It is the business battle between Struan and Brock that forms the plot, but their companies have a historical context. But it was only years later that he learned that Brock had also survived. When the Vagrant Star ran aground on a reef and sank in the Malacca Strait in 1812, most of the crew was lost to the sea, yet Struan managed to swim ashore and survive. He vowed to one day take his revenge and made an oath to destroy Brock. However, during his time at sea, Struan was continuously whipped. He started service on the East India Company ship Vagrant Star, which was under the command of third mate, Tyler Brock. The two main characters, Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock were former shipmates but became arch business enemies.Īs a backdrop to the relationship between Struan and Brock, Struan went to sea at the age of seven. This allowed European and American traders access to the lucrative opium trade. Tai-Pan is set after the end of the First Opium War, won by the Britsh and its seizure of the island of Hong Kong. While most famed as a novelist of the epic Asian saga series, Clavell also authored screenplays for films, including The Fly (1958), The Great Escape (1963), and wrote, produced and directed To Sir, with Love (1967).įor me though, my introduction to James Clavell was Tai-Pan and the unforgettable character, Dirk Struan.Ĭlavell’s genius was to interlace fact with fiction.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |