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Was Goldfinger a short story?

shamanimalshamanimal
in Literary 007 Posts: 623
I'm re-reading Goldfinger, and the first four chapters, where Bond exposes Goldfinger as a cheat, end with such a great feeling of closure (and a witty payoff), that it made me feel it'd have made a perfect short story. I mean, I'm glad it wasn't, but I wondered if anywhere in the Fleming bios it say that it was intended originally as such?

Comments

  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    We're talking Goldfinger right now over here, and the subject came up:
    https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/18154/mi6-community-novel-bondathon-begins-thursday-june-1st/p16

    @Revelator has a lot of info on the topic.
  • shamanimalshamanimal
    Posts: 623
    I haven't joined that thread because I tried to read the Fleming novels back-to-back a few years ago, and found the stories bleeding into each other in my mind. I was waiting for characters in previous novels to re-appear in the current book. To put it plainly, I found it confusing. I may join in on reading a few short stories though, I see FYEO is next, so I hope no-one minds if I jump in?
    Anyway, in that thread, Revelator said the Goldfinger novel was made up of two short stories. If you're reading this Revelator, do you remember any more info on that?
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    Jump in and out any time! The more the merrier.
  • shamanimalshamanimal
    Posts: 623
    Okay, I'll probably end up finishing Goldfinger first, it's got me hooked.

    Oh yea, one thing that struck me while I read it, I didn't think the book Bond's different from the film Bond, character-wise, as much as I used to. There's no secret why, the movie Bond, these days, is more like the book Bond. In character, at least.
  • RevelatorRevelator
    Posts: 2,918
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Anyway, in that thread, Revelator said the Goldfinger novel was made up of two short stories. If you're reading this Revelator, do you remember any more info on that?

    Alas, no. All I know is from Henry Chancellor's James Bond and His World, which states that Oddjob's death and the Floridiana section were originally conceived as a separate short stories. I'm guessing Fleming wrote the rest of the novel around them. Short stories seem to have been on Fleming's mind, since his next book after GF consisted entirely of them.

  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,122
    Revelator wrote: »
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Anyway, in that thread, Revelator said the Goldfinger novel was made up of two short stories. If you're reading this Revelator, do you remember any more info on that?

    Alas, no. All I know is from Henry Chancellor's James Bond and His World, which states that Oddjob's death and the Floridiana section were originally conceived as a separate short stories. I'm guessing Fleming wrote the rest of the novel around them. Short stories seem to have been on Fleming's mind, since his next book after GF consisted entirely of them.

    That is very much like Raymond Chandler.
  • RevelatorRevelator
    Posts: 2,918
    Ludovico wrote: »
    That is very much like Raymond Chandler.

    Incidentally Ludovico, have you read Chandler's full reviews of Diamonds Are Forever and Dr. No? I've reprinted them here, followed by another article wherein Chandler discusses Bond.

  • PussyNoMorePussyNoMore
    Posts: 520
    Revelator wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    That is very much like Raymond Chandler.

    Incidentally Ludovico, have you read Chandler's full reviews of Diamonds Are Forever and Dr. No? I've reprinted them here, followed by another article wherein Chandler discusses Bond.

    What a great expose by Revelator on Chandler talking Bond. They clearly had a huge mutual respect and Chandler knew perfectly what made Fleming great and how on the money he was.

    As an aside, it was hugely refreshing to hear Le Carre finally acknowledge the importance of Fleming in a recent interview with BBC Radio 4. He was promoting his new novel - it's excellent by the way - when he said loud and clear that his career would not have been possible without Fleming and that it was Ian's fantasies that created the appetite for the realistic spy novel. Finally!

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Revelator wrote: »
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Anyway, in that thread, Revelator said the Goldfinger novel was made up of two short stories. If you're reading this Revelator, do you remember any more info on that?

    Alas, no. All I know is from Henry Chancellor's James Bond and His World, which states that Oddjob's death and the Floridiana section were originally conceived as a separate short stories. I'm guessing Fleming wrote the rest of the novel around them. Short stories seem to have been on Fleming's mind, since his next book after GF consisted entirely of them.

    Interesting. Maibaum and Wilson later showed how FOR YOUR EYES ONLY and RISICO could blend in the same manner.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,122
    Revelator wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    That is very much like Raymond Chandler.

    Incidentally Ludovico, have you read Chandler's full reviews of Diamonds Are Forever and Dr. No? I've reprinted them here, followed by another article wherein Chandler discusses Bond.

    No I haven't and thanks I will read. Incidentally I finished The Little Sister recently.
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