Laurens van der Post
A South African storyteller and self-styled mystic who captivated Western audiences with tales of the Kalahari Bushmen, while his own life story later unraveled under scrutiny.
1906–1996 (age 90)·South African writer·Birthday: December 13·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Laurens van der Post constructed a life that read like an epic novel: an Afrikaner childhood, combat and captivity in World War II, literary fame, and a role as a spiritual guide to world leaders. He presented himself as a bridge between the modern West and ancient, primal wisdom, most famously through his writings and films about the Kalahari Bushmen, whom he portrayed as guardians of a vanishing human essence. His narrative power earned him a knighthood and the ear of Britain's establishment. However, after his death, the meticulously crafted facade cracked. Biographers revealed he had fabricated key parts of his war record and his expertise on the Bushmen. More damningly, he was shown to have fathered a child with a 14-year-old girl when he was in his forties, a stark contradiction to his public persona. His legacy is now a complex tapestry of genuine literary influence, cultural appropriation, and profound personal deception.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Laurens was born in 1906, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Laurens Was Born
The biggest hits of 1906
Laurens's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1906Born
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Started school
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1919Became a teenager
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Could drive
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1924Could vote
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1927Turned 21
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1936Turned 30
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 40
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 50
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 60
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 70
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 80
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Died at 90
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
Key Achievements
- Wrote the bestselling book 'The Lost World of the Kalahari' (1958), which popularized the San people in Western imagination.
- Served as a spiritual mentor and close friend to the then-Prince of Wales, influencing his views on architecture and the environment.
- Was a founder of the Ibiza-based conservation group the 'Club of Rome' and wrote its influential report 'The Limits to Growth'.
- Received a knighthood in 1981 for his services to literature and his work in Southern Africa.
Did You Know?
He was the godfather to Prince William, demonstrating his close ties to the British royal family.
During World War II, he was a prisoner of war in Java and later advised Lord Mountbatten in Southeast Asia.
He claimed to be the inspiration for the character of Colonel Allenby in his friend J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'.
His 1955 novel 'Flamingo Feather' was one of the first English-language works to criticize apartheid.
“The story of our struggle to become human is the story of our struggle with the dream.”
