James Bond remains a massive influence on favored culture, with 22 official films in the series. However , no matter how well-liked he might be as a big screen hero, many people forget - or are even not aware - the Brit agent with a licence to kill started as a literary character.
Ian Fleming came from a privileged background and although sent to Eton, did not shine academically, though he probably did well at athletics. Following his release from officer coaching at Sandhurst, he joined the city for a spell as a broker at which he was poor, till he finally discovered his feet before the war as a hack with Reuters. His first brush with the intelligence services may have come when he visited Moscow in 1933 to cover the trial of 6 workers of Vickers, who went being attempted for espionage.
When war broke out in 1939, Fleming right away joined Naval Intelligence, quickly rising to the rank of Commander, as the right hand man to the Director of Naval Intelligence. It was here that he was concerned in some of the most brazen schemes of the war and met assorted characters that he was later ready to draw upon when writing the James Bond books.
After the war Fleming became the foreign chief for Kemsley Newspapers, which counted the Sunday Times as one of its titles. He also acquired land in Jamaica, where he then built his house, Goldeneye; it was here that he would vacation every winter to flee the cold of London.
It was also here that he started, in 1952, to write the 1st words of Casino Royale. He had wanted to write "the spy story to end all spy stories" which was released the following year. Every year after that he published a new book, although he sometimes veered from formula. Following Goldfinger he published For Your Eyes Only which contained 5 short stories; The Spy Who Adored Me was written from the point of view of the Bond girl; and Octopussy & The Living Daylights, broadcast posthumously, was also short stories.
I originally came across Casino Royale when I was about eight years of age , when I went thru my folks bookcase. My dad owned a paperback edition, which I took up to my room and devoured as best I could. I loved the journey and the way Bond knew what to do in any situation he found himself. Although the literary personality is quite different from the films and regularly shows self doubt, he's employed out the right way to proceed anyway, and his comportment at the betting tables and in fine cafes appeared extraordinarily classy.
Over time I continued reading the stories, whenever I could get my hand on one. The library was a superb source and soon I was collecting second hand paperbacks from our local marketplace. The books show Bond as often puny, particularly his use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. But he infrequently employs the kind of complex gadget that get him out of trouble in the films and must make do with his very own ingenuity.
The books are still worth looking at after more than 50 years since the publication of Casino Royale. And they work to remind us of the times of the cold war, long before the major perceived threat to the western world was terrorism.
Ian Fleming came from a privileged background and although sent to Eton, did not shine academically, though he probably did well at athletics. Following his release from officer coaching at Sandhurst, he joined the city for a spell as a broker at which he was poor, till he finally discovered his feet before the war as a hack with Reuters. His first brush with the intelligence services may have come when he visited Moscow in 1933 to cover the trial of 6 workers of Vickers, who went being attempted for espionage.
When war broke out in 1939, Fleming right away joined Naval Intelligence, quickly rising to the rank of Commander, as the right hand man to the Director of Naval Intelligence. It was here that he was concerned in some of the most brazen schemes of the war and met assorted characters that he was later ready to draw upon when writing the James Bond books.
After the war Fleming became the foreign chief for Kemsley Newspapers, which counted the Sunday Times as one of its titles. He also acquired land in Jamaica, where he then built his house, Goldeneye; it was here that he would vacation every winter to flee the cold of London.
It was also here that he started, in 1952, to write the 1st words of Casino Royale. He had wanted to write "the spy story to end all spy stories" which was released the following year. Every year after that he published a new book, although he sometimes veered from formula. Following Goldfinger he published For Your Eyes Only which contained 5 short stories; The Spy Who Adored Me was written from the point of view of the Bond girl; and Octopussy & The Living Daylights, broadcast posthumously, was also short stories.
I originally came across Casino Royale when I was about eight years of age , when I went thru my folks bookcase. My dad owned a paperback edition, which I took up to my room and devoured as best I could. I loved the journey and the way Bond knew what to do in any situation he found himself. Although the literary personality is quite different from the films and regularly shows self doubt, he's employed out the right way to proceed anyway, and his comportment at the betting tables and in fine cafes appeared extraordinarily classy.
Over time I continued reading the stories, whenever I could get my hand on one. The library was a superb source and soon I was collecting second hand paperbacks from our local marketplace. The books show Bond as often puny, particularly his use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. But he infrequently employs the kind of complex gadget that get him out of trouble in the films and must make do with his very own ingenuity.
The books are still worth looking at after more than 50 years since the publication of Casino Royale. And they work to remind us of the times of the cold war, long before the major perceived threat to the western world was terrorism.
About the Author:
For more in-depth information of the James Bond books by Ian Fleming, as well as the world of James Bond generally see my website - The James Bond Dossier.