Viewers around the world are tuning in weekly to the hit FX series ¡°Shogun¡± (based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell) to follow the adventures of John Blackthorne, an Englishman who arrives in 17th-century Japan at a moment of high drama.
The character of Blackthorne is based on William Adams, and May sees the publication of ¡°In the Service of the Shogun,¡± a new biography of Adams written by historian Frederik Cryns, who also served as historical adviser on the series. While the book is not a direct tie-in, the timing was serendipitous.
¡°That was not intended, because we thought ¡®Shogun¡¯ would be out in 2023,¡± Cryns says. ¡°The shooting was already done in the summer of 2022, but the process of editing everything took a long time. My book was coming out much later, but ¡®Shogun¡¯ was postponed. It is a very nice coincidence.¡±
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