The Voice of the Thunder

by Laurens van der Post

The author of The Heart of the Hunter shares his vision and his manifesto for renewal in the human spirit in this collection of three essays--"The Little Memory," "The Great Memory," and "The Other Journey."

229 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Sir Laurens Jan van der Post was a 20th Century South African Afrikaner author of many books, farmer, war hero, political adviser to British heads of government, close friend of Prince Charles, godfather of Prince William, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer, and conservationist.

Reviews

[Annalise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intimacy with nature is felt in all the books I have read of Van der Post. It is something I cherish so much in his writings - a deep connection which only the desert and certain places can help instil. So refreshing to read yet of course sad to sense the quick deterioration, what seems an unstoppable force eating us all up.

I believe few have experienced such connections with their surroundings and inner being and it is heartwarming to read about them with sincerity and beautiful descriptions.
One of my favourites must be:
"And since the stars, with which the nights of the southern hemisphere are so densely packed that one can hear them straining at the seam of the Milkly Way in the stillness, since they were family too, he naturally addressed the greatest of them as grandfather and grandmother, since there was no discrimination of value and dignity between the sexes. " (The Great Memory)

[Jason West · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special book that I will read every few years, not so much a story, as much as a message to humanity to turn our focus inwards to the primitive loving caring part of our nature, and think and search for the answers through that inner dimension. Only there can we resolve and end the confusion caused by our contradictory nature.

This book was referenced in Freedom:The End of the Human Condition by Jeremy Griffith, who solved the human condition, That's how I became aware of it.

[Connor FitzGerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this a while back and should read it again. It’s an absolutely beautifully written essay on humanity. Told with van der Post’s amazing ability to tell stories and use metaphor to tackle some of the big questions underlying mankind.