American writer and screenwriter James Clavell: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

As the author of a series of popular novels known as "The Asian Saga", written between 1962 and 1993, and a talented screenwriter, Clavell often explored the influence of East and West on each other in his creative works. The heroes of his works are trying to understand the culture and philosophy of Asia. Contradictory relations and conflicts on a national basis, which always lead to human casu alties, are shown in his works, because James Clavell remained an ardent individualist and anti-fascist until his last days. The experiences and hardships suffered in captivity had a huge impact on the writer's work. His inflexible character was formed during the Second World War, the events of which served as an impetus for the creation of strong-willed characters, in many ways similar to the author.

Childhood

In the city of Sydney on October 10, 1924, the family of Captain Richard of the British Royal NavyClavell replenished - his son James Clavell was born. The biography of the future writer was full of various changes from an early age. When the baby was only nine months old, the family moved to England. By the nature of his service, Captain Clavell often had to change his place of residence, so James had a chance to visit many port cities. He was particularly impressed by Hong Kong and his father's stories of adventure on the Yangtze River. Then the boy became interested in oriental culture and the study of foreign languages.

Youth

Raised on the stories of his father and grandfather, who was also an officer in the Royal Navy, James Clavell dreamed of a military career. He imagined how he would surf the ocean and perform feats, like the heroes of his favorite literary works. After graduating from high school in Portsmouth, young James, obeying a sense of duty and family traditions, chose a career in the Navy, but due to poor eyesight, he did not pass the selection and in 1940 entered the British Royal Artillery.

War years

When the fires of World War II broke out, James was in Malaysia. In one of the battles, he was wounded, for some time the 18-year-old fighter managed to hide from Japanese soldiers in a local village. But in the end, he was captured and sent first to a prison on the island of Java, and then to the infernal camp of Changi near Singapore, where he remained until the end of the war. Later, the writer James Clavell said that surviving in a prison camp, where only one in 15 survived torture, disease and hunger, helped himthe belief that a person is stronger than the circumstances and environment in which he is. The author never publicly shared his pain and impressions from what he experienced, but transferred them to the novel "The Rat King". After being released from captivity, Clavell returns to England, having by that time the rank of captain. James' military career ended after an unfortunate motorcycle accident that left him permanently crippled.

Changes in life and career

A young man has to reconsider his plans for later life, and in 1946 he enters the University of Birmingham. This decision becomes fateful, because at the university James Clavell met actress April Stride, feelings broke out between them, and on February 20, 1951, the lovers got married. Later, James became the proud father of two daughters, Michaela and Holly. Since his wife, by the nature of her work, spent a lot of time at film studios, Clavell also often had to go there. So quietly, James discovered his creative calling and began working as a film distributor.

Writer and director

In 1953, Clavell decides to try his luck in the United States. Having received an invitation to work in a pilot television project, he moves with his family to New York. He does not manage to achieve the desired results immediately, therefore, in order to feed his family, the future famous writer does not disdain to work as a simple worker during the day and write scripts at night. His talent and interest in cinema givethe first serious result in 1958: according to his script, the film "The Fly" was shot, which later became a classic thriller. In 1959, the film Watusi, written by Clavell, was released, and although the then famous Michael Caine plays the main role in the film, the picture did not receive positive reviews from critics. The ambitious screenwriter does not intend to put up with this state of affairs, he believes that the picture failed due to the wrong presentation of the plot. Now James Clavell intends to independently manage the entire production process of the film and in the same year shoots the film Five Gates to Hell, where he acts as a screenwriter, director and producer. Then, in 1960, the film "Walking Like a Dragon" was filmed, and in 1963 the film "The Great Escape" saw the light of day. The plot of the film told about the story of the escape of prisoners of war from a camp carefully guarded by the Nazis. The film brought Clavell great success and an award from the Writers Guild for the best screenplay of the year. Another change is taking place in the life of the director and screenwriter: in the same year he receives US citizenship.

First novel

Success and favorite work please Clavell, but do not help to forget about all the horrors of war and captivity that he had to endure. His wife advises James to write about those events and express his feelings on paper in order to get rid of the contradictions and personal conflicts that tear him apart, transferring them to the characters in the book. So in 1962 the first novel "King of the Rats" was published, in which the author described much of what happened in the Changi camp. This is the firstbook from the cycle known as "The Asian Saga". Later, the American writer James Clavell recalled how difficult it was for him to work on the book. The drafts of each page had to be rewritten dozens of times in order to achieve the atmosphere of the events taking place in the novel. The book became an instant bestseller, and three years later the novel was made into a film.

Writer James Clavell: his writings

In 1966, Clavell published the novel Tai-Pen, and although critics do not meet the book with such unanimity and enthusiasm, over time the novel will be filmed. Clavell continues to write scripts and direct films, usually military-themed or thrillers. The writer publishes the most famous and popular novel "Shogun" in 1975, the book is sold out in huge numbers, and in 1980 the novel is filmed. The film gathered an audience of over 120 million, and Richard Chamberlain, who played the main role of a British navigator who found himself in Japan, instantly rose to the top of popularity. On Broadway, the work was staged in 1989, and later a computer game of the same name appeared.

The writer does not bypass the attention of the children's audience, and in 1980 the "Children's Tale" was published. The theme of the East has always been interesting and close to the author, so he continues to work on a series of books from the "Asian Saga". In 1981, the book "Noble House" was published, which tells about the events that took place in the sixties of the twentieth century in Hong Kong. Then, in 1986, the reader gets acquainted with the short story "Whirlwind",telling about similar events that took place a decade later in Iran. The cycle ends with the historical novel Gai-Jin, which takes place in nineteenth-century Japan. The book was published in 1993. In addition to writing, screenwriting and directing, Clavell, who has been fond of Eastern culture since childhood and spoke many languages, is engaged in translations of ancient books. So, in 1983 he manages to adapt, translate and publish the famous book by Sun Tzu "The Art of War".

Personal life and beliefs

Colleagues in the creative workshop noted that the American writer and screenwriter James Clavell had a strong character. He could be stern and coldly polite to people he didn't know, even if they were powerful. The huge success of the author's works made him a millionaire, but at the same time, Clavell never chased money, creativity was always the main thing. Publishers say that the writer eschewed advances and did not tolerate deadlines. He said that he had some capital to write what he saw fit at his own pace. His daughters recall never having been a public writer, James Clavell. Photos in which the author is depicted at work make it clear how much creativity meant to him. His family has always been a safe haven where the writer could hide from the intrusive press. Once he even admitted that he could only trust his wife and daughters in this life. Since the family had enough money, the author often sat at the helm of his ownhelicopter and retired to write works in one of several houses located in the USA, Austria or France. Together with his wife, they traveled a lot, especially in Asia.

Until the last days, James Clavell continued to work, but many projects were not implemented due to a severe oncological disease with which he struggled for a long time. By an evil irony, the life of the writer was cut short after a stroke that overtook him on September 6, 1994 in a hotel in the city of Vevey in Switzerland. He died a month before his seventieth birthday.