I actually have that book, but it's so thick, I've never read he whole thing. The info I've gotten from book reviews such as what you posted was enough. It's outrageous that Van der Post raped the 14-year-old girl his own friends had entrusted to him for care during a trans-oceanic voyage. The parents had complete faith in him, having no idea that he was a womanizer and scoundrel.
And let's not mince words; he's described as having "seduced" her, but the girl said he forced himself on her, and after a child was born, the family threatened him with a lawsuit for rape, if he wouldn't agree to a monetary settlement, namely--child support. He was desperate to keep this transgression, which could have landed him in jail, hidden, so he agreed. But he never communicated with the daughter that resulted from the relationship.
After the rape, j showered the 14-year-old, Bonny, with gifts, to convince her that this was a romance, thereby succeeding in turning the crime into a full-blown affair. He supported her for a year in England, until she told him she was pregnant, and went home to South Africa. He cut off contact with her, and never responded to his daughter's attempts to contact him after she grew to adulthood. Bonny already was an accomplished ballet dancer, and had travelled to England to start a career there, but the pregnancy ruined her career prospects in ballet.
He was an outstanding writer. I really enjoyed his lyrical descriptions of San/Bushmen life, written with the insights of an insider, someone very familiar with Bushman life. It turns out he was only with them for a week or less. His daughter, who inexplicably defends him, points out that in spite of the pretense that he was an expert who had put in quite a bit of time studying the Bushmen, he did spark readers' interest in the San.
This is the man who later became the "spiritual adviser" to Prince Charles.
And let's not mince words; he's described as having "seduced" her, but the girl said he forced himself on her, and after a child was born, the family threatened him with a lawsuit for rape, if he wouldn't agree to a monetary settlement, namely--child support. He was desperate to keep this transgression, which could have landed him in jail, hidden, so he agreed. But he never communicated with the daughter that resulted from the relationship.
After the rape, j showered the 14-year-old, Bonny, with gifts, to convince her that this was a romance, thereby succeeding in turning the crime into a full-blown affair. He supported her for a year in England, until she told him she was pregnant, and went home to South Africa. He cut off contact with her, and never responded to his daughter's attempts to contact him after she grew to adulthood. Bonny already was an accomplished ballet dancer, and had travelled to England to start a career there, but the pregnancy ruined her career prospects in ballet.
He was an outstanding writer. I really enjoyed his lyrical descriptions of San/Bushmen life, written with the insights of an insider, someone very familiar with Bushman life. It turns out he was only with them for a week or less. His daughter, who inexplicably defends him, points out that in spite of the pretense that he was an expert who had put in quite a bit of time studying the Bushmen, he did spark readers' interest in the San.
This is the man who later became the "spiritual adviser" to Prince Charles.