Empire of the Sun

Winner of the Guardian fiction prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, this powerful novel by J. G. Ballard draws on his own childhood experiences to tell the haunting story of a British boy’s four-year internment in a Japanese prison camp during World War II. Set against the backdrop of wartime Shanghai, the narrative explores themes of survival, starvation, and the brutal realities of internment, blending stark honesty with a surreal vision of a world turned upside down. Through this compelling account, Ballard offers a profound reflection on war and its lasting impact.