Laurens Van der Post, 1906-1996, was a South African author, explorer, journalist, and political adviser. He was born on December 13, 1906 in Philippolis in the Orange River Colony (modern day South Africa). Van der Post was an Afrikaner, the son of Christiaan Willem Hendrik van der Post and his wife Johanna Lubbe. In 1931, he traveled to England where he was introduced to the Bloomsbury group by his friend William Plomer. Van der Post's first novel, In a Province, was published in 1934 by Virginia and Leonard Woolf's Hogarth Press. In a Province focused on the racial and ideological divide in South Africa; however, the majority of Van der Post's work focuses on his experiences in the British Army. During World War II he served in the Intelligence Service in East Africa and was later transferred to the Dutch East Indies (today known as Indonesia). On April 20, 1942 he surrendered to the Japanese and was taken prisoner. His experience as a POW informed several of his works. After the war he became most well-known for his expeditions to the Kalahari and his work with the Bushmen (San peoples) who lived there. In his later life he also became a popular television personality, conservationist, and political adviser. He was also one of Prince Charles' close friends. Van der Post died on December 16, 1996 in London.