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Kingsley Amis's Last Words on Ian Fleming
Happy New Year everyone!
Here's a little treat to kick off 2014. In 1981 a thick reference book was published, titled The Dictionary of National Biography, 1961-1970 and containing biographies of notable figures who had died during that decade. As one of the best-selling authors of century, Ian Fleming was naturally included, and the editors wisely decided to have Kingsley Amis write his biography. Dating from around 1980, this short article is, if I'm not mistaken, Amis's last written work devoted to Fleming, though he discussed James Bond on later occasions. After giving a few paragraphs of biographical info, Amis turns to the Bond books:
As we can see, Amis's enthusiasm did not wane over the years. The opposite actually--there is perhaps more advocacy in this short article than in The James Bond Dossier (we already knew Amis was fond of Moonraker, but now we're told the book contains the most gripping card game in literature). Amis's love for Dr. No was already evident in the Dossier, but his estimation of Casino Royale seems to have risen considerably--now he considers it one of the greatest post-war debuts in British literature and, surprisingly, echoes Raymond Chandler in suggesting Fleming never bettered his first book. Perhaps Amis thought so because Casino Royale contained all the core elements of the Bond series, which he lists in his usual pithy style. In any case, this encyclopedia entry serves to reinforce an already evident truth--that Kingsley Amis was Ian Fleming's most devoted critic.
Here's a little treat to kick off 2014. In 1981 a thick reference book was published, titled The Dictionary of National Biography, 1961-1970 and containing biographies of notable figures who had died during that decade. As one of the best-selling authors of century, Ian Fleming was naturally included, and the editors wisely decided to have Kingsley Amis write his biography. Dating from around 1980, this short article is, if I'm not mistaken, Amis's last written work devoted to Fleming, though he discussed James Bond on later occasions. After giving a few paragraphs of biographical info, Amis turns to the Bond books:
Kingsley Amis wrote:On the publication of Casino Royale it was apparent to many that a remarkable new writer had arrived on the scene, in the tradition of Buchan, Dornford Yates, and Sapper, although at that stage almost certainly more promising than any of these had been. Original in construction, the book contained many of the elements which were to become Fleming's hallmark: evident familiarity with secret-service activities (not least those of his country's enemies), portrayal of the kind of rich life to be found in exclusive clubs, smart restaurants, and fashionable resorts, obsessive interest in machines and gadgets and in gambling, an exotic setting, a formidable and physically repulsive villain, a strong sexual component, a glamorous and complaisant but affectionate heroine, and—of course—James Bond himself. Bond, at any rate on the surface, was a carefully constructed amalgam of what many men would like to be—and of what perhaps rather fewer women would like to meet: handsome, elegant, brave, tough, at ease in expensive surroundings, predatory and yet chivalrous in sexual dealings, with a touch of Byronic melancholy and remoteness thrown in.
Some would say that Fleming never surpassed, perhaps never quite equaled, his achievement in Casino Royale. Certainly there is a power and freshness about the book which, in an age less rigidly hierarchical in its attitudes to literature, would have caused it to be hailed as one of the most remarkable first novels to be published in England in the previous thirty years. Yet, as the series continued, the author extended and deepened his range, attaining a new pitch of ingenuity and technological inventiveness while discovering in himself a gift for descriptions of landscape and of wild life, in particular birds and sea-creatures, pushing out in the direction of a more audacious fantasy, as in Goldfinger (1959), and also towards a greater realism, as in The Spy Who Loved Me (1962). In You Only Live Twice (1964) he produced a striking synthesis of these two impulses, though in narrative and other respects the book was unsatisfactory; and the last volume, The Man with the Golden Gun, published in 1965 after his death and written when his health had already begun to fail, was sadly the weakest of the series: it never received his final revision. It was during convalescence from a heart attack that he began to write the children's stories Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang which were later to be filmed.
It is arguable that Dr. No is at least as absorbing and memorable as any of the other books, with its unrelaxed tension, its terrifying house of evil, and the savage beauty of its main setting on a Caribbean island, a locale which Fleming made part of himself and which always excited his pen to produce some of his best writing. But one cannot forget Moonraker (1955) for the vivid, rounded depiction of its villain, Hugo Drax, and what is probably the most gripping game of cards in the whole of literature, nor On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963) for its idyllic seaside opening and the vigour of its skiing scenes. Indeed, there is hardly a page in all the 3,000 and more of the saga that does not testify to Fleming's ability to realize a unique personal world with its own rules and its own unmistakable atmosphere. His style is plain and flexible, serving equally well for fast action, lucid technical exposition, and sensuous evocation of place and climate; if it falls here and there into cliché or the language of the novelette, it never descends to pretentiousness. The strength of his work lies in its command of pace and its profound latent romanticism.
Fleming travelled widely from an early age and his interest in foreign places is reflected in his journalism, of which two volumes are collected, as well as in his fiction. His pursuits included motoring, golf, bridge, and underwater swimming, but his reading and his cultural interests generally were wider and deeper than might be thought common in writers of his stamp. He acquired an unusual collection of first editions of books which marked 'milestones of human progress'. His friendships were many and enduring. He was humble about his work and, though totally professional in his approach to his task, did not take himself seriously as a literary figure, perhaps to the detriment of his standing in critical circles.
He died in Canterbury 12 August 1964 less than a month after the death of his mother. A portrait of him by Amherst Villiers was reproduced in the limited, signed edition of On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
As we can see, Amis's enthusiasm did not wane over the years. The opposite actually--there is perhaps more advocacy in this short article than in The James Bond Dossier (we already knew Amis was fond of Moonraker, but now we're told the book contains the most gripping card game in literature). Amis's love for Dr. No was already evident in the Dossier, but his estimation of Casino Royale seems to have risen considerably--now he considers it one of the greatest post-war debuts in British literature and, surprisingly, echoes Raymond Chandler in suggesting Fleming never bettered his first book. Perhaps Amis thought so because Casino Royale contained all the core elements of the Bond series, which he lists in his usual pithy style. In any case, this encyclopedia entry serves to reinforce an already evident truth--that Kingsley Amis was Ian Fleming's most devoted critic.
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Comments
Another brief point--I'm surprised Amis didn't mention Thunderball. To my mind, this is Fleming's most underrated novel, and quite possibly the best in terms of pure excitement. It's not quite as deep as some of Fleming's other pieces, but it is the very definition of a thriller.
Interestingly Fleming didn't much go for the gorgeous but evil femme fatales. They are more of a cinema construct, first fully manifested with Fiona in TB.
Bond's Noel Coward line about Bunt and the she-devil chorus in the final showdown at the Castle of Death, is worthy of any of Maibaum or Mankiewicz's zingers from the films - better in fact. Fleming's wit predates the screenwriters.
A point completely lost on those who regard humor in Bond as a cinematic innovation.
It's definitely true that femme fatales are a property of the movies (starting with Ms Taro's revamped character in the film of Dr. No), rather than the books. Fleming was completely uninterested in femme fatales--in his universe no beautiful woman can be evil or wicked, only old, ugly ones. Though that might be a simplistic outlook, I prefer it to the formula of the movies, where Bond dallies with the doomed, hyper-sexual femme fatale before switching to the less interesting, less sexual good girl. Look at how the film of Thunderball presents Domino as a rather bland character and Fiona as a very exciting, fiery one--whereas in the book Domino had Fiona's fire and verve, along with her heightened sexuality (at one point Bond takes offense when a policeman describes Domino as a tart). Fleming's Bond does not judge women based on their promiscuity. The Bond films by contrast often make such women evil.
I also agree that Bond's humor was not invented by the screenwriters. The idea of Bond being humorless only applies to the first few books. By the time we reach Goldfinger, the novels make good use of witticisms and wisecracks, though never as much as the films, since the books did not require that much humor. In prose, the author must take pains to make the reader seriously believe in the world he has described, especially if that world has fantastic elements. In a film the director merely has to show that world onscreen, and the humor is a way of lightening the force of the images--without humor, audiences might have regarded the early Bond films as too harsh and violent.
**Incidentally, if you'd like to help out Fleming, go to YOLT's page on Goodreads and click "like" on the well-written reviews. The reviews with the most likes go to the top of the page, and at the moment the top reviews of YOLT are either mixed, negative, or written by idiots. It would be terrible for potential readers to be put off by them.
People took the time and effort to write a review, to be called names because you do not like their effort is something that I generally do only see on imdb.com. With GR & Amazon you only meet people that have taken the effort to read Fleming instead of just watching the movie. And as always there are great reviews and lesser reviews, but by people that actually read which is a big bonus imho.
Nope. Two of the most-liked reviews of YOLT on Goodreads are actually reviews of the film, with very little mention of the book (aside from stray comments about it being racist and having little to do with the film). And anyone who has spent time on amazon or goodreads knows that there are hundreds if not thousands of badly-written and badly-thought-out reviews in such places. Writing a low-quality review takes very little time and very little effort, and those who fill the world up with such junk fully deserve to be called out and have their work criticized. The situation is especially bad with Fleming, who has bad luck with both professional and amateur critics. There are plenty of idiots out there, and they don't need coddling. In any case, I'm not asking anyone else to call other people names. I'm asking them to click "like" on the reviews they think worthy of being up-voted.
As usual you are full of the stuff that makes plants and gras grow.
Both Amazon & GR reviews are reviews by the general public meant for the general public, they are by no means meant to be professional work. They represent the peoples opinions.
You seem to have problems with anybody elses views if they disagree with yours, or it must be Bently he seems to mirror yours.
I generally prefer amateur opinions over those over so-called experts as the amateurs generally as mad as they are do have valid points.
One of the better reviews is actually by a lady who has both read all Flemings novels and compared them with the movies, while I might not agree with her opinions always she actually read the novels and watched the movies. And has an opinion as any paying customer. Hers do make me smile, disagree and amuse me, and in some cases she does not miss the mark at all. Sometimes stuff get said about your favorites that does not mean they are wrong always.
Yes, I am full of sunshine.
And opinions are like a**holes--everyone's got one and they're not often pretty. In any case, you seem to have missed my original point, which was for people to click "like" on the well-written reviews that they thought worthwhile. There are in fact members of the general public who write Amazon/GR reviews that are worthy of professionals, and those reviews are the ones that need our support.
I have problems with people whose views are badly informed, lacking in insight, lazy, cliche-filled, and stupid. And I have no problem saying so.
You might want to watch your hypocrisy, because unless your comment really was referring to sunshine, you have obvious problems with people whose views disagree with yours. I wonder how you became a Saint in the first place...
18th May 2008 - Amis, Amis & Bond
Martin Amis explores his father's obsessive interest in James Bond and the writing of Ian Fleming, with fellow Bond enthusiast Charlie Higson. Forty years ago, Kingsley Amis (pictured opposite) undertook an unusual project, analysing in detail all of Ian Fleming's James Bond books and compiling a guide to being James Bond for prospective spies, based entirely on Fleming's writing.
Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (UK) at 13:30.
24th May 2008 - The Bond Correspondence
Ian Fleming's niece, Lucy Fleming, sets out to discover more about both her uncle and the creation of his most famous character, James Bond.
Her uncle has, until now, been someone Lucy vaguely remembers from her teens. But, after she delves into dusty old boxes of letters to see the wealth of correspondence from readers and his responses, she discovers a lesser known side of Ian.
She goes inside the old Naval Intelligence Unit where her uncle worked in the Second World War, visits his wartime girlfriend Joan Bright Astley, and stepdaughter Fionn Morgan, and, in doing so, brings to life ghosts from the past.
Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (UK) at 10:30.
26th May 2008 - James Bond, The Last Englishman
Professor David Cannadine argues that the Bond novels are a fantastic response to the moment when Britain lost an Empire but was still struggling to find a role in the new world. In James Bond, The Last Englishman, Professor Cannadine claims that Fleming's Bond novels have played a key role in shaping England's national self-image. For Cannadine, Bond is the consolatory fantasy of Fleming, the nostalgic conservative appalled by Britain's collapse as a great power.
Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (UK) at 20:00.
Hmmm - youtube?
@Revelator, your enthusiasm for YOLT has me considering reading it again. It's one of three Flemings that I've only read once (DAF & TSWLM being the other two).
I was young when I read it but my abiding memory was one of boredom.
Although I'm a huge Fleming fan I seem to be one of the few fanatics that think his work was very uneven.
IMHO I think OHMSS, FRWL, MR & CR stand head and shoulders above the rest. GF, DN & TB are fine works and the rest are best forgotten.
Fleming could indeed be erratic, and there's justification to the complaint that too much of YOLT consists of travelogue (though a Fleming travelogue is nothing to complain about in my opinion). The rest of the book is weird and fantastical in a way none of the other Bond books are, and shows Fleming breaking down his character and rebuilding him.
I would rank TB somewhat higher than you do--if you read the book after seeing the film it might seem disappointing, but it's rich in characterization and well-plotted by Fleming's (admittedly sloppy) standards.
@Villiers53 - I'm shocked you've only read DAF once. It rewards repeat readings.
You're very welcome. I don't think DAF will ever be ranked in the top tier of books, and it's a disappointing first read, since the plotting is weak and the villains--who had so much potential--remain undeveloped. On the other hand, the book is strong in atmosphere, its detailed feel for America, and for having one Fleming's best heroines. Tiffany Case is a far more dimensional character than the previous three Bond girls.
Case is one of the best; the novel is very quotable and the Saratoga scenes are fantastically drawn. The research he did into the diamond trade come through - a good companion read if you want to learn about 'chatoyance' is The Diamond Smugglers.
Henry Chancellor had this to say about the novel:
As if in response to disgruntled readers craving the exotic, the plot of Diamonds Are Forever delivers something of a geography lesson. It begins beside a scrubby road in French Guinea, at one end of a diamond smuggling pipeline, then proceeds at breakneck pace to Hatton Garden in London, New York, Saratoga, Las Vegas, Spectreville and Los Angeles.
The villains are Jack and Serrifimo Spang and their unpleasant sidekicks, Wint and Kidd. Diamonds, like gold, fascinated Fleming, and through some old school connections he found an entree into the closed world of diamond trading.