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Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home
Boyd Varty had an unconventional upbringing. He grew up on Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, a place where man and nature strive for balance, where perils exist alongside wonders. Founded more than eighty years ago as a hunting ground, Londolozi was transformed into a nature reserve beginning in 1973 by Varty’s father and uncle, visionaries of the restoration movement. But it wasn’t just a sanctuary for the animals; it was also a place for ravaged land to flourish again and for the human spirit to be restored. When Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years of imprisonment, he came to the reserve to recover.
Cathedral of the Wild is Varty’s memoir of his life in this exquisite and vast refuge. At Londolozi, Varty gained the confidence that emerges from living in Africa. “We came out strong and largely unafraid of life,” he writes, “with the full knowledge of its dangers.” It was there that young Boyd and his equally adventurous sister learned to track animals, raised leopard and lion cubs, followed their larger-than-life uncle on his many adventures filming wildlife, and became one with the land. Varty survived a harrowing black mamba encounter, a debilitating bout with malaria, even a vicious crocodile attack, but his biggest challenge was a personal crisis of purpose. An intense spiritual quest takes him across the globe and back again—to reconnect with nature and “rediscover the track.”
Cathedral of the Wild is a story of transformation that inspires a great appreciation for the beauty and order of the natural world. With conviction, hope, and humor, Varty makes a passionate claim for the power of the wild to restore the human spirit.
Praise for Cathedral of the Wild
“Extremely touching . . . a book about growth and hope.”—The New York Times
“It made me cry with its hard-won truths about human and animal nature. . . . Both funny and deeply moving, this book belongs on the shelf of everyone who seeks healing in wilderness.”—BookPage
“This is a gorgeous, lyrical, hilarious, important book. Boyd Varty is as brilliant a storyteller and as kind a companion as you’ll ever meet. He describes a life that has been spent forging a new way of thinking and being, in harmony with both Nature writ large and the human nature that is you. Read this and you may find yourself instinctively beginning to heal old wounds: in yourself, in others, and just maybe in the cathedral of the wild that is our true home.”—Martha Beck, author of Finding Your Own North Star
“Cathedral of the Wild is the captivating story of the joyful, occasionally terrifying, but always interesting life of Boyd Varty. It is also a tale of healing, and of one family’s passion to restore our broken connection to nature. Be prepared to fall in love with Varty, his sister, his parents, his uncle, the ideals they fiercely hold to protect the African bush, and the wild animals and people that surround them. With his campfire wit and poet’s ear, Varty is a wonderful new voice in adventure writing.”—Susan Casey, author of The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean
“From the first chapter of Cathedral of the Wild, Boyd Varty’s South Africa grabs your heart, rather like the giant mamba he encountered as a boy. The deadly snake moved on, but Varty’s stories stick.”—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle
From the Hardcover edition.
Cathedral of the Wild is Varty’s memoir of his life in this exquisite and vast refuge. At Londolozi, Varty gained the confidence that emerges from living in Africa. “We came out strong and largely unafraid of life,” he writes, “with the full knowledge of its dangers.” It was there that young Boyd and his equally adventurous sister learned to track animals, raised leopard and lion cubs, followed their larger-than-life uncle on his many adventures filming wildlife, and became one with the land. Varty survived a harrowing black mamba encounter, a debilitating bout with malaria, even a vicious crocodile attack, but his biggest challenge was a personal crisis of purpose. An intense spiritual quest takes him across the globe and back again—to reconnect with nature and “rediscover the track.”
Cathedral of the Wild is a story of transformation that inspires a great appreciation for the beauty and order of the natural world. With conviction, hope, and humor, Varty makes a passionate claim for the power of the wild to restore the human spirit.
Praise for Cathedral of the Wild
“Extremely touching . . . a book about growth and hope.”—The New York Times
“It made me cry with its hard-won truths about human and animal nature. . . . Both funny and deeply moving, this book belongs on the shelf of everyone who seeks healing in wilderness.”—BookPage
“This is a gorgeous, lyrical, hilarious, important book. Boyd Varty is as brilliant a storyteller and as kind a companion as you’ll ever meet. He describes a life that has been spent forging a new way of thinking and being, in harmony with both Nature writ large and the human nature that is you. Read this and you may find yourself instinctively beginning to heal old wounds: in yourself, in others, and just maybe in the cathedral of the wild that is our true home.”—Martha Beck, author of Finding Your Own North Star
“Cathedral of the Wild is the captivating story of the joyful, occasionally terrifying, but always interesting life of Boyd Varty. It is also a tale of healing, and of one family’s passion to restore our broken connection to nature. Be prepared to fall in love with Varty, his sister, his parents, his uncle, the ideals they fiercely hold to protect the African bush, and the wild animals and people that surround them. With his campfire wit and poet’s ear, Varty is a wonderful new voice in adventure writing.”—Susan Casey, author of The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean
“From the first chapter of Cathedral of the Wild, Boyd Varty’s South Africa grabs your heart, rather like the giant mamba he encountered as a boy. The deadly snake moved on, but Varty’s stories stick.”—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle
From the Hardcover edition.
7 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2014
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December 5, 2015
My life can be divided into two distinct sections: Living in Africa and Longing for Africa. At present, the latter is my reality, and it's terrible.
For those who've never lived in Africa, that won't make sense. But for those who've experienced an African sunrise, and the way the rays of dawn inch across your skin, seep into your blood, and flood your heart with glory, for those who've been wooed by the songs of the doves in the mango trees, for those who long for red dirt between their toes and the simple pleasure of chai and chapati shared around a smoky African campfire, you know. You know what I mean.
Africa ruins you for life anywhere else. And when you're in a "Longing for Africa" season, you medicate this vast, ruinous, separated space with what you can: A coffee table book of safari photos, an explorer's journal from the days of Livingston and Stanley, a video of Blue Wildebeests surging across the East African plains, a Maasai bracelet that still smells of sweat and dust and diesel fumes.
Soon, you have Africa in every room of your house and every room of your heart...and it's still not enough. In your heart, you know you'll never be home again, until you're back in the continent that's claimed you.
Boyd Varty describes this hunger as "a longing in the spirit for something wild and with teeth." And it was in this moment, when I read this line, that I realized his book was something different. Something special.
Cathedral of the Wild was a beautiful agony for me. I've never found another book in any form that portrays Africa so vividly. It is no simple thing, painting this land on the canvas of someone's mind. Africa is a shocking mixture of grandeur and grit. It is deadly and intoxicating, glorious and terrifying, divine and utterly earthy, all at the same time.
I've read books that focus on the brutality of the place: The war, injustice, starvation, greed, poaching, corruption, racism, and genocide. I've read books that feature just the beauty: lush jungles, breathtaking coastlines, majestic animals, villages that work to care for their own, children singing. But a balanced picture of both? A story that finds the beauty and meaning in both? That's incredibly rare.
Somehow, Varty has done this. Cathedral of the Wild is simultaneously a coming-of-age memoir, a heartfelt explorer's guide to the South African bush, an introspective treatise on terror, forgiveness, and healing, a TED talk on dreaming and taking risks, and a Thoreau-level family love poem to the entire continent.
I've never been so moved by a story. And never been so grateful to an author for their bravery and vulnerability. Every time I opened this book, it transported me from the concrete walls of my narrow, middle-class American life back to the wild land of my heart. The land with teeth.
This is transformative story-telling at its finest. I dare you to read this book and come out on the other side unchanged. Prepare to fall in love with Africa, Uncle John and his lion, Bron, Boyd, and the entire Varty family.
Highly, highly recommended.
For those who've never lived in Africa, that won't make sense. But for those who've experienced an African sunrise, and the way the rays of dawn inch across your skin, seep into your blood, and flood your heart with glory, for those who've been wooed by the songs of the doves in the mango trees, for those who long for red dirt between their toes and the simple pleasure of chai and chapati shared around a smoky African campfire, you know. You know what I mean.
Africa ruins you for life anywhere else. And when you're in a "Longing for Africa" season, you medicate this vast, ruinous, separated space with what you can: A coffee table book of safari photos, an explorer's journal from the days of Livingston and Stanley, a video of Blue Wildebeests surging across the East African plains, a Maasai bracelet that still smells of sweat and dust and diesel fumes.
Soon, you have Africa in every room of your house and every room of your heart...and it's still not enough. In your heart, you know you'll never be home again, until you're back in the continent that's claimed you.
Boyd Varty describes this hunger as "a longing in the spirit for something wild and with teeth." And it was in this moment, when I read this line, that I realized his book was something different. Something special.
Cathedral of the Wild was a beautiful agony for me. I've never found another book in any form that portrays Africa so vividly. It is no simple thing, painting this land on the canvas of someone's mind. Africa is a shocking mixture of grandeur and grit. It is deadly and intoxicating, glorious and terrifying, divine and utterly earthy, all at the same time.
I've read books that focus on the brutality of the place: The war, injustice, starvation, greed, poaching, corruption, racism, and genocide. I've read books that feature just the beauty: lush jungles, breathtaking coastlines, majestic animals, villages that work to care for their own, children singing. But a balanced picture of both? A story that finds the beauty and meaning in both? That's incredibly rare.
Somehow, Varty has done this. Cathedral of the Wild is simultaneously a coming-of-age memoir, a heartfelt explorer's guide to the South African bush, an introspective treatise on terror, forgiveness, and healing, a TED talk on dreaming and taking risks, and a Thoreau-level family love poem to the entire continent.
I've never been so moved by a story. And never been so grateful to an author for their bravery and vulnerability. Every time I opened this book, it transported me from the concrete walls of my narrow, middle-class American life back to the wild land of my heart. The land with teeth.
This is transformative story-telling at its finest. I dare you to read this book and come out on the other side unchanged. Prepare to fall in love with Africa, Uncle John and his lion, Bron, Boyd, and the entire Varty family.
Highly, highly recommended.
July 15, 2018
This is a true story of the author Boyd Varty’s life on Londolozi Game Reserve near Johannesburg, South Africa. The land which encompassed hundreds of thousands of acres, was passed down through the Varty family for hunting safaris. Boyd’s father Dave and uncle John Varty had a vision to create a reserve to return what had become a bankrupt land with few animals to a land teeming with wildlife. “Dad and Uncle John’s plan was to create an “economy of wildlife”—to make it economically feasible for people to make their livings not by destroying the land by raising cattle and sheep on it, but by conserving the land, encouraging wildlife to spread across it, and helping everyone living there including the natives to enjoy its benefits.”
The storyline is made up of individual stories about the Varty family, their native brothers and of course the wildlife, written from Boyd’s perspective. Boyd and his sister Bron, were born and raised on the Reserve, and the book reveals what it’s like living with wildlife, near death experiences, natural disasters and many humorous stories to keep the reader’s nose in the book.
Today, Londolozi hosts the Varty’s elite safari business where the animals exist free from hunting and poachers. “We restored the land, we restored our connection to the animals and the natives, and in doing so, we restored ourselves.”
Highly recommended.
The storyline is made up of individual stories about the Varty family, their native brothers and of course the wildlife, written from Boyd’s perspective. Boyd and his sister Bron, were born and raised on the Reserve, and the book reveals what it’s like living with wildlife, near death experiences, natural disasters and many humorous stories to keep the reader’s nose in the book.
Today, Londolozi hosts the Varty’s elite safari business where the animals exist free from hunting and poachers. “We restored the land, we restored our connection to the animals and the natives, and in doing so, we restored ourselves.”
Highly recommended.
June 17, 2014
A story of transformation that inspires a great appreciation for the beauty and order of the natural world. With conviction, hope and humor, Varty makes a passionate claim for the power of the wild to restore the human spirit. A memoir about growing up in a wildlife conservation park in South Africa and in the Varty family, who are as wild as the wonderful animals they protect.
August 3, 2016
Excellent memoir about growing up in a conservation minded family in South Africa. Gerald Durrell for the new Millennium, where saving animals doesn't necessitate relocating them from their habitats, but rather healing the land and peoples around them. The book could have stalled out as a propaganda piece – after all, Varty and his family run Londolozi Game Reserve, a tourist destination. But there is too much honesty in the book for that, too much compassion and vulnerability. This is a powerful story, as much about the man as the place.
March 4, 2015
I received a ARC copy of this book from the Firstreads giveaway, and I could not be more thankful.
I was blown away by this memoir. A stunning testament to the healing power of nature. Boyd tells the story of his spiritual journey, along the way introducing us to his life, living and working on the South African game reserve Londolozi. He describes the loving relationship between his parents, his untouchable bond with sister Bron, and his audacious adventures with quirky uncle John. He walked us through his experience transitioning from life in the bush to boarding school. After a failed attempt at relocating to the boarding school he traveled the world with his teacher Kate.
Boyd Varty is able to take us deep into the captivating lands of wild South Africa through his gifted story telling. Allowing us to enter a world, most will never have the chance to experience. He describes in detail his relationships with the different tribes, and the life altering lessons he has learned from them, through their unique understanding of the land, animals and how they all blend in perfect unison. All while showing us that life in the bush can at times be safer than the unpredictable dangers humans pose to one another.
I loved every riveting chapter, and was sad to find myself at the end of this charming memoir. I passionately recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I was blown away by this memoir. A stunning testament to the healing power of nature. Boyd tells the story of his spiritual journey, along the way introducing us to his life, living and working on the South African game reserve Londolozi. He describes the loving relationship between his parents, his untouchable bond with sister Bron, and his audacious adventures with quirky uncle John. He walked us through his experience transitioning from life in the bush to boarding school. After a failed attempt at relocating to the boarding school he traveled the world with his teacher Kate.
Boyd Varty is able to take us deep into the captivating lands of wild South Africa through his gifted story telling. Allowing us to enter a world, most will never have the chance to experience. He describes in detail his relationships with the different tribes, and the life altering lessons he has learned from them, through their unique understanding of the land, animals and how they all blend in perfect unison. All while showing us that life in the bush can at times be safer than the unpredictable dangers humans pose to one another.
I loved every riveting chapter, and was sad to find myself at the end of this charming memoir. I passionately recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
August 11, 2016
I received an advanced reader's copy through Elle magazine.
I was absolutely enthralled Boyd Varty's Cathedral of the Wild. It was almost impossible to put down. Varty's writing style is so effortless and filled with such imagery, I found myself picturing the wilds of Africa in my mind, and imagining this amazing Varty family and the locals who run the Londolozi Game Reserve. Varty weaves in moments of humor, as well as moments of heartbreak. The memoir is also filled with wonderful history on South Africa, including the people and the animals that live in this magical land. I felt as if I was sitting around the campfire at the Reserve, hearing tales of the past, the present, and the future of beautiful South Africa.
I was absolutely enthralled Boyd Varty's Cathedral of the Wild. It was almost impossible to put down. Varty's writing style is so effortless and filled with such imagery, I found myself picturing the wilds of Africa in my mind, and imagining this amazing Varty family and the locals who run the Londolozi Game Reserve. Varty weaves in moments of humor, as well as moments of heartbreak. The memoir is also filled with wonderful history on South Africa, including the people and the animals that live in this magical land. I felt as if I was sitting around the campfire at the Reserve, hearing tales of the past, the present, and the future of beautiful South Africa.
December 25, 2018
A lot of anecdotes that are interesting in this book, but I would have been a lot more engaged if there was more about the nuts and bolts of building a conservation reserve, including the restoration of wetlands / water in the landscape, and less about the personal spiritual journey of Boyd Varty. I respect what the Varty's have done in reclaiming land for wildlife in Africa, and I'm glad they did it, but I am also aware they run a top-end resort that charges $947 USD per night for a room. Boyd's father's book might be worth a look, though.
June 10, 2017
This book surprised me. While I will read almost anything that deals with elephants, big cats, or apes, this seemed at first like an idyllic but episodic account of growing up on a wild life reserve. The obligatory story about a pet squirrel getting killed, encounters with mambas and lions, and the self-involved tourists, all seemed like anecdotes, albeit engaging, rather than a coherent whole.
Then Varty experienced a string of encounters with death and violence, like getting over two hundred stitches after being "taken by a croc," and watching his family threatened by gunmen in their own home. Suddenly confronted with the brutally random aspect of the natural and human worlds, he embarks on a series of pilgrimages to try to break through his resulting cynicism and pain.
There are some transcendentally beautiful moments in the last hundred pages, as when he overhears his friend's children signing to each other, or when he fears he might die in a Southwestern sweat lodge and is told, "No, brother, that's what being born feels like." He writes, "If we want to restore the planet, we must first restore ourselves ... You don't need to see the whole picture, you just need to see where to take the next step." Ultimately, the title says it all, and reminds us that if we do not actively work against forces intent on decimating the land that supports us all, there will be no "home" to go to when we lose ourselves.
Then Varty experienced a string of encounters with death and violence, like getting over two hundred stitches after being "taken by a croc," and watching his family threatened by gunmen in their own home. Suddenly confronted with the brutally random aspect of the natural and human worlds, he embarks on a series of pilgrimages to try to break through his resulting cynicism and pain.
There are some transcendentally beautiful moments in the last hundred pages, as when he overhears his friend's children signing to each other, or when he fears he might die in a Southwestern sweat lodge and is told, "No, brother, that's what being born feels like." He writes, "If we want to restore the planet, we must first restore ourselves ... You don't need to see the whole picture, you just need to see where to take the next step." Ultimately, the title says it all, and reminds us that if we do not actively work against forces intent on decimating the land that supports us all, there will be no "home" to go to when we lose ourselves.
January 27, 2014
Boyd Varty’s richly descriptive narrative about life on the South African game reserve where he and his family live is indicative of the rich descriptions of his spiritual journey.
Unlike most memoirs where the author goes off to another land to find their true home, Varty is already there. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to stay. Having realized at different times in my life that even though I thought I wanted to leave, what I needed to do was stay. I could identify with his awakening/realization that "I'm already where I am supposed to be."
His personal and spiritual growth is mirrored by his family’s struggles and growth. His devotion to his family and how he always writes respectfully of them was refreshing.
This book will appeal to readers on their own spiritual journeys as well as readers of travelogues and South African literature.
Unlike most memoirs where the author goes off to another land to find their true home, Varty is already there. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to stay. Having realized at different times in my life that even though I thought I wanted to leave, what I needed to do was stay. I could identify with his awakening/realization that "I'm already where I am supposed to be."
His personal and spiritual growth is mirrored by his family’s struggles and growth. His devotion to his family and how he always writes respectfully of them was refreshing.
This book will appeal to readers on their own spiritual journeys as well as readers of travelogues and South African literature.
April 22, 2014
Boyd Varty had a very nontraditional childhood, growing up on the Londolozi Land Reserve in South Africa, where encounters with lions, elephants, leopards, crocodiles, and snakes were everyday occurrences. His family's lives were touched by apartheid, elephant poaching, and tribal wars, but only marginally, until two separate crisis unsettle the whole family. As a young adult, Boyd became restless, troubled with anxiety about his family's future, and unsure of where he himself fit in. Through his own struggles and growth, Boyd begins to express a profound appreciation for the natural world, one in which he had previously been so immersed as to not notice the soul nourishment he received. He ends this memoir with a renewed sense of purpose, one that seeks to bring a deepened connection to all of nature to all us.
October 15, 2015
Good on landscape and animals and amusing camp-life incidents, rather unbelievable on the wonderful wonderful people in the crack team, interminable on spiritual connections towards the end. Much of this is pretty pedestrian, despite the spectacular setting, and amidst the adulation and overblown emotion I feel he's sold the family story short. I appreciate the curative value in constructing a narrative of your life, but it's not always palatable.
However they seem to be doing good work at their foundation.
However they seem to be doing good work at their foundation.
December 18, 2014
Varty was reared in wild and rural South Africa among the magnificent and dangerous native animals. His parents were committed to protecting the species and maintaining the land. The story is about their joy in their life and the struggles they faced. It was a daring life with opportunity for contemplation and spiritual growth.Varty describes all of it.
February 18, 2014
Wonderful memoir of the author growing up on a South African game reserve with an unconventional childhood I'm not sure many could survive. Very well written, holding my attention from beginning to end.
April 26, 2023
I've been through a rough patch and been having a giant need to talk about it, but the queues to mental help in Helsinki have been very long. Luckily, I found a wonderful online psychologist, based in Budapest. It's a bummer to do it online, but I'm not complaining: it's been a life-saver. I've been getting so much relief from getting to talk openly about my challenges and fears. And I've been talking a lot about elephants as I'm very sad for the state of the world and the fact that the African elephants are in danger because of the climate change. Some say that the might be even going extinct in 2040's. To me there is nothing more heartbreaking than the idea of telling that to all the children born into this beautiful world now. I'm a very big fan of James Hillman as he says that we don't have a psyche, we are a part of one, and when this world suffers I suffer, too.
I get tasks from each session and from the last session my task was to read this book and write down my thoughts. So here we go:
It was a very well-written and entertaining book on a subject I have never actually read about: life in South Africa, from the point of view of a white man. Though Varty has been living his whole life in South Africa. It's also about hunting, different animals – and nature preservation. Nelson Mandela also makes an appearance, which I loved. And it's a very powerful tale of family in its core. That made my heart beat and made me feel very warm inside. The relationship of the parents is something I truly want. I truly and deeply love commitment.
This book is basically about overcoming challenges, listening to your inner voice, sticking together through rough times. And the elephants here are wonderful, ambassadors of peace, moving mountains... God how I love them.
We need a community, whether it be a family or other kind, to face catastrophes. And catastrophes come to all of us. And like this book says, not one by one but all at the same time. Together we strive, alone we fall.
I want love like this. I want a life like this. Though I'm not moving to South Africa anytime soon. Or go near lions. But a life with a burning meaning, which makes absolutely everything work for it. That's a big problem in the world we live in now: our lives are devoid of meaning. I have a very hard time finding meaningful job. I'm very sure it involves writing, but it's extremely hard to get paid.
I'd love to sweat more, do more physically, overcome big challenges. Because as humans we thrive on hardship. It's very important. And we don't get satisfaction in working office jobs, doing commercials, getting money and investing in real estate.
I just read somewhere that a man without meaning will distract himself with pleasure.
That hit me hard. Because that I have done: tried to find meaning in leisure, pleasure, experiences... giving myself rewards for a "job well done", working in advertising.
Fuck that.
We live such empty lives.
This too I have thought a lot about lately: life is about experiences that cannot be bought.
Experiences that cannot be bought.
It's not in events, theatres, travel, restaurants, a nice car, cocktails... it's in the event you arrange yourself, about the discussion after the theatre, about the random encounter with a stranger on your trip, in getting lost, in driving your kids to school with a decent car and doing something useful with everything left over, about inventing a cocktail yourself.
I understand very clearly my condition now: I was under extreme stress, losing my job and being without money, very tired and worried, forced to go on despite it all but failing, because I was too scared to ask for help from the community and too tired to get up. And so lost, full of want to do something but completely unable because I didn't know where to start. And that is a state where you are backed into a corner, when you act as the animals do without no other thing than aggression. Because my body doesn't know I live in this world with rules, morals, taxes, time and other systems – it's that of an animal. Very primal and therefore must be forgiven. But I'm learning from it and I have no need for aggression in my life.
I'm not afraid of hard work and I'm much better now. All the sadness has converted into a vital force. The big sentence in this book, "know your truth, stick to the process, and be free of outcome" is very true and very important. First of all; truth. That is the hardest. When you know that, you will find the threads, one by one. And after that let go of the "want", be natural and flow like water, trust the Tao.
Some more, lighter comments about the book: the depictions were vivid and very cool, especially the trips to India and the images of hardship under the influence of peyote. We can learn from everything. And something about this book, in general, brought me back to to the 90's, to my safe place and my community, the family of seven kids and a lot of cats and a welcoming atmosphere that made me feel like their own son. A deep comfort, maybe triggered by the mention of Disney programming in this, not sure. Sometimes I get these waves of happiness from nowhere and they are usually linked to my childhood. We had our hardships, we survived and we thrived.
So, thinking very much about what I learned... community is vital, catastrophes are inevitable, hardship is in our blood, we are all animals, we are part of a psyche, you must find your truth, you will find peace in meditation, even in dire situations. By the way, I'm in Italy right now, "dire" means "speak", let's speak the truth. So, maybe this is the key: speak the truth, clear the head.
The elephants say "om" in this book, which means you are always safe.
I get tasks from each session and from the last session my task was to read this book and write down my thoughts. So here we go:
It was a very well-written and entertaining book on a subject I have never actually read about: life in South Africa, from the point of view of a white man. Though Varty has been living his whole life in South Africa. It's also about hunting, different animals – and nature preservation. Nelson Mandela also makes an appearance, which I loved. And it's a very powerful tale of family in its core. That made my heart beat and made me feel very warm inside. The relationship of the parents is something I truly want. I truly and deeply love commitment.
This book is basically about overcoming challenges, listening to your inner voice, sticking together through rough times. And the elephants here are wonderful, ambassadors of peace, moving mountains... God how I love them.
We need a community, whether it be a family or other kind, to face catastrophes. And catastrophes come to all of us. And like this book says, not one by one but all at the same time. Together we strive, alone we fall.
I want love like this. I want a life like this. Though I'm not moving to South Africa anytime soon. Or go near lions. But a life with a burning meaning, which makes absolutely everything work for it. That's a big problem in the world we live in now: our lives are devoid of meaning. I have a very hard time finding meaningful job. I'm very sure it involves writing, but it's extremely hard to get paid.
I'd love to sweat more, do more physically, overcome big challenges. Because as humans we thrive on hardship. It's very important. And we don't get satisfaction in working office jobs, doing commercials, getting money and investing in real estate.
I just read somewhere that a man without meaning will distract himself with pleasure.
That hit me hard. Because that I have done: tried to find meaning in leisure, pleasure, experiences... giving myself rewards for a "job well done", working in advertising.
Fuck that.
We live such empty lives.
This too I have thought a lot about lately: life is about experiences that cannot be bought.
Experiences that cannot be bought.
It's not in events, theatres, travel, restaurants, a nice car, cocktails... it's in the event you arrange yourself, about the discussion after the theatre, about the random encounter with a stranger on your trip, in getting lost, in driving your kids to school with a decent car and doing something useful with everything left over, about inventing a cocktail yourself.
I understand very clearly my condition now: I was under extreme stress, losing my job and being without money, very tired and worried, forced to go on despite it all but failing, because I was too scared to ask for help from the community and too tired to get up. And so lost, full of want to do something but completely unable because I didn't know where to start. And that is a state where you are backed into a corner, when you act as the animals do without no other thing than aggression. Because my body doesn't know I live in this world with rules, morals, taxes, time and other systems – it's that of an animal. Very primal and therefore must be forgiven. But I'm learning from it and I have no need for aggression in my life.
I'm not afraid of hard work and I'm much better now. All the sadness has converted into a vital force. The big sentence in this book, "know your truth, stick to the process, and be free of outcome" is very true and very important. First of all; truth. That is the hardest. When you know that, you will find the threads, one by one. And after that let go of the "want", be natural and flow like water, trust the Tao.
Some more, lighter comments about the book: the depictions were vivid and very cool, especially the trips to India and the images of hardship under the influence of peyote. We can learn from everything. And something about this book, in general, brought me back to to the 90's, to my safe place and my community, the family of seven kids and a lot of cats and a welcoming atmosphere that made me feel like their own son. A deep comfort, maybe triggered by the mention of Disney programming in this, not sure. Sometimes I get these waves of happiness from nowhere and they are usually linked to my childhood. We had our hardships, we survived and we thrived.
So, thinking very much about what I learned... community is vital, catastrophes are inevitable, hardship is in our blood, we are all animals, we are part of a psyche, you must find your truth, you will find peace in meditation, even in dire situations. By the way, I'm in Italy right now, "dire" means "speak", let's speak the truth. So, maybe this is the key: speak the truth, clear the head.
The elephants say "om" in this book, which means you are always safe.
June 19, 2024
This brought back a lot of memories that I paid lip service to, and then moved on. Stupid me. One was the mention of the "dark night of the soul"(Ram Dass in the book) which I learned about while reading the works of Thomas Merton. The Fibonacci Sequence is another which I learned, forgot about, and I will relearn.
The writing of the flora and fauna of South Africa was delightful. I looked up images of clivies, plumbagos, aloes, francolins, and nyalas. Thank you Google images. Fans of Thoreau should love this book. I have already made a list of people who will be receiving this as birthday or Christmas gifts. I don't remember who recommended this, but thank you, thank you, thank you.
The writing of the flora and fauna of South Africa was delightful. I looked up images of clivies, plumbagos, aloes, francolins, and nyalas. Thank you Google images. Fans of Thoreau should love this book. I have already made a list of people who will be receiving this as birthday or Christmas gifts. I don't remember who recommended this, but thank you, thank you, thank you.
August 16, 2020
I really enjoyed the amazing stories of nature paired with Varty family stories that this book had to offer. Tales of lion, jaguar, elephant and other wild animal encounters were told in this book. Additionally, the reader learns about the adventures and challenges of growing up on a wildlife reserve. I appreciated the openness that the author demonstrated in sharing some of the personal difficulties he experienced. The book makes me want to go to South Africa and go on safari!
June 4, 2021
I expected something else... More about nature, more about animals... It wasn't so bad, but like I said, I expected something different...
June 10, 2023
First person story of Afrikaner boy growing up in a family of hard working conservationists. Much learned about wildlife.
March 2, 2025
I enjoyed this book. What a wild life this guy has lived!
April 4, 2024
Amazing story beautifully told. I am richer for knowing the life Boyd Varty is living and sharing from Londolzi.
March 7, 2014
I received this book as an Advance Review Copy.
Cathedral of the Wild is a pretty apt title. All throughout the book runs a ripple of spirituality and deep reverence for nature. It details the story of Boyd Varty, his family, the creation of Londolozi Game Reserve, and offers the tiniest but most poignant of snapshots of post-apartheid South Africa. Varty freely admits his family might be considered a bunch of hippies of the crunchiest variety. But mercifully, the frequent mentions of "trying to find oneself" and shamans and chanting OM never reaches into the territory of cloying or irritating. Varty's journey from skeptical, depressed man to enlightened, spiritual being felt real and raw as opposed to the privileged, neurotic navel-gazing I was expecting. He writes of his depression with an aching vulnerability that never devolves into wallowing self-pity or maudlin over-sharing.
Which isn’t to say the book is all about him either. Strictly speaking, this book is a personal memoir, but a solid two thirds of his book is only tangentially related to him at all which speaks to a modesty I was also not expecting. I expected yet another self-centered, self-satisfied memoir from a relatively young author inflated by a false sense of grandeur. What I got instead was this exhilarating, honest, lyrical book. Despite his best efforts at mild self-deprecation through omission, as it turns out Boyd Varty’s life really is intriguing and captivating enough to warrant a publishing deal.
In fact, Boyd Varty might make a run for stealing the title of “Most Interesting Man in the World” from that Dos Equis guy. Nearly eaten by a crocodile, charged at by elephants, tracking lions, Boyd Varty leads a fascinating life in the bushveld of South Africa on his family’s game reserve.
That being said whole chapters are dedicated not to his own exploits but to his family members and to the people who have touched him the most including teacher Kate Groch, mentor Martha Beck, and even Nelson Mandela himself who stays at Londolozi Game Reserve for a time. He writes about his loved ones with honesty and clarity. Their faults are never thrown back into their faces to demonize them, nor are their virtues ever used to lionize them. He writes of them humanely, lovingly portraying them warts and all.
The writing is gorgeous. That’s the only way I know how to describe it simply and succinctly without gushing too much. Beautiful imagery, heart-stopping action at some points, and honest and vulnerable introspection make this a book worth reading and re-reading. If you happen upon this hidden gem of a book, buy it. You won’t regret it.
One minor complaint: if you wanted a book to read in a hurry, this isn’t it. This isn’t a book you chug down in a fevered rush. Varty’s rootless writing and liberties with timelines are mesmerizing when read intermittently over a series of days or weeks but mutates into annoyingly random and arbitrary when read in one sitting. So read a chapter or two a night, dear reader, and dream of South Africa.
Cathedral of the Wild is a pretty apt title. All throughout the book runs a ripple of spirituality and deep reverence for nature. It details the story of Boyd Varty, his family, the creation of Londolozi Game Reserve, and offers the tiniest but most poignant of snapshots of post-apartheid South Africa. Varty freely admits his family might be considered a bunch of hippies of the crunchiest variety. But mercifully, the frequent mentions of "trying to find oneself" and shamans and chanting OM never reaches into the territory of cloying or irritating. Varty's journey from skeptical, depressed man to enlightened, spiritual being felt real and raw as opposed to the privileged, neurotic navel-gazing I was expecting. He writes of his depression with an aching vulnerability that never devolves into wallowing self-pity or maudlin over-sharing.
Which isn’t to say the book is all about him either. Strictly speaking, this book is a personal memoir, but a solid two thirds of his book is only tangentially related to him at all which speaks to a modesty I was also not expecting. I expected yet another self-centered, self-satisfied memoir from a relatively young author inflated by a false sense of grandeur. What I got instead was this exhilarating, honest, lyrical book. Despite his best efforts at mild self-deprecation through omission, as it turns out Boyd Varty’s life really is intriguing and captivating enough to warrant a publishing deal.
In fact, Boyd Varty might make a run for stealing the title of “Most Interesting Man in the World” from that Dos Equis guy. Nearly eaten by a crocodile, charged at by elephants, tracking lions, Boyd Varty leads a fascinating life in the bushveld of South Africa on his family’s game reserve.
That being said whole chapters are dedicated not to his own exploits but to his family members and to the people who have touched him the most including teacher Kate Groch, mentor Martha Beck, and even Nelson Mandela himself who stays at Londolozi Game Reserve for a time. He writes about his loved ones with honesty and clarity. Their faults are never thrown back into their faces to demonize them, nor are their virtues ever used to lionize them. He writes of them humanely, lovingly portraying them warts and all.
The writing is gorgeous. That’s the only way I know how to describe it simply and succinctly without gushing too much. Beautiful imagery, heart-stopping action at some points, and honest and vulnerable introspection make this a book worth reading and re-reading. If you happen upon this hidden gem of a book, buy it. You won’t regret it.
One minor complaint: if you wanted a book to read in a hurry, this isn’t it. This isn’t a book you chug down in a fevered rush. Varty’s rootless writing and liberties with timelines are mesmerizing when read intermittently over a series of days or weeks but mutates into annoyingly random and arbitrary when read in one sitting. So read a chapter or two a night, dear reader, and dream of South Africa.
February 23, 2014
This was a Goodreads First Reads book and I feel so lucky to have received and read it. An amazing story told by a novice author with such deep insight, humor and humility that it was hard to reconcile with the amazing true adventures he recounts. Varty's deep sense of family, to both his blood relations, the Shangaans he grew up with, and the wildlife protected and preserved on their game reserve is evident in every sentence he writes. Having never left the U.S., I feel like I've visited Londolozi, sleeping out in the wild with only our guide's wits and reflexes between us and the animals, including the leopards of which the Vartys are such staunch champions. I was riveted from start to finish and highly recommend this to anyone who feels any connection to nature, but especially to anyone who does not and can glean an understanding of the savage beauty of all animals, even the human variety.
December 11, 2015
Boyd Varty grew up on Londolozi Game Reserve, bordering Kruger National Park, in South Africa. Londolozi was begun by his father and uncle as a conservation effort but grew to include areas for guests to stay and take a safari. Boyd learned to track and interpret animal behavior. A series of harrowing and tragic events as a teenager caused him to lose focus. The book recounts his childhood, the events, and his journey back.
An interesting read. His candor about the good times and the struggles is interesting. It seems he's very open about the events that led to his being so adrift as well as the process to find the healing he needed. Perhaps writing the book was part of the healing process; that's not mentioned but I could imagine it to be the case. Not something that I'd be likely to re-read, but I'm glad that I read it.
An interesting read. His candor about the good times and the struggles is interesting. It seems he's very open about the events that led to his being so adrift as well as the process to find the healing he needed. Perhaps writing the book was part of the healing process; that's not mentioned but I could imagine it to be the case. Not something that I'd be likely to re-read, but I'm glad that I read it.
July 27, 2019
Redemption for the soul.
What an amazing and humbling book to read. Boyd Varty’s story is superbly crafted and sublimely compelling. I imagine that he must know how incredibly blessed he has been to experience the most rich childhood and connection to nature. I am thankful that he has managed to capture so much of it in this astonishing and inspiring book.
What an amazing and humbling book to read. Boyd Varty’s story is superbly crafted and sublimely compelling. I imagine that he must know how incredibly blessed he has been to experience the most rich childhood and connection to nature. I am thankful that he has managed to capture so much of it in this astonishing and inspiring book.
Want to read
January 29, 2014Very excited! ARC copy coming! Can't wait to read!
September 5, 2018
Entertaining, but not as good as I had hoped.
July 28, 2021
Boyd Varty and his sister Bron were born and raised on the Londolozi Game Reserve near Johannesburg, South Africa. A Google search reveals that Londolozi today offers a high-end safari experience, with no hunting element. Nelson Mandela relaxed at Londolozi after his release from prison.
That all sounds idyllic, but in Cathedral of the Wild, we learn what the “Varty life” was like from Boyd’s perspective. Boyd’s father and uncle inherited Londolozi as teenagers after their father died. Through blood, sweat, and tears, they made Londolozi work—for the animals, for guests, for local tribes, and for their family. When Bron and Boyd were born, they were quickly absorbed into the workings of the reserve. Boyd started driving the Land Rover at age 8 so the adults could focus on tracking animals.
I found myself on the one hand envious, but on the other hand exhausted at the thought of an everyday life without creature comforts. I sensed that while Londolozi (after decades of effort) came to cater to the semi-wealthy, the Vartys continued to live a simple life.
Cathedral of the Wild runs the emotional gamut—from breathtaking encounters with leopards and elephants to brink-of-death experiences with mamba and croc, from heartwarming relationships with local tribal people to brink-of-death experiences with destitute criminals in Jo-burg. Boyd tells these stories with passion, but not melodrama.
As Boyd finishes what we would consider high school (though his education is anything but typical), he falls into depression. He visits “healers” in India and Arizona (sweat lodge). Boyd is especially weighed down by a lawsuit against his father and uncle (not fully explained but I believe having to do with a tiger preserve—an attempt to save the tiger species through protection/breeding in Africa??) that drags on for years and years, taking a toll on the whole family. I wish I knew a little more about what was at stake in the lawsuit; one wonders whether Boyd didn’t really know, or knew and didn’t or couldn’t reveal.
We’re left dangling a bit at the end, but so is Boyd (et al). He never mentions any romantic entanglements; he is attracted to a Harvard professor (I think?)/expert animal tracker, but chances seem -0- that a woman client who visits Londolozi would give up the life that gave her the wherewithal to visit and choose to live there instead. One can’t help compare Boyd’s life to that of his father, who attracted a teenage bride to Londolozi. This book is 7 years old; I will investigate what has happened to Boyd since then.
That all sounds idyllic, but in Cathedral of the Wild, we learn what the “Varty life” was like from Boyd’s perspective. Boyd’s father and uncle inherited Londolozi as teenagers after their father died. Through blood, sweat, and tears, they made Londolozi work—for the animals, for guests, for local tribes, and for their family. When Bron and Boyd were born, they were quickly absorbed into the workings of the reserve. Boyd started driving the Land Rover at age 8 so the adults could focus on tracking animals.
I found myself on the one hand envious, but on the other hand exhausted at the thought of an everyday life without creature comforts. I sensed that while Londolozi (after decades of effort) came to cater to the semi-wealthy, the Vartys continued to live a simple life.
Cathedral of the Wild runs the emotional gamut—from breathtaking encounters with leopards and elephants to brink-of-death experiences with mamba and croc, from heartwarming relationships with local tribal people to brink-of-death experiences with destitute criminals in Jo-burg. Boyd tells these stories with passion, but not melodrama.
As Boyd finishes what we would consider high school (though his education is anything but typical), he falls into depression. He visits “healers” in India and Arizona (sweat lodge). Boyd is especially weighed down by a lawsuit against his father and uncle (not fully explained but I believe having to do with a tiger preserve—an attempt to save the tiger species through protection/breeding in Africa??) that drags on for years and years, taking a toll on the whole family. I wish I knew a little more about what was at stake in the lawsuit; one wonders whether Boyd didn’t really know, or knew and didn’t or couldn’t reveal.
We’re left dangling a bit at the end, but so is Boyd (et al). He never mentions any romantic entanglements; he is attracted to a Harvard professor (I think?)/expert animal tracker, but chances seem -0- that a woman client who visits Londolozi would give up the life that gave her the wherewithal to visit and choose to live there instead. One can’t help compare Boyd’s life to that of his father, who attracted a teenage bride to Londolozi. This book is 7 years old; I will investigate what has happened to Boyd since then.
October 9, 2019
It's been nearly a year since I read this, so I don't really remember it as well as I should in order to review it fairly, but I liked this book well enough. I'd received this recommendation because I adored _The Elephant Whisperer_, so I was expecting something a little more similar to that -- less of a personal exploration of wilderness and the relationship and interactions between humanity and nature and more of recounting life on a nature preserve. I think, because I had such wildly different expectations, some of the passages on Varty's personal tragedy/growth/experiences tended toward the dramatic -- and not necessarily in a good way; it occasionally felt like oversharing. I don't know that those moments are inherently dramatic or if they just felt that way because, again, I was expecting a much more quotidian experience of life on the preserve and Varty wanted to share his personal transformation and the function and necessity of the wilderness in that process. The moments that Varty does share were poignant and profound, and much of the prose was beautiful, but I didn't love this book, and some of that may be that I came to it with my own preconceived notions of what it was going to be. For my prudes: lots of language and a bit of sexual content, and, honestly, some of it felt a bit sensational/unwarranted.
April 8, 2020
Exceptional pleasure reading full of real adventure! The author, Boyd Varty, is a great storyteller and some of these true stories are hair-raising: Like the time a black mamba snake slithered over his legs when he was a little boy and the time when a crocodile viciously attacked him as a young man with the nearest medical facility being hours away in Johannesburg, South Africa, via a charter airplane. Surrounded by so much "wild" and yet he and his whole family were fearless, strong, and seamlessly adaptable to it. Boyd Varty's father and uncle turned their third generation family compound from an active safari hunting ground into a permanent sanctuary for the displaced and dwindling number of wild animals near and far. His family is just as colorful with their fiercely independent personalities all aiming to achieve the same goal: To live life to its fullest and to create a permanent, safe home for their beloved African wildlife. Boyd Varty's Uncle John is the ultimate "wild man," a cinematographer who insisted that his 8-year-old nephew drive his Land Rover while Uncle John captured rare, fast-pacing action of wildlife on film.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have highly recommended it to two persons who would not have chosen this book on their own. They loved it!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have highly recommended it to two persons who would not have chosen this book on their own. They loved it!
August 15, 2017
An excellent book, if difficult to characterize. It is the story of three generations of a South African family that moved from orgnizing hunts to preserving land and restoring it to provide a habitat for African game animals on the decline. It is a memoir of a young man growing into adulthood, and it is also a description of his spiritual journey. It is an exciting yarn with plenty of adventures that couldstand on thir own as short stories. It is a chronicle of the work of an internationally known wildlife videographer.
The book was a gift fom granddaughters, and it is a very different take on the Africa that Rurark, Hemingway, and JA Hunter described in the books I read avidly as a boy. That Africa is nearly gone.
I have thought for years that the time for trophy hunting is over and this book hardens that attitude.
I really enjoyed the take on religion described by a Hindu in India during the author's spiritual quest. The guru comments that all religions have the same core values. The ceremonies, traditions, and even my beloved Episcopal Liturgy are overlaid by man. While not totally true, there is a lot of wisdom in that statement.
A truly great read that will be on my list of important and influential works.
The book was a gift fom granddaughters, and it is a very different take on the Africa that Rurark, Hemingway, and JA Hunter described in the books I read avidly as a boy. That Africa is nearly gone.
I have thought for years that the time for trophy hunting is over and this book hardens that attitude.
I really enjoyed the take on religion described by a Hindu in India during the author's spiritual quest. The guru comments that all religions have the same core values. The ceremonies, traditions, and even my beloved Episcopal Liturgy are overlaid by man. While not totally true, there is a lot of wisdom in that statement.
A truly great read that will be on my list of important and influential works.
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