Posted on by Tulika

I is for Ian, Ian Fleming

1908-1964                                                                                   
It’s I-day
today. And I bring out someone not quite a classic yet just as timeless, just
as well loved and way more exciting. He is the one who created the coolest,
hottest hero ever.. and I mean ever. It’s the flamboyant Ian Fleming – the man behind James
Bond. If anything he was at least just as dashing as the hero he created.

A tough
legacy to follow

Ian Fleming
came from a well respected, wealthy English family. His grandfather was a banker
and his father Valentine Fleming, a landowner and Member of Parliament as well
as a war hero who was killed in the War when Ian was about 9. His brother Peter excelled at Eton and Oxford and went on to become a well know travel
writer. Ian had to live up to a towering legacy.

A restless
soul

All of that seemed like a tall order for Fleming. He could
never distinguish himself at academics. He left Eaton before completing his graduation.
At the military academy he left without taking an officer’s commission. He
tried to take the Foreign Services Exam but could not clear that too. Finally,
like his brother, he joined Reuters – the news agency – and became a
journalist.

Ian Fleming

A few years
as a journalist convinced him that his salary would not let him live the kind
of high life he wanted. His own inheritance was out of reach so he took on work as a
banker. A few years later, bored of his banker’s job he quit and joined the
Times.

In 1939 he
joined the naval intelligence. That’s where he seemed to have finally found his
calling. Quite like his hero he planned and carried out dangerous missions. He
also wrote countless reports where his natural flair for writing showed up and
they made for great reading. It was during those days that he went to Jamaica
for a conference and fell in love with the place promising to return.

In Jamaica, Bond
is born

My favourite Bond

And return
he did. He built himself a house called Goldeneye
and every year, for six years, he would go to Jamaica to live the high life he had
always wanted… partying, romancing and having affairs. The turning point came when a married woman, Anne Rothermere, he
was having an affair with, got pregnant and pressured him to marry her. While
waiting for her divorce to come through he started writing his first novel
Casino Royale. After that, each year he used his Jamaican holiday to write a
novel.

At the age of 56 Ian Fleming died of a heart attack. In a very Bond like manner his last words were to the ambulance drivers. Said he, “I am sorry to trouble you chaps. I don’t know how you get along so fast with the traffic on the roads these days.”

James Bond..

.. would be
the dullest, most uninteresting man to whom “things happened”, thought Fleming when he first conceived Bond. However, 12 Bond novels later, we know better. Secret
Agent 007, took on a life of his own.

Fleming modeled Bond after many real life characters including his brother and himself. He put to use his real life experiences. His villains too were people he disliked in real life!

Seven actors have played James Bond in 23 films, beginning with Sean Connery in 1962 to Daniel Craig in 2012.. but you already know that. So who’s your favourite Bond? I’d go with Sean Connery.

***********

I won’t leave a clue for tomorrow. Girls and boys.. wait for the magic to begin!

This post is part of the April A to Z Challenge, 2014 for the theme AMAZING AUTHORS.

Also linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

39 Replies to “I is for Ian, Ian Fleming”

  5. I fell in love with James Bond when I was a child. My mom is a huge fan of Sean Connery. Yet I never knew the interesting life Ian Fleming lived. My favorite Bond has to be Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

    Reply

  7. Have seen so many James Bond Movies and not a single book. What a shame!!
    My fav Bond is Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig now! I know whom we are meeting tomorrow…. 😀

    Reply

  13. Interesting! I've not read his works.. nor seen any of the bond movies!! Though of course I've heard a great deal 🙂

    Reply

  14. Mmm. My Man! My favorite in the movie series was Sean Connery.
    You know what? Ever since I got my first mobile phone in 2003, my ring tone has always been the famous James Bond theme – the Dr.No (the first James Bond film) version.

    Reply

  19. What an exciting life he led! Quite like his hero 🙂 And to be honest, I am torn between Connery and Craig. Connery, because, well, hello! He is Sean Connery. And Craig, because he brought a rugged reality to the character which nobody else did 🙂

    ~Shailaja's post

    Reply

  20. So loved this post and read more about the creator of James Bond. Great Tulika 🙂 The first one that pops up in my mind is Roger Moore.. The humor and charm… But Sean Connor also … Magnificent! I remember I was terrified of Jaws…yeek

    Reply

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