James Clavell is an American writer and screenwriter. He became known to the general public as the author of the Asian Saga series of novels and their television adaptations. But no less interesting is the biography of this wonderful writer.
A bit about the author
Clavell was born in Sydney (Australia) in the family of a Royal Navy officer. His parents returned to England when James was a child. Educated in Portsmouth at the private school Gramma School. James decided to continue the military dynasty and in 1940 joined the Royal Artillery. He was trained when the war with Japan began, and he was sent to Malaya.
In 1942, James was wounded and captured on about. Java. Clavell was sent to the infamous Changi Prison near Singapore. Of the fifteen prisoners, only one survived here. Clavell was badly damaged at the hands of his invaders. “Changi became my university,” he recalled later, “Among the prisoners were experts in all areas of life. I studied and absorbed everything I could, from physics to counterfeiting. But he learned best the art of survival. ” Read more about these events tells the book of James Clavell "King of the Rats."
Returning to England with the rank of captain, James had an accident that put an end to his military career. He entered the University of Birmingham and worked where necessary. At this time, he met his future wife April Stride, an aspiring actress. Through her, he became interested in directing films. In 1953, they emigrated to America and settled in Hollywood. Before Clavell tried himself as a screenwriter, he worked for several years in film distribution as a simple worker.
Clavella Michaela's daughter played the role of Penelope Smallbone in the James Bond film. But this was the end of her acting career. James Clavell died in September 1994 of a stroke in Switzerland, only a month before he reached his seventieth birthday.
Screenwriter debut
According to the first scenario, Clavella in 1958 was shot the science fiction film "The Fly." The next was the script for the film "Vatushi", but he did not have much success. In 1959, author Clavell James wrote the script for the war film Five Gates to Hell. With this began the rise of James to success. For the script for the film The Great Escape, Clavell was nominated for the Screenwriters Guild Award for Best Screenplay.
He wrote, directed and produced several films, including “Walking Like a Dragon” (1960) and the most memorable “Teacher, with Love” (1967). Clavell is also the screenwriter of such films as “Satan's Error”, “Tai-Pen”, which was based on the book of the same name by James Clavell, “Squadron 633” and “The King of Rats”.
Having tried to act as a director, screenwriter and producer in one person in the film “Five Gates to Hell”, Clavell continued in this capacity to work on films:
- “Sweet and Bitter” (1967);
- The Last Valley (1971);
- "Children's History" (1982).
Clavell is the author and producer of the TV series The Shogun and The Noble House, as well as the producer and director of the film Where's Jack? (1969). Clavell first tried his hand at fiction during a screenwriting strike in 1960. The authors demanded to pay interest on films broadcast on TV. The strike lasted 22 weeks.
Literary activity
The Asian Saga series includes six novels written by Clavell from 1962 to 1993. Of the six novels in this cycle, four were filmed, where the author himself was directly involved. All novels take place in Asia - hence the name of the cycle.
The first novel, King of the Rats (1962), became a semi-fictional story from his personal life - a terrible stay in Changi prison. When the book by James Clavell was published in 1962, it became a bestseller and 3 years later it was adapted for the film. The prototype of the protagonist was a real person, thanks to whom James survived in those terrible conditions. Clavellle never admitted which parts of the novel were true and which were fictional.
The idea of the novel “The Shogun” (1975), as the author said, came to him when he helped his daughter with homework. She read about an Englishman who landed on the coast of Japan during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate and became a samurai. "How did it happen?" Clavell asked. But there was nothing else in the textbook. James became interested, researched a lot of material on this subject and wrote a book.
Since four novels talk about one family, the list of books by James Clavell is easier to place not in years of publication, but in chronological order:
- The novel Tai-Peng (1966) was based on real historical events taking place in South China during the First Opium War, when British troops defended trade interests and expanded trade, primarily opium. The book is about the clash of East and West, about the confrontation of two wealthy families Struans and Broks.
- The novel "Gaijin" (1993) is the second book about the Struan house. The novel takes place in Japan in 1862.
- The Noble House (1981) takes the reader to Hong Kong in the 60s. The Struan family is faced with new rivals and attacks, new challenges and opportunities. To top it off, the difficult situation is in Hong Kong, where the interests of the USSR, USA, Britain and China intersect.
- The book by James Clavell “Whirlwind” (1986), and in the Russian translation “Shamal”, tells about the Iranian revolution, which is a tangle of contradictions and groups. Not without the intrigues of the intelligence services of the USA and Great Britain, the services of Israel and the Soviet Union, as well as agents of the Struan family.
Story for children
Children's Stories was first published in 1964 by Reader's Digest. A short story of 4,300 words was reprinted in 1981 in book format. The action takes place in the USA after the war. It is understood that America lost this war and was occupied by the victorious country, which is not indicated by the author.
The previous teacher is replaced by a teacher-agent of the new government. He is trained in propaganda methods and re-educates children so that they support the invaders, abandon their religion. The teacher scatters in praise and distributes sweets to children.
Only one child dared to confront the teacher - Johnny. His father was arrested by the new government, but the boy fearlessly defends him in front of everyone. In this short story, Clavell touches upon such important concepts as religion, freedom, and patriotism.
The short story was adapted in 1982 for the anthological series Mobil Showcase. The story lasts only 25 minutes. Michaela Ross, daughter of Clavell, played the role of a new teacher.
Why are Clavell's books interesting?
James's works are read in one go. A person who has been dealing with films for decades knows how to captivate the reader. The plots are exciting, interesting - love affairs and family dramas, investigations and secrets, natural disasters and frauds. The climax creeps imperceptibly, when, it would seem, everything fell into place, the final touch unsettles the reader.
To say that there is a lot of history in Japan and China in books is to say nothing. Clavell’s books are a meticulous and detailed immersion in the life of these countries, their traditions and customs. James Clavell's novels are the best books about these countries. A colossal description of historical events and people. All the characters are revealed in such detail that, having mastered the historical component of the plot, reading becomes like watching a movie. In a word, welcome to the Asian Saga!