DavidV Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Reading James Clavell had a huge impact on me when I was growing up. I read his books shortly after coming to the U.S. and practically learned English from them. Today, I came across his wikipedia entry, which contains this: Politically, Clavell was said to have been an ardent individualist, anti-fascist and proponent of laissez-faire capitalism, as many of his books' heroes exemplify. Clavell admired Ayn Rand, founder of the Objectivist school of philosophy, and sent Ayn Rand a copy of Noble House in 1981 inscribed: "This is for Ayn Rand—one of the real, true talents on this earth for which many, many thanks. James C, New York, 2 Sept 81." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) Can you recommend some specific books? I'm guessing Shogun and Noble House for starters... Edited October 24, 2008 by brian0918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBP2009 Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Hmmmm, I have never read any James Clavell, but I remember seeing a TV miniseries of Noble House when I was a teenager. I seem to remember that Pierce Brosnan was in it. Am I remembering correctly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicardoSmith23 Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 I read that wikipedia section too and I'm intrigued. Is <I>Noble House</I> his best work? Or should I start with something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trivas7 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Indeed, for epic history and heroic individualist sensibilities Clavell's the Asian Saga is wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plasmatic Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I love SHOGUN. I just recently scored 2 copies of the original hardbacks. I watch the movie all the time for inspiration. Im building my own Japanese country style home. The visuals keep me motivated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I started to read Shogun at one point, but I had checked it out of the library and for some reason didn't renew it. I'll have to pick it up again one of these days. I've always had the impression that Clavell fans were probably Michener fans as well. Anyone read Hawaii? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMeganSnow Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 I've read Shogun a couple of times. It's probably the only book I've ever read where I wanted to skip over the romance in order to get back to the plot--it's just that engrossing. My favorite line by far is when the Daimyo confronts the Spanish priest: "An act of God? No, it was an act of Toronaga!" Well worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.