Not mentioned in the brief bio is Fleming's work during WWII. Notably, he conceived of Operation Ruthless, a plan to stage a German plane ditching, and capture the German rescue ship with an Emigma code book.
Fleming was also the first to suggest planting papers on a corpse to mislead the enemy. This was in a widely circulated memo of ideas. It later was successfully tried in Operation Mincemeat to conceal the invasion of Italy.
There's almost a full paragraph on his war efforts in the article; from the rest of that article we can imageine it's dissected at length in the book:
> In a book not short on detail – more of this in a moment – Shakespeare expends vast amounts of ink in trying to work out exactly how adept Commander Fleming, as he soon became, was at his job and how widely his operational net extended. Whatever Fleming’s precise achievements in Room 39 at the Admiralty Office, he clearly found himself at home in a milieu far more suited to his administrative and imaginative talents than any employment previously offered him. He was a resourceful and consistently adept man-manager at the very centre of the British intelligence machine, Shakespeare concludes, often seen at Bletchley Park and ‘a war-winner’, according to his old boss.
A few months ago I listened to Casino Royale (narrator Dan Stevens, pretty good) and was kind of bummed at just how poorly it read. It's an OK story with very middling language, badly in need of an editor especially around the end. I was surprised that it received so much popularity when written. But maybe it only could get popular at the time, when the English were in need of a certain kind of hero.
I decided to re-read (via audiobook) my favorite John Le Carre novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (narrator Michael Jayston, one of the best audiobook performances I have ever listened to). So wildly different to have them back-to-back. It made me appreciate Le Carre all the more.
Speaking of audiobooks, Le Carre's own memoir The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life is read by himself and is a must-listen if you like his books. To hear him tell his own tales, with his own accents for the people in his life, definitely one of the cases where the audiobook format is superior.
James Bond was the hero England needed at the time in response to the general dreariness and deprivation most English people were feeling in the post-war years. James Bond is this "omnicompetent" character, he always knows what to do, what to say, how to act in any given situation. He also experiences exotic locales with fine food and drinks. In some ways he represents a return to the "old days" of the British Empire when the UK and England was more relevant and also he represents (especially) masculine wish-fulfilment.
But yes, I can see how to modern audiences it's not so exciting and seems stale. But at the time, it was "hot" because Fleming created so many of the tropes that now we see as tired or dated.
I've recently read the first half dozen Bond books. Casino Royale is definitely a bit of a strange book - I found it really hard to get into until the bombing scene. I have to say though, the following books are a blast, particularly Moonraker. I think in part it's Fleming hitting his stride as a writer, and part getting used to his writing.
I like both the Bond and Smiley books, but I've never understood why people are so quick to directly compare the two characters. Smiley is a man of politics and intrigue, while Bond is a boots-on-the-ground assassin.
Bond would be better compared with a character like Ricki Tarr. The 00 section seems to exist in the Smiley organization, they're called the 'scalphunters'. Here's Carre's description:
"The scalphunters' official name was Travel. They had been formed [...] in the pioneer days of the cold war, when murder and kidnapping and crash blackmail were common currency [...] They were a small outfit, about a dozen men, and they were there to handle the hit-and-run jobs that were too dirty or too risky for the residents abroad."
Sounds a lot like Bond. Tarr even shows up at the office unexpectedly, having problems with a woman, wanting money...
I want to like John Le Carre. His genre is right up my alley. I've tried to read his works and have watched some film adapations to varying degrees of success. I just can't get sucked into the world or I'm not entirely sure whats going on. I'm ususally an avid reader and can get lost in a book and forget about the world around me. Not sure what it is with Le Carre. Maybe the audiobook will be a good option if you're that fond of the performance by Jayston.
The Rolex Submariner does make more sense if you take James Bond seriously (which you shouldn't). The Royal Navy did use military issue Rolexes.
But OMG seriously? I thought that was about as elegant a way to do a luxury product placement. It even served the scene. Vesper (subtext): "You're not complex. You are like this..." Bond (subtext): "You're not far wrong! But I'm not supposed to be."
Far more ridiculous are the poker scenes in Casino Royale.
Speaking as someone who likes wristwatches, what's even more ridiculous is the idea of a $12K tool watch. Only a soft in the head billionaire would even go swimming with such an expensive watch, let alone diving.
James Bond is odd because of how brazen and normalised the product placement is. I can't think of any other film or tv show of the size where branded products are so central to the theme
I don't think the product placement in the books is like product placement in movies and TV today. The products were things that he liked (Rolex Oyster Perpetuals, "Sea Island" cotton shirts, getting your cigarettes made for you or smoking "Senior Service", eating scrambled eggs etc).
It only seems weird in retrospect now that it has become common.
It was a deliberate choice on his part. Specifically:
> ‘One of the reasons why I chose the pseudonym of James Bond for my hero rather than, say, Peregrine Maltravers was that I wished him to be unobtrusive. Exotic things would happen to and around him but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous blunt instrument wielded by a Government Department.
> ‘But to create an illusion of depth I had to fit Bond out with some theatrical props and, while I kept his wardrobe as discreet as his personality, I did equip him with a distinctive gun and, though they are a security hazard, with distinctive cigarettes. This latter touch of display unfortunately went to my head. I proceeded to invent a cocktail for Bond (which I sampled several months later and found unpalatable), and a rather precious though basically simple meal ordered by Bond proved so popular with my readers, still suffering from war-time restrictions, that expensive, though I think not ostentatious, meals have been eaten in subsequent books.
fair. I think I'm remembering the (HN classic) Fleming article about how to write exciting fiction. in it he suggests your main character having extra eggs with his meal
Is James Bond the fictional character realistic? I always felt that he is an exaggerated persona that appeals to the male fantasy of hyper competence, boldness, and hence sexual appeal.
I agree with this. The character in the book is full of self-doubt, insecurity and other complex emotions that he hides externally. In this films, all of that complexity is simply left out.
I think Craig's Bond is pretty loyal to book Bond in many ways - far more so than any of the previous actors. Though book Bond is far more vulnerable physically and mentally.
Same, in Skyfall he is quite a complex character who fails in numerous ways.
It’s actually a good movie because he is flawed, at least in my opinion.
I personally like the older bonds for the travel scenery, stunts, music girls and cars. The character is somewhat annoying although the cheesy comedy can be fun some times. I love the ski scenes in some of the movies too.
I doubt it. George Smiley is generally held up as a more representative figure, though I suspect (without any personal knowledge or evidence) he also is more a useful focal point for stories in which the supporting colleagues have more in common with their real life counterparts than either the owlish Smiley or the predator Bond.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ruthless