WRITER

Laurens van der Post

1906 - 1996

Photo of Laurens van der Post

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Sir Laurens Jan van der Post, (13 December 1906 – 15 December 1996) was a South African Afrikaner writer, farmer, soldier, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer and conservationist. He was noted for his interest in Jungianism and the Kalahari Bushmen, his experiences during World War II, as well as his relationships with notable figures such as King Charles III and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Laurens van der Post has received more than 500,197 page views. His biography is available in 19 different languages on Wikipedia. Laurens van der Post is the 3,877th most popular writer (down from 3,683rd in 2019), the 78th most popular biography from South Africa (down from 74th in 2019) and the 8th most popular South African Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 500k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 50.58

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 19

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.56

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.78

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

A story like the wind
Fiction in English
1972
A Far-Off Place
Fiction, Race relations
1974
Lost World of the Kalahari
1962
The lost world of the Kalahari
Description and travel, Nonfiction, San (African people)
In this enthralling book van der Post establishes his role as a distinguished explorer and writer describing the rediscovery of the Bushmen, outcast survivors from Stone Age Africa.Laurens van der Post was fascinated and appalled at the fate of this remarkable people. Ostracised by all the changing face of African cultural life they retreated deep into the Kalahari desert. His fascinating attempt to capture their way of life and the secrets of their ancient heritage provide captivating reading and a unique insight into a forgotten way of life.
1958
Venture to the interior
A gripping, sometimes harrowing account of a British exploratory expedition into an uncharted region of southern Africa
1952

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Laurens van der Post ranks 3,877 out of 7,302. Before him are Teresa de Lauretis, Shushanik Kurghinian, Nikolay Novikov, Arthur Waley, Maria Deraismes, and William Congreve. After him are Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Karoline von Günderrode, Francis Davis Millet, Ömer Seyfettin, Anne Hébert, and Dušan Kovačević.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1906, Laurens van der Post ranks 215. Before him are Renato Cesarini, Joan Blondell, Fernando Giudicelli, Boris Kaufman, Matvei Bronstein, and Francisco Cepeda. After him are Josef Čtyřoký, Bob King, Karl Sesta, Betti Alver, Tony Accardo, and Luo Ruiqing. Among people deceased in 1996, Laurens van der Post ranks 172. Before him are Imre Kovács, Gyula Kállai, Aliki Vougiouklaki, Dorothy Lamour, Akram al-Hawrani, and Joanne Dru. After him are Gottfried von Einem, George Burns, Kenneth Bainbridge, Rob Hall, George Kojac, and Veronica Guerin.

Others Born in 1906

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Others Deceased in 1996

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In South Africa

Among people born in South Africa, Laurens van der Post ranks 78 out of 454. Before him are Oliver Tambo (1917), Evelyn Mase (1922), Alice Krige (1954), Mangosuthu Buthelezi (1928), Walter Sisulu (1912), and Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo (1868). After him are Nico Diederichs (1903), Koos de la Rey (1847), Louis Raymond (1895), Piet Retief (1780), Jamie Uys (1921), and Helen Suzman (1917).

Others born in South Africa

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Among WRITERS In South Africa

Among writers born in South Africa, Laurens van der Post ranks 8. Before him are J. M. Coetzee (1940), Nadine Gordimer (1923), Peter Abrahams (1919), André Brink (1935), Ronald Harwood (1934), and Laurence Oliphant (1829). After him are Breyten Breytenbach (1939), Deon Meyer (1958), Ingrid Jonker (1933), Alan Paton (1903), Andrew Murray (1828), and Elsa Joubert (1922).

South African born Writers

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