The Heart of the Hunter by Laurens van der Post, published in 1961 by The Hogarth Press, is a distinctive work that combines travel writing, folklore and cultural interpretation in an exploration of the San people of the Kalahari Desert. Laurens van der Post, a South African author, soldier and explorer, became widely known for his writings about the indigenous peoples of southern Africa. The Heart of the Hunter follows his earlier book The Lost World of the Kalahariand continues his attempt to document and interpret the traditions and worldview of the San, one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world.
In The Heart of the Hunter, van der Post retells a series of traditional San myths and legends that he encountered through storytellers and earlier ethnographic recordings. These stories often revolve around the trickster figure Mantis and other symbolic beings that populate San cosmology. Through these narratives, The Heart of the Hunter reveals a spiritual universe in which animals, people and supernatural forces interact in ways that express deep connections with nature and the rhythms of the desert environment.
The storytelling in The Heart of the Hunter is accompanied by reflective commentary from van der Post, who sought to convey what he believed to be the philosophical insight contained within San mythology. He presents these tales not merely as folklore, but as expressions of a sophisticated understanding of life, survival and humanity's place within the natural world. The work is further enhanced by illustrations that complement the atmosphere of the Kalahari landscape and its storytelling traditions.
Today The Heart of the Hunter remains an important work of Africana and cultural literature. Collectors and readers interested in African folklore, anthropology and exploration writing continue to value The Heart of the Hunter for its preservation of traditional narratives and its evocative portrayal of the desert cultures of southern Africa.
