfold and health or illness ensue.

This curiosity, or should I say fascination, led me in time to look deeply into the cuttingedge science that has elegantly delineated such links. My previous books have explored some of these connections as they manifest in particular ailments such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cancer and

Something is amiss in our culture.

Extracted from The Myth of Normal

by Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté, out now.

autoimmune disease of all types, and addiction.

I have also written about child development, the most decisively formative period of our lives.

The Myth of Normal, sets its sights on something far more encompassing. I have come to believe that behind the entire epidemic of chronic afflictions, mental and physical, that beset our current moment, something is amiss in our culture itself, generating both the rash of ailments we are suffering and, crucially, the ideological blind spots that keep us from seeing our predicament clearly, the better to do something about it. These blind spots – prevalent throughout the culture but endemic to a tragic extent in my own profession – keep us ignorant of the connections that bind our health to our social-emotional lives.

Another way of saying it: chronic illness – mental or physical – is to a large extent a function or feature of the way things are and not a glitch; a consequence of how we live, not a mysterious aberration.

The phrase “a toxic culture” in this book’s subtitle may suggest things like environmental pollutants, so prevalent since the dawn of the industrial age and so antagonistic to human health. From asbestos particles to carbon dioxide run amok, there is indeed no shortage of real, physical toxins in our midst.

We could also understand “toxic” in its more contemporary, pop-psychological sense, as in the spread of negativity, distrust, hostility, and polarisation that, no question, typify the present sociopolitical moment.

We can certainly fold these two meanings into our discussion, but I am using “toxic culture” to characterise something even broader and more deeply rooted: the entire context of social structures, belief systems, assumptions, and values that surround us and necessarily pervade every aspect of our lives.”

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WELLBEING

MINDFUL MASTERY You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Louise Hay’s bestselling book has transformed millions of lives by revealing the profound impact of the mind on health. This inspirational self-help guide explores how limiting thoughts control us and offers strategies for self-healing and lasting change.

The No 1 Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction book of 2021

Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King

How can you learn to truly love yourself? How can you transform negative emotions into positive ones? Is it possible to find lasting happiness? In this book, Instagram guru Vex King answers these questions and more.

Quiet by Susan Cain

In Quiet, Susan Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. She gives introverts the tools to better understand themselves and take full advantage of their strengths.

‘...the most ok important bo r fo d he is bl pu a decade.’ s – Lynne Trus

Rising Strong by Brené Brown

The physics of vulnerability is simple: If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. This is a book about what it takes to get back up and how owning our stories of disappointment, failure, and heartbreak gives us the power to write a daring new ending.

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz First published in 1959, David J Schwartz’s classic teachings are as powerful today as they were then.

Practical, empowering and hugely engaging, this book shows that the key to success is the way you think.

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The Ted Talk phenomenon

Extracted from Ottolenghi COMFORT by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh,Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley (Ebury Press). All photography by Jonathan Lovekin.

ONE-PAN PERFECTION

FOOD

Simplify your dinner routine with these flavourful one-pan dishes that require minimal effort and cleanup. With everything cooking in one pan, you’ll spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying your meal.

Puttanesca-style salmon bake

SERVES

4

“If you make the tomato anchovy oil a day ahead here, you can then delight in the fact that a midweek supper can be on the table within 20 minutes.

The fuss-free cooking method – all hail the traybake! – plus the dialled-up flavours – all hail puttanesca! – makes such a winning combination.”

200g fine green beans, trimmed 6 spring onions, cut widthways into thirds (75g) 200g mixed cherry tomatoes, halved 6 skin-on salmon fillets (about 720g) salt and black pepper Tomato anchovy oil 85ml olive oil 8 anchovies, finely chopped (25g) 2½ tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp chilli flakes 2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly bashed in a mortar 8 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced 2 preserved lemons, flesh and pips discarded, skin finely chopped (20g) 2 tsp maple syrup SALSA 60g pitted Kalamata olives, halved 60g capers, roughly chopped 1 preserved lemon, flesh and pips discarded, skin thinly sliced (10g) 10g basil leaves, roughly chopped 10g parsley leaves, roughly chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp lemon juice

First make the tomato anchovy oil.

Put the oil, anchovies and tomato paste into a small sauté pan and place on a medium heat. Once the mixture starts to simmer, cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chilli flakes and coriander seeds and cook for another minute, until fragrant.

Remove from the heat and add the garlic, preserved lemon and maple syrup. Stir to combine, then set aside to cool.

oil, along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Toss to combine and place in the oven for 12–13 minutes, until the beans and tomatoes are starting to soften and taking on a little colour. Meanwhile, arrange the salmon fillets on a plate and, using a spoon, drizzle the remaining tomato anchovy oil (as well as all the solids) evenly over the fillets.

Once the beans and tomatoes have had their time in the oven, nestle the salmon fillets among them and bake for a further 8 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes, out of the oven, to rest.

While the salmon is baking, mix all the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl and season with a good grind of pepper. Spoon half the salsa over the salmon and serve the fish warm (or at room temperature, which works just as well), with the rest of the salsa in a bowl on the side.

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

Place the beans, spring onions and tomatoes on a large, parchmentlined baking tray. Drizzle over 3 tablespoons of the tomato anchovy

Ottolenghi COMFORT is out now.

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Warming Aubergine, Spinach & Coconut Dhal

“If there is only one dhal recipe you cook from this book, let it be this one!”

SERVES

4

TOTAL TIME

45 minutes

2 large aubergines, cut into cubes 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 Tbsp ginger paste 1 tsp garlic paste 1 tsp mixed mustard seeds 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp garam masala 10 curry leaves (dried or fresh) ½ tsp Maldon salt ¼ tsp turmeric (ground or paste) 1 x 400ml tin chopped tomatoes 1 x 400ml tin coconut cream, plus extra, to serve (optional) 150g red lentils 200g baby spinach, torn 45g coriander, torn, plus extra to garnish Lemon juice, to taste

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Toss the aubergines in 1 Tbsp olive oil to coat, then place in a roasting dish. Roast for 10–15 minutes, until golden.

While the aubergines are roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large pan and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat until soft and caramelised. Stir in the ginger and garlic, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the mustard seeds, cumin, garam masala, curry leaves, salt and turmeric, and stir until the mustard seeds pop.

Add the tomatoes, coconut cream and lentils, and stir. Cook for 15–20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

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Add the roasted aubergines and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat, then stir in the spinach and coriander.

Serve with rice and squeeze of lemon juice, to taste. Drizzle with extra coconut cream, if desired.

FOOD

SERVES

2

TOTAL TIME

10 minutes

Methi and Eggs 100g mushrooms, sliced ½ red pepper, pith and seeds removed, and sliced 1 small red onion, sliced 2 Tbsp olive oil 20g fresh methi (fenugreek) Handful of baby spinach 1 small green chilli, sliced (seeds optional) 4 eggs Salt and pepper, to taste

In a nonstick pan over low-medium heat, sauté the mushrooms, pepper and onion in olive oil until softened.

Stir in the methi, spinach and chilli, then make a few wells in the mixture for the eggs.

Crack the eggs into the wells, season with salt and pepper, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 5–8 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Serve with toast.

The Hungry Table is in stores now.

The Hungry Penguin is your go-to for mouth-watering recipes for every taste – from celebratory starters to divine desserts, meaty to meat-free and budget-friendly to overthe-top – from Penguin's expert cookbook authors.

Follow us on Instagram @thehungrypenguin_sa

VOLUME 32 THE PENGUIN POST

29

Mushrooms on Rice with Olives, Chilli, Basil, Feta & Harissa

“This delightfully delicious vegetarian dish is perfect as a main, or as a side.

Made and served all in the same pan, mushrooms will never taste this good any other way.”

1 red onion, finely sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced Extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes 1 cup uncooked brown rice 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups vegetable stock 4 large brown mushrooms Sea salt 2 teaspoons harissa paste 12 olives, pitted and chopped 200g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved 100g feta, crumbled 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

SERVES

4

TO SERVE Zest of 1 lemon Handful of fresh basil, picked and chopped 2 tablespoons plain yoghurt Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the onion and garlic in a large shallow ovenproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, the cumin seeds, chilli flakes and a splash of water. Cook for 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Stir in the rice, add the salt and stock and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Lightly score a criss-cross pattern into the stem side of each

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mushroom and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Loosen the harissa with a drop of water, then spread it over each scored mushroom. Lay the mushrooms on the rice, harissa side up. Mix the olives, tomatoes and feta together and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Top the mushrooms with the mixture and sprinkle some of it around them.

Bake covered for 30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked, the liquid has been absorbed and the mushrooms are soft. Take the lid off and bake uncovered for 10 minutes until the feta is golden.

To serve, spoon over the lemon zest, chopped basil and yoghurt.

FOOD

Pear & Gorgonzola Squares

“Wow your guests with these yummy pear and gorgonzola squares.

They make perfect appetisers.”

2–3 ripe, but firm, pears 1 x 250g square sheet puff pastry ½ cup cream cheese ½ cup gorgonzola ¼ cup chopped pecans Honey, to drizzle Fresh rosemary Olive oil, to drizzle

SERVES

6-8

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Thinly slice the pears lengthwise using a knife or a mandolin, then cut each slice in half. Roll the sheet of puff pastry flat. Spread the cream cheese over the pastry, arrange the pears on top, and crumble over the gorgonzola. Sprinkle with the nuts and rosemary and drizzle with honey, then bake for 15–20 minutes.

Cut into squares and serve warm with fresh rosemary and a drizzle of honey and olive oil.

The Table hits shelves in October.

VOLUME 32 THE PENGUIN POST

31

OPINION

ON MY MIND

THE PAIN CAVE

“I

thought I knew the pain cave … even visited it a few times. As enthusiastic amateur cyclists, my mates and I would often talk about those times we’d wandered miserably through its dank recesses.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it’s a metaphorical place of physical pain and mental anguish that participating in endurance sports can sometimes route you through.

Usually you’re there paying the price of over-fuelled ambition and under-prepped training. Having bitten off more than you can chew, it requires digging extra deep and suffering through anything from cramp to nausea in order to finish whatever adventure had promised so much fun only hours earlier.

The thing about the pain cave though, is that only survivors talk about it. If it had all gotten too much and you’d dropped out of the race, then, well, you might mumble something about ‘having a bad day’, or something equally vague that we’d all know is code for ‘please don’t ask me any more questions’.

If, on the other hand, you managed to guts it out and make it to the finish, then experiences in the pain cave are shared with pride and acknowledged with nods of approval from other cave dwellers. And ours were real tales of endurance … we’d done everything from mountain bike races like the Cape Epic, to 180km+ one-day races on gravel bikes, and adventures through the Lesotho highlands.

There was proper suffering involved, paying our dues in the cave before finally emerging battlescarred but triumphant. A testament to the human spirit in the face of crushing physical and mental fatigue. Or so we thought.

Then I met Ryan Sandes … and realised the cave I’d been frequenting was more like the Spa and Health Resort Cave. Having first connected with this ultra-distance trail runner in 2016

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A place of suffering and misery, The Pain Cave is a place author and magazine editor Steve Smith was familiar with. Turns out this amateur endurance sports enthusiast had no idea.

These guys literally ran across, and around, whole countries.

Run. Risk. Reward. is on shelves now.

we embarked on our first book together called Trail Blazer. It chronicled Ryan’s remarkable rise to international fame when in 2008, out of nowhere, the unheralded South African won a gruelling six-day race across China’s Gobi desert.

He’d become the first person to win all four races in this 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, including one in Antartica. Then, switching his attention to single day ultra-distance trail races, he’d win several high-profile events, including the Leadville 100 and, most prestigious of all, the Western States Endurance Run. Sitting and listening to him describe what he went through to win those races was both fascinating and severely disheartening. You could pretty much hear the gentle hiss of my ego deflate as he’d humbly described exploits overcoming brain-broiling heat, extreme cold, and the kind of bone-deep fatigue that reduces your cognitive ability to a narrow band of onefoot-in-front-of-the-other. Frankly, it made my heroic exploits in conquering adversity look like a day spent lounging about the hotel pool.

And then it got worse. We’ve just done a second book. Among other things, Run. Risk. Reward. chronicles Ryan and running partner Ryno Griessel’s exploits traversing the Himalayas and then, the circumference of Lesotho. These guys literally ran across, and around, whole countries. Alongside the extreme endurance – like running 1 500km across Nepal in 24 consecutive days – they found themselves in actual life and death situations. From desperately trying to find shelter in the middle of the night in the world’s highest mountains, to fending off an attack by herdsman in the Lesotho highlands, they were not only in The Actual Pain Cave, but had booked in long-term.

The Actual Pain Cave has gallery seating for guests. It serves beer and snacks. Book your seat.”

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