Talk of the Devil

Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in London on 28 May 1908 andwas educated at Eton College before spending a formative period studyinglanguages in Europe. His first job was with Reuters news agency, followed by abrief spell as a stockbroker. On the outbreak of the Second World War he wasappointed assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence, Admiral Godfrey,where he played a key part in British and Allied espionage operations. After the war he joined Kemsley Newspapers as ForeignManager of The Sunday Times, running a network of correspondents whowere intimately involved in the Cold War. His first novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 andintroduced James Bond, Special Agent 007, to the world. The first print runsold out within a month. Following this initial success, he published a Bondtitle every year until his death. His own travels, interests and wartime experiencegave authority to everything he wrote. Raymond Chandler hailed him as ‘the mostforceful and driving writer of thrillers in England.’ The fifth title, FromRussia With Love, was particularly well received and sales soared whenPresident Kennedy named it as one of his favourite books. The Bond novels havesold more than 100 million copies and inspired a hugely successful filmfranchise which began in 1962 with the release of Dr No, starring SeanConnery as 007. The Bond books were written in Jamaica, a country Flemingfell in love with during the war and where he built a house, ‘Goldeneye’. Hemarried Ann Rothermere in 1952. His story about a magical car, written in 1961for their only child, Caspar, went on to become the well-loved novel and film, ChittyChitty Bang Bang.   Fleming died of heart failure on 12 August 1964.