Empire of the SunThe classic, award-winning novel, made famous by Steven Spielberg’s film, tells of a young boy’s struggle to survive World War II in China. Jim is separated from his parents in a world at war. To survive, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him. Shanghai, 1941—a city aflame from the fateful torch of Pearl Harbor. In streets full of chaos and corpses, a young British boy searches in vain for his parents. Imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp, he is witness to the fierce white flash of Nagasaki, as the bomb bellows the end of the war...and the dawn of a blighted world. Ballard’s enduring novel of war and deprivation, internment camps and death marches, and starvation and survival is an honest coming-of-age tale set in a world thrown utterly out of joint. |
Contents
| 11 | |
THE ABANDONED AERODROME | 17 |
THE ATTACK ON THE PETREL | 25 |
ESCAPE FROM THE HOSPITAL | 34 |
THE YOUTH WITH THE KNIFE | 39 |
THE DRAINED SWIMMING POOL | 45 |
PICNIC TIME | 53 |
AN END TO KINDNESS | 59 |
A LANDSCAPE OF AIRFIELDS | 105 |
VAGRANTS | 113 |
THE RUNWAY | 120 |
THE CUBICLE | 134 |
THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE | 139 |
THE AIR RAID | 146 |
THE HOSPITAL | 153 |
THE CEMETERY GARDEN | 159 |
THE STRANDED FREIGHTER | 63 |
FRANK AND BASIE | 69 |
DANCE MUSIC | 75 |
THE OPENAIR CINEMA | 81 |
AMERICAN AIRCRAFT | 87 |
ON THE WAY TO THE CAMPS | 92 |
THE WATER RATION | 96 |
THE LUNGHUA SOPHOMORES | 167 |
THE EXECUTION | 174 |
AN ESCAPE | 180 |
THE MARCH TO NANTAO | 189 |
THE OLYMPIC STADIUM | 198 |
THE EMPIRE OF THE SUN | 205 |
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Common terms and phrases
aircraft airfield already American arms Avenue Basie began beside Block body bomb British cabin camp canal carried Chinese climbed coolies covered dead door empty engine eyes face father feet felt fields fire flies floor followed Frank front gates going grass ground guards hands head held helped hospital hour hundred Japanese soldiers Jim's knew leave light looked Lunghua Maxted mother mouth moved Nantao never once paddy parents party past Perhaps Petrel pilot planes potato prisoners Ransome ration reached remembered returned rice rifle river road running seemed seen sergeant Shanghai shoes shoulders shouted sitting soon stadium stands stepped stood stopped thought tired tried truck trying turned Vincent waited walked wall watched waved window wire women wooden young