J. B. Bucklin interview
We at Sonshi.com often describe the Art of War as useful and practical -- as close to non-fiction as possible. But fiction under the right topic, namely "Sun Tzu," would certainly catch our attention. So when a murder-mystery novel by the name of The Return of Sun Tzu was made available, we were cautiously interested. After finishing the book, however, our initial caution transformed into praise.
Without spoiling the plot for you, The Return of Sun Tzu has many surprises, including well-researched (and well-imagined) segments discussing the events in Sun Tzu's life. Oh, there are also guns, alcohol, drugs, and betrayal. But at the end of the day, someone is going to come out on top. As the great master said: "Take unexpected routes to attack where the enemy is not prepared." Buy the book, grab a comfortable chair, and enjoy the roller coaster ride.
Below is our interview with author J.B. Bucklin.
Sonshi.com: As introduction for our readers, please tell us more about yourself – your background and interests.
Bucklin: Like the main character of the novel, Buck Langley, I was educated on the prep school circuit, from Princeton to Honolulu, earned a degree in psychology and passed up a free ticket to an Ivy League Doctorate in favor of entering the advertising business as a novice copywriter making a hundred dollars a week. In the three decades since, most of them spent in New Orleans, I’ve become a media consultant, commercial writer and television producer with a bevy of colorful clients, Louisiana politicians among them. Due to confidentiality clauses with the latter, I write under a pen name and actually prefer it that way. Personal fame isn’t my goal; I simply want my work to be judged on its own merit.
My interests include music, mostly jazz, hefty doses of The History Channel and A & E, an insatiable appetite for current events as they apply to The Art of War, daily meditation on the teachings of Sun Tzu and, above all, the company of my cherished family and friends.
Sonshi.com: Your new book is called The Return of Sun Tzu. Briefly describe for us what the book is about (no spoilers!).
Bucklin: Buck Langley is a fifty-year-old ad man and occasional ghostwriter about to go broke when a letter arrives in his mailbox with an irresistible invitation and a Honolulu postmark, 4,000 miles away from Langley’s home on the West Bank of New Orleans. The offer turns out to be a million dollars to ghostwrite the life story of a wealthy Chinese publisher with a string attached: following a car accident and lengthy coma, the subject has awakened to claim he is Sun Tzu, the legendary general who wrote The Art of War in 513 BC. Langley is suspicious, but $100,000 up front seals the deal and puts in motion the nearly perfect frame, foiled only by the miscue of one jammed bullet.
The book opens with Langley confined to The Louisiana State Institute for the Criminally Insane, where he plays the ultimate game of deception to win back his freedom and avoid taking a seat on death row.
Sonshi.com: What gave you the idea to write a novel referencing Sun Tzu?
Bucklin: It’s been nearly a century (1910) since Lionel Giles blessed us with the first English translation of The Art of War followed by a host of other distinguished scholars whose contributions are ongoing and invaluable, but seemingly not appealing to the masses who would rather be entertained than informed.
By presenting a textbook study within the guise of a murder mystery as bizarre as it is conceivable, I envisioned a breakthrough novel to introduce Sun Tzu and The Art of War to mainstream readers who know little or nothing about either subject, but are drawn in by the plot. As for those already well-schooled, I saw an opportunity to expand upon the endless quest for a fresh perspective on the mindset of our mentor, the origins of his Thirteen Chapters and a ringside seat watching his timeless principles in action, both in modern and ancient times.
Sonshi.com: The historical aspects of your book are amazing. How much research on Sun Tzu and the Art of War did you put into your book?
Bucklin: Hours, days, months and years. I began in the mid-nineties when there were little more than a dozen standard translations of The Art of War to choose from and then set about reading every one, introductions with historical references in particular. Granted The Return of Sun Tzu is fiction, I was absolutely committed to rendering the most accurate depiction of his life that I could find or imagine, the latter coming into play only where needed and, even then, inserted to match the events and characters as I knew them to be.
My research on The Art of War itself consisted of reading all translations, putting the shortest on audiotape and listening daily until I felt confident that its precepts had become second nature to me. That took a few years as well.
Then I began to write.
Sonshi.com: Going back to Buck Langley, tell us more about the protagonist. Why did you “choose” him?
Bucklin: I needed a storyteller desperate enough to become an easy mark and clever enough to turn the tables of deception on his betrayers. I also wanted a narrator readers could not only relate to, but also, more importantly, learn from. While Langley is remarkably candid about his weaknesses, he’s equally strong in tactical knowledge from The Art of War, examples of which are central to his very survival.
Above all, and in spite his flaws, I feel he possesses The Five Virtues as I know them: bravery, wisdom, kindness, truthfulness and loyalty. Any character missing a trait would be unworthy of telling the story of Sun Tzu in a manner befitting his memory and intentions. Buck Langley passed the audition with ease.
Sonshi.com: Sun Tzu is certainly among history’s greatest leaders. He has been put on paper numerous times, but do you think it’s time he is put onto the big screen? Perhaps an adaptation of your book?
Bucklin: Absolutely. A major motion picture would give our mentor his rightful place in history, which is long overdo, and spark interest among newcomers to The Art of War with whom we can share the priceless value of its doctrines. The Return of Sun Tzu appears to be a viable candidate, but I’m content to let the Hollywood moguls be the judge of that.
Sonshi.com: What is next for J.B. Bucklin?
Bucklin: I’d like to record an audio book of The Return of Sun Tzu and finish two mystery novels put on the back burner nearly a decade ago when The Art of War hit me like a tidal wave and relegated each to stand-by status. Beyond that, who knows?
[End of interview]
Without spoiling the plot for you, The Return of Sun Tzu has many surprises, including well-researched (and well-imagined) segments discussing the events in Sun Tzu's life. Oh, there are also guns, alcohol, drugs, and betrayal. But at the end of the day, someone is going to come out on top. As the great master said: "Take unexpected routes to attack where the enemy is not prepared." Buy the book, grab a comfortable chair, and enjoy the roller coaster ride.
Below is our interview with author J.B. Bucklin.
Sonshi.com: As introduction for our readers, please tell us more about yourself – your background and interests.
Bucklin: Like the main character of the novel, Buck Langley, I was educated on the prep school circuit, from Princeton to Honolulu, earned a degree in psychology and passed up a free ticket to an Ivy League Doctorate in favor of entering the advertising business as a novice copywriter making a hundred dollars a week. In the three decades since, most of them spent in New Orleans, I’ve become a media consultant, commercial writer and television producer with a bevy of colorful clients, Louisiana politicians among them. Due to confidentiality clauses with the latter, I write under a pen name and actually prefer it that way. Personal fame isn’t my goal; I simply want my work to be judged on its own merit.
My interests include music, mostly jazz, hefty doses of The History Channel and A & E, an insatiable appetite for current events as they apply to The Art of War, daily meditation on the teachings of Sun Tzu and, above all, the company of my cherished family and friends.
Sonshi.com: Your new book is called The Return of Sun Tzu. Briefly describe for us what the book is about (no spoilers!).
Bucklin: Buck Langley is a fifty-year-old ad man and occasional ghostwriter about to go broke when a letter arrives in his mailbox with an irresistible invitation and a Honolulu postmark, 4,000 miles away from Langley’s home on the West Bank of New Orleans. The offer turns out to be a million dollars to ghostwrite the life story of a wealthy Chinese publisher with a string attached: following a car accident and lengthy coma, the subject has awakened to claim he is Sun Tzu, the legendary general who wrote The Art of War in 513 BC. Langley is suspicious, but $100,000 up front seals the deal and puts in motion the nearly perfect frame, foiled only by the miscue of one jammed bullet.
The book opens with Langley confined to The Louisiana State Institute for the Criminally Insane, where he plays the ultimate game of deception to win back his freedom and avoid taking a seat on death row.
Sonshi.com: What gave you the idea to write a novel referencing Sun Tzu?
Bucklin: It’s been nearly a century (1910) since Lionel Giles blessed us with the first English translation of The Art of War followed by a host of other distinguished scholars whose contributions are ongoing and invaluable, but seemingly not appealing to the masses who would rather be entertained than informed.
By presenting a textbook study within the guise of a murder mystery as bizarre as it is conceivable, I envisioned a breakthrough novel to introduce Sun Tzu and The Art of War to mainstream readers who know little or nothing about either subject, but are drawn in by the plot. As for those already well-schooled, I saw an opportunity to expand upon the endless quest for a fresh perspective on the mindset of our mentor, the origins of his Thirteen Chapters and a ringside seat watching his timeless principles in action, both in modern and ancient times.
Sonshi.com: The historical aspects of your book are amazing. How much research on Sun Tzu and the Art of War did you put into your book?
Bucklin: Hours, days, months and years. I began in the mid-nineties when there were little more than a dozen standard translations of The Art of War to choose from and then set about reading every one, introductions with historical references in particular. Granted The Return of Sun Tzu is fiction, I was absolutely committed to rendering the most accurate depiction of his life that I could find or imagine, the latter coming into play only where needed and, even then, inserted to match the events and characters as I knew them to be.
My research on The Art of War itself consisted of reading all translations, putting the shortest on audiotape and listening daily until I felt confident that its precepts had become second nature to me. That took a few years as well.
Then I began to write.
Sonshi.com: Going back to Buck Langley, tell us more about the protagonist. Why did you “choose” him?
Bucklin: I needed a storyteller desperate enough to become an easy mark and clever enough to turn the tables of deception on his betrayers. I also wanted a narrator readers could not only relate to, but also, more importantly, learn from. While Langley is remarkably candid about his weaknesses, he’s equally strong in tactical knowledge from The Art of War, examples of which are central to his very survival.
Above all, and in spite his flaws, I feel he possesses The Five Virtues as I know them: bravery, wisdom, kindness, truthfulness and loyalty. Any character missing a trait would be unworthy of telling the story of Sun Tzu in a manner befitting his memory and intentions. Buck Langley passed the audition with ease.
Sonshi.com: Sun Tzu is certainly among history’s greatest leaders. He has been put on paper numerous times, but do you think it’s time he is put onto the big screen? Perhaps an adaptation of your book?
Bucklin: Absolutely. A major motion picture would give our mentor his rightful place in history, which is long overdo, and spark interest among newcomers to The Art of War with whom we can share the priceless value of its doctrines. The Return of Sun Tzu appears to be a viable candidate, but I’m content to let the Hollywood moguls be the judge of that.
Sonshi.com: What is next for J.B. Bucklin?
Bucklin: I’d like to record an audio book of The Return of Sun Tzu and finish two mystery novels put on the back burner nearly a decade ago when The Art of War hit me like a tidal wave and relegated each to stand-by status. Beyond that, who knows?
[End of interview]