BBC History UK 04.2020

(Romina) #1

S


ome authors spend years on their
first novel. Ian Fleming’s came in
a matter of weeks. In January
1952, the middle-aged British
journalist was enjoying a little
winter’s sun on holiday in the
Caribbean. One morning, after
a swim and his usual breakfast of scram-
bled eggs and coffee, Fleming sat down to
his battered Royal typewriter and ham-
mered out the opening line of Casino
Royale. Barely a month later, he had
finished. James Bond had come to life.
Fleming went on to write a further
13  Bond novels, which have since sold
more than 100 million copies globally.
Big-screen adaptations have generated
more than £5bn at the box office, making
the Bond film franchise one of the most
successful in history.
Bond is a phenomenon. It is rare to
find a fictional character so intricately
woven into one country’s self-image, and
at the same time so hugely popular
around the world. Diehard fans have
ranged from the US president John F
Kennedy to the North Korean despot
Kim Jong-il.
Bond’s extraordinary popularity
is rooted in the world – and the characters


  • Fleming created: Bond himself, along
    with ‘M’, Miss Moneypenny and a rogues’
    gallery of villains, including Scaramanga,
    Goldfinger and Blofeld. But these charac-
    ters were not pulled out of thin air. They
    are an amalgam of traits that Fleming
    stole from a colourful cast of personalities
    he encountered in his own life.
    “Everything I write has a precedent in
    truth,” Fleming wrote. So who were the
    real people behind his most celebrated
    literary creations?


The inspiration behind Bond


was  much better looking.
Just as Fleming went to Eton, left early,
was fatherless for most of his life, and
during the war achieved the rank of acting
commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer
Reserve, so did Bond. Fleming had a love of
women, fast cars, gambling and martinis –
as long as they were made the right way


  • and  for some people possessed a certain
    coldness or reserve; again, characteristics
    all ascribed to Bond.
    At the same time, Fleming and Bond
    were very different. While the author spent
    most of the Second World War behind
    a desk, his creation was a man of action.
    “Bond is not in fact a hero,” Fleming
    explained, “but an efficient and not very
    attractive blunt instrument in the hands
    of government,” and “a meld of various
    qualities I noted among secret service
    men  and commandos in the last war.”
    Much of Bond’s rugged adventurousness
    can be traced back to Fleming’s wartime
    encounters with intrepid soldiers and spies,
    including the guerrillas of 30 Assault Unit,
    the maverick commando group he had
    helped to create and run.
    Some of those who may have directly
    inspired Bond’s character include Patrick
    Dalzel-Job, a fearless member of 30 Assault
    Unit; Fleming’s dashing brother Peter, who
    took part in covert wartime operations; and
    the British spy and expert skier Conrad
    O’Brien-ffrench, who befriended Fleming
    in Austria before the war.
    The soldier, writer and politician Sir
    Fitzroy Maclean (one-time member of the
    SAS) and Wilfred Dunderdale, the MI6 head


Ian Fleming had a


love of women, fast


cars, gambling and gin


martinis – just like Bond


Fleming was a man of many interests,
including birdwatching. That’s why he
had on his bookshelf at Goldeneye, his
Jamaican retreat, a well-thumbed copy
of Birds of the West Indies (shown below),
a field guide written by the respected
American ornithologist James Bond.
Fleming later acknowledged this
real-life Bond as the source of his cele-
brated protagonist’s name. But he did
not  choose it on a whim. Fleming wanted
a name that was straightforward and
trustworthy, and would reveal as little
as  possible about his character’s back-
ground. There may have also been an
espionage inside-joke: ‘birdwatcher’ at
the time was slang for spy. Many years
later, the producers of Die Another Day
(2002) made a knowing reference to  this:
when Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan,
disguises himself as a birdwatcher, he
buries himself in a copy of the original
James Bond’s guide to West Indian birds.
Name aside, these two Bonds had
almost nothing in common. The physical
appearance of Fleming’s Bond was
largely modelled on his creator. Both
Fleming and Bond had blue eyes, dark
hair and a “cruel mouth”. As the author
admitted, however, his literary creation

James Bond


How a respected birdwatcher became
the spy world’s “ultimate prostitute”

PREVIOUS PAGE: ALAMY/SHUTTERSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES


S


omeauthorsspendyearsontheir
firstnovel.IanFleming’scamein
a matterofweeks.InJanuary
1952,themiddle-agedBritish
journalistwasenjoyinga little
winter’ssunonholidayinthe
Caribbean.Onemorning,after
a swimandhisusualbreakfastofscram-
bledeggsandcoffee,Flemingsatdownto
hisbatteredRoyaltypewriterandham-
meredouttheopeninglineofCasino
Royale. Barelya monthlater,hehad
finished.JamesBondhadcometolife.
Flemingwentontowritea further
13 Bondnovels,whichhavesincesold
morethan 100 millioncopiesglobally.
Big-screenadaptationshavegenerated
morethan£5bnattheboxoffice,making
theBondfilmfranchiseoneofthemost
successfulinhistory.
Bondis a phenomenon.It is rareto
finda fictionalcharactersointricately
wovenintoonecountry’sself-image,and
atthesametimesohugelypopular
aroundtheworld.Diehardfanshave
rangedfromtheUSpresidentJohnF
KennedytotheNorthKoreandespot
KimJong-il.
Bond’sextraordinarypopularity
is rooted in the world – and the characters



  • Fleming created: Bond himself, along
    with ‘M’, Miss Moneypenny and a rogues’
    gallery of villains, including Scaramanga,
    Goldfinger and Blofeld. But these charac-
    ters were not pulled out of thin air. They
    are an amalgam of traits that Fleming
    stole from a colourful cast of personalities
    he encountered in his own life.
    “Everything I write has a precedent in
    truth,” Fleming wrote. So who were the
    real people behind his most celebrated
    literary creations?


The inspiration behind Bond


was much better looking.
Just as Flemingwent to Eton, left early,
was fatherlessfor most of his life, and
duringthe war achievedthe rank of acting
commanderin the Royal Naval Volunteer
Reserve,so did Bond. Fleminghad a love of
women,fast cars, gamblingand martinis–
as long as they were made the right way


  • and for some peoplepossesseda certain
    coldnessor reserve;again, characteristics
    all ascribedto Bond.
    At the same time, Flemingand Bond
    were very different.While the authorspent
    most of the SecondWorld War behind
    a desk, his creationwas a man of action.
    “Bondis not in fact a hero,” Fleming
    explained,“but an efficientand not very
    attractiveblunt instrumentin the hands
    of government,”and “a meld of various
    qualitiesI noted amongsecret service
    men and commandosin the last war.”
    Much of Bond’sruggedadventurousness
    can be tracedback to Fleming’swartime
    encounterswith intrepidsoldiersand spies,
    includingthe guerrillasof 30 AssaultUnit,
    the maverickcommandogroup he had
    helpedto create and run.
    Some of those who may have directly
    inspiredBond’scharacterincludePatrick
    Dalzel-Job,a fearlessmemberof 30 Assault
    Unit; Fleming’sdashingbrotherPeter, who
    took part in covertwartimeoperations;and
    the Britishspy and expertskier Conrad
    O’Brien-ffrench,who befriendedFleming
    in Austriabeforethe war.
    The soldier,writer and politicianSir
    FitzroyMaclean(one-timememberof the
    SAS) and WilfredDunderdale,the MI6 head


IanFleminghad a


loveof women, fast


cars,gambling and gin


martinis–just like Bond


Flemingwas a man of many interests,
includingbirdwatching.That’s why he
had on his bookshelfat Goldeneye,his
Jamaicanretreat,a well-thumbedcopy
ofBirdsof theWestIndies(shownbelow),
a field guide writtenby the respected
AmericanornithologistJamesBond.
Fleminglater acknowledgedthis
real-lifeBond as the sourceof his cele-
bratedprotagonist’sname. But he did
not chooseit on a whim. Flemingwanted
a name that was straightforwardand
trustworthy,and would reveal as little
as possibleabout his character’sback-
ground.There may have also been an
espionageinside-joke:‘birdwatcher’at
the time was slang for spy. Many years
later, the producersofDieAnotherDay
(2002) made a knowingreferenceto this:
when Bond, playedby Pierce Brosnan,
disguiseshimselfas a birdwatcher,he
buries himselfin a copy of the original
JamesBond’sguide to West Indian birds.
Name aside, these two Bondshad
almostnothingin common.The physical
appearanceof Fleming’sBond was
largelymodelledon his creator.Both
Flemingand Bond had blue eyes, dark
hair and a “cruel mouth”.As the author
admitted,however,his literarycreation

James Bond


How a respected birdwatcher became
the spy world’s “ultimate prostitute”

PREVIOUS PAGE: ALAMY/SHUTTERSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

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