A Story Like the Wind

The absolute best in many genres. "A Story Like the Wind" and "A Far-Off Place" [sequel] are absolutely wonderful. I agree because "A Far-Off Place" was made into a "Disney" movie, the author may be overlooked by people.Van Der Post speaks to a culture, place and time that provide a much richer texture to life than the current life we have in the "modern world".Your heart will ache for such a far-off place that is held timeless by Van Der Post's beautiful writing. Whether you read this for pleasure or for profound spritiual insights, you will be rewarded beyond belief. Cliche, "A Story Like the Wind" is worth its weight in gold, or platinum if gold is not precious enough.

I read this book because I am interested in the depth psychologist Carl Jung. Van der Post was a male friend, perhaps the only male friend, of Jung. It is clear from this book why this would be so. STORY LIKE THE WIND delves into the magic of the continent and its peoples though the story of a boy descended from three centuries of 'settlers'. In his life at Hunter's Drift, an agricultural oasis created by his father, Francois has become more a child of the bush than a European. The nearest telephone is miles away, but there is much to be learned from the bush. Even nature, through the birds, warns of great danger, and the boy and his 'uncle', Mopani the Hunter, share that secret. Soon a great black Seer senses the coming of an overwhelming evil. The next warning comes too late to help Hunter's Drift and what it represents. All this, especially the experience of the bush, is presented in a prose that at times turns into poetry.

"Thou knowest that I sit waiting for the moon to turn back, that I may listen to all the people's stories . . . For I am here--in a great city-- I do not obtain stories-- . . . I do merely listen, watching for a story which I want to hear; that it may float into my ear . . . I will go to sit at my home that I may listen, turn my ears backwards to the heels of my feet on which I wait, so that I can feel that a story is in the wind." So begins the introduction to this fascinating story as Van der Post quotes a Bushman to show the African love for stories. I was inspired to read this book after watching the Disney movie, A Far Off Place, which is based on this book and its sequel. At first I was a bit bogged down in the numerous details about Africa, and then these became my favorite part of the book. The plot moves slowly at first, but the last chapter is so tense I could barely read fast enough. Francois is a young boy, just 13, when this story begins. He has been born and reared in Africa, knowing the bush as well as his African Matabele friends. His coming of age is helped by his beloved dog Hintza, his new friend Nonnie, and his Bushman friend Xhabbo. When the Angolan men of the spear rise up determined to slaughter all Europeans and those who befriend them, well, you will just have to read this book yourself to find out what happens, to feel a story like the wind.

I read this book 10 years ago, and went looking for it here because I have never seen it in a bookstore. I was very surprised to see it recommended for toddlers/children. It is a coming of age story, but it has a good deal of violence, and is also quite detailed about a spiritual search/quest which would be all but incomprehensible to the most mature pre-teen, let alone child. I remember it as one of the most beautiful books I ever read, both for the descriptions of Africa and her people, and also for his Junngian inspired use of strong emotional images.

It's a shame that not very many people have heard of this book or its author. Truly, it is one of my favorite books--it's descriptions of Africa are beautiful! I have tried explaining it to people, and they have often made a face and said: "White guy tries to write about Africa." What they don't understand is that Laurens van der Post knows exactly what he is talking about because he grew up in Africa himself. It took me a while to read this book, not because I had a hard time motivating myself to read, but because I savored each passage and the imagery the book envoked.