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One hundred years since the birth of James Bond's
creator, MI6 looks back at the life and legacy of
British
author and journalist, Ian Fleming
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Ian Fleming Biography
28th May 2008
Ian Lancaster Fleming was
born on May 28th 1908 and raised alongside his
three other siblings by his mother, Evelyn St. Croix
Fleming at the
family estate in Oxfordshire. Quickly, a fierce
competitive nature grew between Ian and his elder brother
Peter.
With a distinct dislike for what he would regard as snobbish
family gatherings and political debate, Ian was kept
in his brother's shadow for the early years of his life.
His father, Valentine Fleming, was a Conservative
MP, but he uprooted his family in 1914 when war
broke out and the politician was drafted to the army.
When of an appropriate age, Ian and eldest brother
Peter were sent
to Durford boarding school where they would receive the
occasional letter from their father, but nothing from
Evelyn. Valentine's cards ceased in April 1917 and on
May 20th 1917, Major Fleming was killed in action.
On turning 13, Fleming was enlisted in
Eton - the only proper school for wealthy children of his
lineage to attend. Again, young Ian was trapped by the things
his most despised: snobbery and his brother's overwhelming
ability to better him at education. Much to the disgrace
of his family, Ian rebelled at Eton, and years later when
crafting James
Bond's obituary, Fleming noted Bond's period at Eton
was short and undistinguished - Fleming's tenure was neither.
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Datastream
Name: Ian Lancaster Fleming
Born: 28th May 1908
Died: 12th August 1964
Published: 1953-1966
Bond Publications: 14
Beyond Bond: Author of Sunday Times' " Thrilling
Cities" travel memoirs & children's
fantasy novella, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
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His actions among his fellow pupils were observed
as eccentric and even admired somewhat - arriving late for breakfast
or many of his classes without proper presentation. It was clear
that Fleming was bright; he had a brilliant capacity
for language
and wit; yet everyone could see Eton was not for him.
Fleming was eventually withdrawn from Eton in
order to enter Sandhurst school and prepared for the Military
examination. Fleming did not enjoy his experiences at Sandhurst,
but a rigid discipline was drilled into Ian while he studied
- something of which would echo throughout his adult life. On
taking the exam, Fleming passed with the 6th highest score in
the country and was automatically admitted to the training programme
- whether he wished it or not.
Before his term within the military began, Fleming
journeyed to Austria in order to spend a period at a summer school
where Ernan Forbes Dennis, the facilitator of this Austrian retreat,
encouraged outdoor activities. Here, Ian gained an extensive
experience and skill skiing, rock-climbing and swimming.
Returning to the comparatively dismal life of
a cadet, Fleming despised Sandhurst even more than his last run-in
with the military It was here that he famously remarked that
he "agreed with whoever said horses are dangerous at both
ends and uncomfortable in the middle." When Sandhurst got
too much for Ian, he abandoned his family's ambition for him
to have a noble career and returned to Forbes Dennis an Austria
where he studied a variety of more pertinent subjects that would
somewhat appease Ian's ethos.
Fleming's interest lay in social history, science,
technology and languages - which he indulged in fully. Years
later he would refer to these as the golden times: loving the
Tyrol, skiing and especially the girls. In 1930 there came a
time where Ian could no longer exhaust his days with sun and
exercise and, realising he would have to make an "honest living",
Fleming returned to the UK where, with the help of his mother,
he gained a position with Reuters.
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Fleming worked a hard internal
research position for three years before being asked to
journey to Moscow to report on the trial of six British
engineers, charged with espionage. He jumped at the chance
of a change of scene and an expenses paid trip to Russia,
impressing Reuters officials with his captivated report
that opened with the line: "When the big hands of
Moscow's 300 electric clocks reach the hour of six".
In August 1935, Fleming's Grandfather passed
away but when his assets were divvied up, Ian stood to inherit
none of the $12 million estate.
A disheartened Fleming temporarily
abandoned his career as a reporter to set up a merchant
banking lobby, and together with a few friends the "Circle" club.
The Circle would meet many nights a week to play bridge or
at the weekends, take their gambling habits to the golf course. |
Out of his experience at bridge nights, Fleming was able to devise the horrendously complicated bridge hand from his third novel, "Moonraker". One of the Circle would later remark that Fleming's bridge was too risky to be a reliable player - Fleming would always test each scenario weather it meant winning or losing.
Fleming's lust for women developed in Austria,
but was fuelled by his time with the Circle, however, after a
failed engagement Fleming vowed to tread more carefully with
female commitment. That's not to say Ian was shy of womanising
or the subject of sex. Friends recall that he would frequently
suggest such to those he'd known for barely an hour.
In 1939, Fleming was requested to serve his country in a unique and thrilling way. He returned once again to Moscow - but although his papers would claim him to be a reporter for The Times, Fleming would be reporting to the Foreign Office.
After returning from the Russian capital,
Fleming's love of language and the success of his work
in Moscow lead him to a meeting with Rear Admiral John
Godfrey: director of Naval Intelligence. Fleming impressed
the Admiral with a dedication to the cause, keen interest
and skills surrounding reporting and languages and his
overall demeanour of authority.
Working alongside Godfrey would earn Fleming a range of skills and adventurous tales that would later be reflected in 007's adventures. The Admiral claimed that Fleming's knowledge of the systems of the Naval Intelligence Division was better than that of employees that had worked in the department for many years. Fleming was just that, bright and fast learner and with an unquestionable memory.
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More and more, Ian was invited to contribute
to discussions and planning sessions - his ideas incredibly off
the wall, but always with an intriguing possibility. Admiral
Denning, who worked with Fleming reported as such, and while
many of the operations Ian was involved in remain secretive,
the ethos of his time in the Naval Office is strongly reflected
in Bond.
Fleming was tasked his first out-of-office assignment when he suggested that he personally handle the hand over of the surrendered French Admiral, Jean Francois Darlin. His plan was approved by his superiors, to Fleming's amazement. Fleming, however, was caught in a skirmish where Darlin was left to escape in favour of evacuating British citizens after a German raid.
In 1941, Fleming accompanied Godfrey and espionage expert Bill Stephenson to the US where he and Stephenson retrieved Japanese cipher codes from a hotel room - what was a straightforward operation for Stephenson proved the glamorised basis for James Bond's first kill.
When a change-in-ranks at the Naval Intelligence
office meant Fleming's role was substantially minimised, he "jumped
ship" in order to re-ignite his career as a journalist.
Ian took a neat $14,000 salary with Kemsley Newspapers while
spending a large proportion of his time traveling. Jamaica caught
Fleming's attention, and soon he was spending two months of the
year at his tropical sanctuary.
With the spark of an idea to write "the spy story to end all spy stories", but mostly out of impatience and boredom began to write. With his impending marriage to Lady Anne Rothermere causing him last minute nerves and a want to do something productive with his time, Fleming began to bang out a tale on his old-fashioned typewriter.
His wife-to-be took up painting and refused
to be bugged by a bored Ian, so while Anne dabbled with the palette
Ian crafted Bond - the man with the boring name. Ian hadn't any
ambition about what this manuscript might turn into, but it was
clearly fascinating him. By the last page of "Casino
Royale", James Bond had defeated Le Chiffre and the
bitch was dead - now all that was left was his nuptials.
Noel Coward, Ian Fleming's famous Jamaican
neighbour, was one of the few witnesses, wrote a charming calypso
for the pair. One verse went: "Mongoose say to Annie, Now
you get your decree, Once you lady of high degree, Now you common
as me."
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Back in London and with "Royale" in
manuscript form, Fleming continued to work and save for
his precious time in Jamaica, but was secretly testing
the waters for his latest venture as a budding novelist.
At lunch with William Plomer - a colleague from the Navy
and now a literary agent - Fleming revealed that he had
something. Although Fleming talked down his first spy-thriller,
Plomer was intrigued and began to offer advice over the
script Fleming handed him.
By August 1952, Fleming was a father,
not only of a literary baby but a real one too. Plomer
and Fleming by this time had exchanged multiple notes and
annotations of the "Casino Royale" manuscript
and the pair were ready to try their luck with the publishing
houses. With the hope that becoming an author would bring
a better income for his growing family, Fleming set about
getting his book to the print-presses. "Casino Royale" hit
the shelves to positive UK reviews but by May of the same
year, Fleming had earned a mere £200
from his literary ventures - not nearly enough to support
a family as he'd hoped. Nevertheless, the writing bug was
all but inflicted and Ian Fleming began to plan a second
novel starring his secret agent, James Bond.
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Before finishing 1954's "Live
and Let Die", Fleming turned his hand to some non-fiction
in the form of Sunday Times' globetrotting reports. On one
of his travel writing trips, Fleming reportedly observed a
deep-sea selvage operation that heavily inspired the finale
of Bond's
second outing - neatly tying together Fleming's existing concepts
for the book. Ian continued to talk down his work, remarking
to Plomer that his latest penmanship wasn't much of a book,
but might make a decent film.
Fleming received buy-out offers from a selection of filmmakers, ready to claim the rights to James Bond and his first adventure. Fleming accepted an offer of $6,000 US and to his wife's dismay, spent the profit on a Thunderbird sports car. "Casino Royale" aired as a CBS special in October of 1954 and Barry
Nelson portrayed Bond as an American hero.
"Live and Let Die" was published
by Jonathan Cape in April 1954, but Fleming received a
disheartening note from his US publishers, Macmillan, which
somewhat confirmed his own fears. "Mr. Bond will have
to do better than this", the note read.
Fleming wrote to friend and fellow author
Raymond Chandler explaining the predicament - Chandler
replied with the offer of a testimonial for Ian's second
novel: the comment was short and punchy and described Fleming
as, "probably the most forceful and driving writer
of what I suppose still must be called thrillers in England".
Ultimately Macmillan accepted Bond's second adventure and "Live
And Let Die" hit the US shelves in 1955.
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Above: Fleming's American parallel and
close friend, Raymond Chandler... |
Fleming toured America in 1955 - from Saratoga
and Chicago to LA and Los Vegas - researching his newest 007
adventure, "Diamonds
Are Forever". Meanwhile, the printers produced a second
edition of Casino Royale for the American market, this time rebranded
as a popular fiction paperback "You
Asked For It" in hopes of stimulating sales of the book
and capturing a wider readership. "You Asked For It" proved
a success in the USA and helped popularise Ian Fleming and James
Bond across the expansive nation.
In preparation for his fan favoured fifth novel, Fleming journeyed to Istanbul, which he considered to be a perfect halfway point for SMERSH and MI6 to do battle. In Turkey, Fleming met the Oxford alumnus Nazim Kalkavan whom he took a great liking to and roamed the country with. Kalkavan gave Fleming the spirit and knowledge of his upcoming novel and the characterisation of Bond's Turkish ally: Darko Kerim. Fleming noted down a particular phrase Nazim had cause to raise over one of the many dinners: "I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact I have lived not too long but too much. One day the iron crab will get me." The iconic iron crab haunted Fleming until his own death; so much so that this tidbit from Nazim was embodied by Darko and given as advice to 007 in the prose of "From Russia With Love".
The success of Bond, and "From Russia With
Love" in particular, allowed and inspired Fleming to grow
increasingly creative with his work and far more dedicated to
007. "Dr. No" and "Goldfinger" followed
easily after that and each moment Fleming spent with Bond, he
grew increasingly fascinated by his own literary masterpiece.
To research "Goldfinger", Fleming
turned to a friend from his time at Reuters, Bernard Rickatson-Hatt
who was now a Bank of England employee. Through his association
with Bernard, Ian was introduced to the top experts at the Bank
and engaged himself in research and stories of the world of gold-smuggling.
In 1958, filmmaker Kevin
McClory began touting libel and copyright issues
relating to selected aspects of Fleming's newest novel: "Thunderball".
McClory claimed Fleming may have "borrowed" aspects
of a McClory screenplay he had chance to work on. The suit,
which was active between '58 and '59, ended with a settlement
that meant Fleming was entitled to publish his work intact
but with credits given to the other contributors.
Fleming's work was gaining more positive
attention and acclaim. "Dr. No" and "From
Russia With Love" - two of his most widely read novels
- were chalking up four and five-star reviews and gaining
a popularity he had previously never dreamed of. In
March of 1961 John F. Kennedy, via LIFE magazine, famously
proclaimed "From
Russia With Love" to be one of his top-10 novels of
all time. In the LIFE interview, Kennedy reported how he "was
fascinated by the line dividing Ian's real life from the
fantasy life that want into his books." |
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Above: John Fitzgerald Kennedy - American President and Fleming fan... |
In 1961 the iron crab caught up with the
James Bond author. During a Sunday Times editorial conference,
Fleming was stricken with a heart attack and whisked to hospital.
The doctors attempted to coach Fleming into a healthier style
of living but he refused to make all but a few changes, saying, "since
I have to be really rather careful about it, I wish to concentrate
up the purest and finest liquor available". Many
friends observed this stoic foolishness and wrote to the author
to convince him otherwise, but nothing availed.
In the summer of the same year, Fleming was
in talks with Canadian film producer Harry
Saltzman who was determined to make a successful on-screen
Bond adventure. The arrangement that was met was to the tune
of $100,000 US plus a profit based fee of 5%. Fleming wrote to
friend to Ivor Bryce on the subject of an actor to play 007: "Saltzman
thinks he has found an absolute corker, a 30-year-old Shakespearian
actor, ex-Navy boxing champion, etc., etc., and even, he says,
intelligent." The message, of course, referred to Sean
Connery. Fleming had long since predicted that 007 on-screen
would be worth the big money and through Saltzman and Broccoli
his dream was quickly becoming a reality.
Above: Harry Saltzman, Ian Fleming and Albert Broccoli... |
"Dr. No" entered
pre-production and Fleming returned to Jamaica to plan and pen "On
Her Majesty's Secret Service", delighted with 007's
on-screen prospects. Shortly after posting "Majesty's" to
his editor, Fleming toured Japan to research the hard-hitting
follow up, "You
Only Live Twice" where he rendezvoused, quite by happenstance,
with friend and Sunday Times reporter Richard Hughes.
The value of Bond rose steadily as 007's first
screen adventure hit the box office and the book rights alone
netted
more than £250,000 ($700,000). In October 1963, Fleming joined
the location shoot of the second screen adventure, "From
Russia With Love" and was delighted with the atmosphere
on set and reportedly pleased by the way EON Productions were
portraying his creation. After his time with the crew, Fleming
journeyed to Goldeneye for the very last time to begin work on
his final 007 adventure: "The Man With The Golden Gun".
On August 11th 1964, Ian Fleming attended his
last Royal St. George's golf club committee meeting where he
was stricken
with heart trouble and transported to Canterbury Hospital. Ian
Fleming passed away in his hospital bed on the 12th of August
1964. His body was laid to rest in Sevenhampton Cemetery.
