Ian
Fleming
born May 28, 1908, London, England
died August 12, 1964, Canterbury, Kent
suspense-fiction
novelist whose character James Bond, the
stylish, high-living British secret service
agent 007, became one of the most successful and
widely imitated heroes of 20th-century popular
fiction.
The son of a
Conservative MP and the grandson of a Scottish
banker, Fleming was born into a family of wealth
and privilege and was educated in England,
Germany, and Switzerland. Before settling down
as a full-time writer, Fleming was a journalist
in Moscow (1929–33), a banker and stockbroker
(1935–39), a high-ranking officer in British
naval intelligence during World War II, and
foreign manager of the London Sunday Times
(1945–49).
Casino Royale (1953)
was the first of his 12 James Bond novels.
Packed with violent action, hairbreadth escapes,
international espionage, clever spy gadgets,
intrigue, and gorgeous women, the books became
international best sellers. The Bond books
gained wide popularity in the United States
after the newly elected president, John F.
Kennedy, named a Bond novel on his list of
favourite books in 1961.
Bond, with his
propensity for gambling and fast cars, became
the prototype of the handsome, clever
playboy-hero of the late 1950s and ’60s. He was
the symbol in the West of the burgeoning
consumer age, indulging in only the best
brand-name products and enjoying access to the
foremost electronic gadgets of his day. To some
readers, Bond’s incessant name-dropping of
commercial products was off-putting, but the
tactic enabled Fleming to create a realism
unusual in the popular fiction of his day.
Bond’s mannerisms and quirks, from the way he
liked his martinis (“shaken, not stirred”) to
the way he introduced himself (“Bond, James
Bond”), soon became famous around the world. All
the Bond novels, notably From Russia, with Love
(1957), Dr. No (1958), Goldfinger (1959), and
Thunderball (1961), were made into popular
motion pictures, although many deviated from
Fleming’s original plots.
Fleming’s books were
roundly criticized by many highbrow critics and
novelists. Paul Johnson lambasted the Bond
phenomenon in a famous essay titled “Sex,
Snobbery, and Sadism,” and the spy novelist
David Cornwall (John le Carré) criticized Bond’s
immorality (“He’s a sort of licensed criminal
who, in the name of false patriotism, approves
of nasty crimes”). Feminists have long objected
to Bond’s chauvinistic ways, and the Soviet
Union, as the enemy in so many of Bond’s Cold
War capers, attacked Fleming for creating “a
world where laws are written with a pistol
barrel.” Fleming countered that “Bond is not a
hero, nor is he depicted as being very likeable
or admirable.…He’s not a bad man, but he is
ruthless and self-indulgent. He enjoys the
fight—but he also enjoys the prizes.”
Despite (or because of)
such criticism, the Bond stories grew in
popularity. The 007 trademark became one of the
most successful in merchandising history, giving
birth in the 1960s to a spate of Bond-related
products, from toys and games to clothes and
toiletries. James Bond films continued into the
21st century, and they have reportedly grossed
more than $1 billion. The book series was also
continued after Fleming’s death, by such writers
as Kingsley Amis (Colonel Sun [1968], under the
pen name Robert Markham) and Sebastian Faulks
(Devil May Care [2008]). Charlie Higson wrote a
series of Young Bond novels for younger readers,
one of which (SilverFin [2005]) was adapted into
a graphic novel. The Moneypenny Diaries, which
debuted in 2005, was a series written by
Samantha Weinberg as the fictional editor Kate
Westbrook. The books chronicle the adventures of
Miss Moneypenny, a well-known side character in
the original novels. There are numerous
Bond-related Internet sites and fan clubs around
the world.
Fleming also published
two collections of short stories featuring Bond.
In addition, he wrote a children’s book, Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang (1964), which was made into a
feature film and whose main character, Commander
Pott, perhaps summarized best the Fleming/Bond
philosophy of life: “Never say ‘no’ to
adventures. Always say ‘yes,’ otherwise you’ll
lead a very dull life.” Fleming’s life and
personality—from his wartime service and his
caving and shark hunting to his and his family’s
hobnobbing with the rich and famous (when
Fleming’s father died, Winston Churchill wrote
the obituary)—made him, in the opinion of many,
a more compelling figure than even Bond, and as
such he has been the subject of several
biographies, including Andrew Lycett’s Ian
Fleming (1995).
