About Blady - A Pattern Out of Time-A Memoir

by Laurens van der Post

Book by Laurens van der Post

Genres: South Africa, Africa

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

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

[Mary Monro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy LVDP's writing but this is my least favourite of the books I have read. The only redeeming feature for me was the connection he makes between the man-horse relationship and Chiron, the centaur and original healer, teacher of Asclepius. I treat horses osteopathically and always feel that they treat me as much as I treat them. Their principal characteristic seems to be compassion, which is the soul of healing. It was interesting to learn the roots of this intuition.

[Penelope Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

He wrote wonderfully at times but the verbose pontificating in between did my head in

[Julian Friend · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sublime memoir. It begins slowly, like a meditation. Ver Der Post always includes Africa.....even when the book is a remembrance of a couple of friends of his who enter an unlikely former plow-horse, Blady, into a show jumping competition in Spain.