The Samurai

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Shusaku Endo (1923-96) was one of 20th century Japan's greatest novelists. His major works include The Sea and Poison, Silence (a film adaptation directed by Martin Scorsese was released in 2017), When I Whistle and The Samurai.

When the Pope appears,' Velasco repeated once more, 'touch the floor three times with your right knee, and bring your face up to his feet . . . ' In 1613 the missionary Father Pedro Velasco's great dream comes true. For the first time, the Japanese are going to cross the Pacific Ocean. And he is going with them. As he sets sail with a group of Samurai, for Mexico, then Spain and finally Rome, his zealous hope is that, by opening up relations with the western world, Japan will become ripe for conversion to Christianity - with him as Bishop. But fate has other plans for Father Velasco. A gripping portrayal of an extraordinary historical voyage, filled with danger and hardship, The Samurai is a haunting novel of endurance, faith and hubris.

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