Empire of the Sun (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: J. G. Ballard
- First Published: 1984
- Type of Work: Critical realism
- Time of Work: 1941-1945
- Setting: Shanghai, China
- Principal Characters: Jim, Basie, Dr. Ransome
- Genres: Long fiction, Autobiographical fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Children, 1940’s, World War II, Asia or Asians, War, Death or dying, Cruelty, Adventure, Soldiers, Life and death, China or Chinese people, Japan or Japanese people, Prisoners of war
- Locales: Shanghai, China
The Novel
Jim, the eleven-year-old son of an English cotton-mill owner in Shanghai, accustomed to the privileges of colonial life, finds his comfortable existence shattered by Japan’s declaration of war on the Allied forces in December, 1941. After wandering through war-torn Shanghai for several months as one of the few Europeans overlooked by the Japanese, Jim is held for three years in a prison camp. There he learns the art of survival, while thousands die around him. Empire of the Sun in many ways resembles a boys’ adventure story but is actually much more. It is more,...
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See Also:
J. G. Ballard (Cyclopedia of World Authors)J. G. Ballard (Short Fiction)J. G. Ballard (Long Fiction)
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