Sunday, 2 February 2014

Ian Fleming - Cold War Author

By Serena Price


After the end of World War II, in 1945, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were frost and tense. Up until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, these years are collectively referred to as the cold war. Ian Fleming, author of the 007 series of spy novels, was probably the most famous cold war author.

Originally from Scotland, Fleming's family once lived in a house on the site of the American Embassy in London's Grosvenor Square. Fleming's grandfather, Robert Fleming, made a fortune as a pioneer of investment trusts. When the family moved from Dundee to London, he started his own investment bank.

Fleming's father, Valentine, was a barrister and a Member of Parliament. During the First World War, he went to serve with the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars. When he was killed on the Western Front in 1917, leaving four sons aged 10, 9, 6 and 4, his obituary was written by none other than Winston Churchill, fellow officer, friend and future Prime Minister of England. Fleming's mother, Evelyn Rose, was the daughter of a wealthy London solicitor.

Born in London's Mayfair on 27 Green Street on the 28th of May 1908, Ian Lancaster Fleming was the second-eldest of four brothers. He went to school at Eaton College, and then studied abroad in Germany and Austria. His elder brother, Peter, was born in 1907. He eventually wed noted actress, Celia Johnson, who appeared in David Lean's Film, "Brief Encounter." The two younger Fleming brothers, Richard and Michael, were born in 1911 and 1913, respectively. Richard died of a heart attack in 1977, while Michael married and had four children.

Ian Fleming's early working years were spent at Reuters news agency. Incurring a fine for a driving offense in Oxford, Fleming had to absent himself from his court appearance because he was covering the World Economic Conference on Reuters' behalf. He looked fondly on his years at Reuters as the most thrilling period of his life.

During his one month's unsalaried trial at Reuters, Fleming was tasked with updating 500 obituaries. This impressed his then-boss, Editor-in-Chief Bernard Rickatson-Hatt, who described him as meticulous, methodical and painstaking. It was here at Reuters that he learned how to be fast and accurate. At Reuters, if you weren't accurate, you weren't employed.

Fleming later served under the Director of Naval Intelligence in London. It was the experience gained in this role that provided the material for so many of 007's adventures. Fleming borrowed the name, James Bond, from the man who wrote his favorite book on the subject of West Indian birds. Fleming lived in Jamaica for a period of almost 20 years, from 1946 to 1964.

Ian Fleming, cold war author, was best known for his series of James Bond spy novels, all of which have been made into popular films. He also wrote a children's short story, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, " for his young son, Caspar. Fleming died in Jamaica of a heart attack on August 12, 1964, on Caspar's 12th birthday. Caspar had a troubled adolescence and took his own life in 1975.




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