|
"... John Pearson was in
London on August 12, 1964 when he first heard the news. Ian Fleming had
died at the Kent & Canterbury Hospital following a massive heart attack
suffered the evening before. Leonard Russell, the literary and features
editor at The Sunday Times approached Pearson in the months
following Fleming’s death, and suggested that he should perhaps consider
writing a biography of his friend and old boss. Should he choose to accept
the assignment, Pearson learned that his wouldn’t be the first
full-fledged biography of Fleming to see publication. Henry A. Zeiger’s
Ian Fleming: The Spy Who Came in with the Gold (Duell, Sloan, Pearce,
1965) had already been published in the United States. It was true that
the first edition of the Zeiger book was a bit thin, totalling less than
one-hundred and fifty pages, but it was nonetheless a fairly readable and
an essentially fact-based account that dutifully touched (albeit briefly)
on the many milestones of Fleming’s life and career. The primary
disadvantage of Zeiger’s study was that he was writing his biography from
outside the guarded circle and most of the material for his book was
collected from old press clippings and literary reviews. As a collection
of data on the Ian Fleming/James Bond phenomenon of the early 1960’s
Zeiger’s study was reasonably satisfying. But for those readers who picked
up the book to learn more about the man behind James Bond… Alas, Zeiger
wasn’t really able to part the curtains and reveal the man behind the
mystery. This was not to be the case should Pearson choose to accept the
assignment. Leonard Russell had been an old friend and colleague of
Fleming’s and was, in fact, the man primarily responsible for engaging him
for the writing of his Thrilling Cities vignettes. Pearson chose to
accept the offer – his biography of Fleming is, in fact, dedicated to
Russell whom the author opines, “has guided, edited, inspired and shaped
this book, and but for whom…” Russell was, in fact, instrumental in
opening many doors that might have otherwise remained closed to a
biographer outside the guarded inner-circle. Russell was particularly
instrumental in getting Fleming’s wary widow, Ann, to agree to allow
Pearson to sort through her late husband’s papers and correspondence..."
LOGIN or
SUBSCRIBE NOW to read the
definitive 8-page interview with Ian Fleming's friend, colleague,
biographer and James Bond continuation author. |
