Laurens van der Post

Sir Laurens Jan van der Post (aka Laurens van der Post) December 13, 1906 – December 16, 1996. Famous 20th century Afrikaner author of many books, farmer, war hero, political adviser to British heads of state, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer, and conservationist.

Controversy

After his death a number of writers rushed to discredit Laurens. It was revealed that in 1952 he had fathered a child with a fourteen-year-old girl who had been under his care during a sea voyage to England from South Africa. His reputation as a 'modern sage' and 'guru to Prince Charles' was ridiculed. Journalists opened a floodgate of examples of how Laurens had not always told the truth in his books. These facts came together in the 2001 book by J.D.F. Jones Teller of Many Tales: The Lives of Laurens van der Post, a biography which set out to destroy Laurens's reputation. However, while the book did reveal a darker side to Laurens's life, it did not explain his popularity and why he struck a chord with so many people. Nor could his wartime accomplishments and his conservation efforts be easily dismissed.

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