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Laurens van der Post

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Laurens van der Post

Pen Names: Laurens Jan van der Post（Used as full/legal name in formal contexts）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1906-12-13 （Philippolis, Orange River Colony (now South Africa)）
Died
1996-12-15 （London, England） age 90
Nationality
South African
Languages
English, Afrikaans, Dutch
Residence History
Philippolis (birthplace) → Stellenbosch (family exile period) → Bloemfontein (education, Grey College) → Durban, Cape Town (journalism in South Africa) → England (Tetbury, London, Aldeburgh, etc.)

Career

Occupations
writer, farmer, soldier, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer, conservationist, television personality
Active Years
1925-1996
Affiliations
World Wilderness Congress (co-founder)
Influenced By
Carl Jung, Bloomsbury Group (Leonard Woolf, Virginia Woolf, etc.), J. M. Keynes, E. M. Forster
Influenced
Influence on Prince Charles (later Charles III) through personal friendship, Leaders and movements in conservation and wilderness preservation, Writers of travel and nature literature

Education

Grey College, Bloemfontein
Period: 1918–不明
Country: South Africa
Schooling in youth; exact graduation year unknown.

Awards

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
1947
Organization: British Crown / Order of the British Empire
Result: 受勲
Knight Bachelor
1981
Organization: The British Crown
Result: 叙爵

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

In a Province

1934 Novel

An early novel portraying the tragic consequences of a racially and ideologically divided South Africa.

race relationssocial divisioncritique of colonialism

Venture to the Interior

1952 Travel

A travel account of expeditions in the Nyasaland (now Malawi) plateaux; became an international bestseller.

explorationnaturecultural encounter

The Lost World of the Kalahari

1958 Travel / Ethnography

Based on a BBC television series; introduces the San (Bushmen) of the Kalahari and their culture.

indigenous culturesconservationnostalgia

The Seed and the Sower

1963 Novellas / Memoir

A collection of novellas drawing on wartime POW experiences; later used as source material for film.

war experiencehuman psychesurvival wisdom
Adaptations
  • [Film] Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence / Nagisa Ōshima (1983)

A Story Like the Wind

1972 Novel

An adventure novel set on the fringes of the Kalahari, about young people including a San boy.

coming-of-agenature and humanitycultural clash

A Far-Off Place

1974 Novel

Sequel to A Story Like the Wind; an adventure novel later adapted into film.

adventurefriendshipconservation
Adaptations
  • [Film] A Far Off Place (1993)

Yet Being Someone Other

1982 Autobiography / Memoir

Autobiographical memoir discussing his voyage to Japan and various life experiences.

memoiridentitytravel

The Admiral's Baby

1996 Memoir

Memoir describing events in Java at the end of World War II.

postwar negotiationpolitical mediationmemory

Bibliography

  • In a Province (1934)
  • Venture to the Interior (1952)
  • The Face Beside the Fire (1953)
  • A Bar of Shadow (1954)
  • Flamingo Feather (1955)
  • The Dark Eye in Africa (1955)
  • The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958)
  • The Heart of the Hunter (1961)
  • The Seed and the Sower (1963)
  • A Journey into Russia (1964)
  • A Portrait of Japan (1968)
  • The Night of the New Moon (1970)
  • A Story Like the Wind (1972)
  • A Far-Off Place (1974)
  • Jung and the Story of Our Time (1975)
  • Yet Being Someone Other (1982)
  • A Walk with A White Bushman (1986)
  • The Admiral's Baby (1996)

Adaptations

  • Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (film, 1983) — based on The Seed and the Sower and The Night of the New Moon
  • A Far Off Place (film, 1993) — based on the novel A Far-Off Place

Style & Themes

Literary Style
hybrid of travel writing and memoirpsychological insights influenced by Jungian thoughtlyrical prose with strong nature description
Recurring Motifs
the Kalahari and the BushmenJungian archetypes and the search for the soulcontrast between nature and civilizationjourney and solitude

Health

  • Back injury (from a fall)
    1982
    Interrupted tennis and skiing activities; provided hiatus that allowed time to write autobiography.

Legacy

He had wide influence through introducing the Kalahari Bushmen, contributing to conservation movements, and popularising Jungian ideas; however, posthumous revelations of embellishment and sexual misconduct have made his legacy contested.

Museums

  • Laurens van der Post Memorial Centre (Philippolis) Philippolis, Free State, South Africa

Academic Societies

  • World Wilderness Congress (co-founder)

Archives

  • Photographs and materials held in collections such as the National Portrait Gallery (London)

In Popular Culture

  • Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) is internationally known as a film based on his wartime memoirs.

Quotes

  • I was compelled towards the Bushmen like someone who walks in his sleep, obedient to a dream of finding in the dark what the day has denied him.
    Source: From his writings and interviews (various memoirs)

Trivia

  • Was made godfather to Prince William (honorary role attributed to his friendship with Prince Charles).
  • Posthumous controversies included allegations of embellishing his life story and fathering a child by a 14-year-old girl, which have complicated his reputation.
  • His ashes were buried in a memorial garden in Philippolis.
  • Laurens van de Post Way in Ashford, Kent, is named after him.