author
G. R. (Gideon Retief) Von Wielligh
1859–1932
Best known for preserving Bushman stories in Afrikaans, this South African writer and surveyor helped carry oral tradition onto the printed page. His work sits at an important early moment in the growth of Afrikaans literature.
4 Audiobooks
Boesman-Stories, Deel 1. Mitologie en legendes
by G. R. (Gideon Retief) Von Wielligh
Boesman-Stories, Deel 2. Dierstories en ander verhale
by G. R. (Gideon Retief) Von Wielligh
Boesman-Stories, Deel 4. Gemengde Vertellings, mees van 'n Awontuurlike Aard
by G. R. (Gideon Retief) Von Wielligh
Boesman-Stories, Deel 3. Die boesman self, sy sedes, gewoontes en bekwaamhede
by G. R. (Gideon Retief) Von Wielligh
About the author
Born on 1 April 1859 on the farm Vryeguns in the Paarl district, Gideon Retief von Wielligh became a land surveyor while still very young and later built a reputation as an early Afrikaans writer. He died on 9 August 1932.
He is especially remembered for collecting and publishing Boesman-Stories, a multi-volume series that brought folklore, animal tales, legends, and accounts of Bushman life to readers in Afrikaans. His books remain widely accessible today, including through Project Gutenberg, and they are a big reason his name still appears in discussions of early Afrikaans prose.
Von Wielligh's career bridged practical public work and literary preservation: he is described in biographical sources as both a surveyor and an early popular writer in Afrikaans. That combination gives his writing a grounded, observant quality, and helps explain why he still interests readers looking for the roots of South African storytelling in print.