A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond,and his enduring impact,by an award-winning biographer with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers.
Ian Fleming's greatest creation,James Bond,has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture. What Bond represents about ideas of masculinity,the British national psyche and global politics has shifted over time,as has the interpretation of the life of his author. But Fleming himself was more mysterious and subtle than anything he wrote.
Ian's childhood with his gifted brother Peter and his extraordinary mother set the pattern for his ambition to be'the complete man',and he would strive for the means to achieve this'completeness'all his life. Only a thriller writer for his last twelve years,his dramatic personal life and impressive career in Naval Intelligence put him at the heart of critical moments in world history,while also providing rich inspiration for his fiction.
Nicholas Shakespeare is one of the most gifted biographers working today. His talent for uncovering new material that casts fresh light on his subjects is fully evident in this masterful,definitive biography.
Publisher: Vintage PublishingISBN: 9781787302419Number of pages: 864Weight: 1002 gDimensions: 240 x 162 x 44 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Written with Fleming-esque brio and insouciance,with a feeling for the tragic aspects of his life as well as the ironic comedy of it..elegant...the research here is impeccable...a book so buoyant and delicious that you feel it will be a friend for life'- The Telegraph
'This is a marvellous book about Ian Fleming,but it's also one of the most engaging portraits of a particular period of British history that I have read in a long time'- Antonia Fraser
'This excellent biography is as worldly and clever as one could wish'- Philip Hensher,The Spectator
'A monumental record of Fleming's life. The completeness of the book is beyond doubt. Shakespeare leaves no future biographer much to discover. Fleming's place in history is assured'- Max Hastings,The Sunday Times
'Shakespeare has the rare ability to reinvigorate subjects that had seemed exhausted. If,like me,you thought you knew all there was to be known about Ian Fleming,prepare for a surprise...written with such brio that the pace never slackens'- Adam Sisman
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