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Ian Fleming: The Complete Man

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Description

A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond, and his enduring impact, by an award-winning biographer with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers.Ian Fleming's greatest creation, James Bond, has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture. What Bond represents about ideas of masculinity, the British national psyche and global politics has shifted over time, as has the interpretation of the life of his author. But Fleming himself was more mysterious and subtle than anything he wrote.Ian's childhood with his gifted brother Peter and his extraordinary mother set the pattern for his ambition to be “the complete man,” and he would strive for the means to achieve this “completeness'”all his life. Only a thriller writer for his last twelve years, his dramatic personal life and impressive career in Naval Intelligence put him at the heart of critical moments in world history, while also providing rich inspiration for his fiction. Exceptionally well connected, and widely travelled, from the United States and Soviet Russia to his beloved Jamaica, Ian had access to the most powerful political figures at a time of profound change.Nicholas Shakespeare is one of the most gifted biographers working today. His talent for uncovering material that casts new light on his subjects is fully evident in this masterful, definitive biography. His unprecedented access to the Fleming archive and his nose for a story make this a fresh and eye-opening picture of the man and his famous creation. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper (April 9, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 864 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063012243


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 40


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.8 x 9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #26,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #89 in Author Biographies #119 in Rich & Famous Biographies #296 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies


#89 in Author Biographies:


#119 in Rich & Famous Biographies:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Do you really, truly love James Bond?
I don't know about you, but I always assumed that the James Bond books (and, subsequently, the movies) were merely the product of a fevered imagination. After all, they seemed colorfully detached from the grim, gritty realities of Pearl Harbor, the Dieppe Raid, Dien Bien Phu, the Chosin Reservoir, the Berlin Wall, the Son Tay Raid, the Tet Offensive, the '72 Olympic massacre, Nine-Eleven, October 7...all horrific intelligence failures with catastrophic consequences. The intelligence 'community' (the CIA, MI5/6, the NKVD, the French DGSE, the German Nachrichtendiesnt, et alia) seemed about as incompetent in the real world as the Russian Navy was in the Russo-Japanese war. It's not for nothing that the CIA is so often portrayed as a bunch of blundering, interfering fools. So who would have thought a stiff-upper-lip intelligence operative (Bond, James Bond) could become a believable superhero? His creator, Ian Fleming, didn't just make it all up; Fleming was an intelligence officer himself, and not just some low-level desk jockey who never got his hands dirty. True, he wasn't a field agent, but as a first-tier officer in British Naval Intelligence, he thought up--and oversaw the launch of--some dangerous, exciting and successful 'ops' during WW2. Which is not to say that James Bond's adventures were authentic...or even realistic...but they were inspired by some real-world cloak-and-dagger adventures conceived and executed by Fleming and his merry men. Theoretically, Fleming could simply have told the tales of his outfit's actual exploits during the war, but he was prevented from telling the world about what really happened by some non-disclosure agreements that would make even Stormy Daniels blanch. So he had to fictionalize the adventures he authored. His training as a journalist (he was a successful correspondent for Reuters at one point in his career) served him well, and his stories are extremely well written. So much so that, with little effort, they make excellent Silver Screen escapades. His latest biographer (he's had several), with the improbable name of Nicolas Shakespeare, has written a hefty (600-ish pages) book, "Ian Fleming: The Complete Man," which captures the writer, his career and the Zeitgeist in vivid detail. His research is profound (the bibliography, sources and notes run to almost 200 pages), but it is the writing--clear, concise and literate--that make the book a wonderful read. Well worth your time, interest and expense. Highly recommended. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024 by Stephen Smith
    • Spymaster
The story of the creator of James Bond. It suggests the author based a lot of Bond on his own life, but kept hidden his role in the secret service during World War II. The book is written in British English, and there are moments when the American reader is puzzled. Plus the main characters are all members of the upper class before the collapse of the British Empire and are hard to relate to. The writing is episodic and jumps around a lot. This makes it hard to follow. It's a long read, but ultimately worthwhile. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024 by Gerald W. Sodomka
    • Great story
great book
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024 by janice berger
    • Fascinating life story
Enjoyed the writing style. Enjoyed the apparent details of Ian's life. Always wondered where James Bond came from. Truly fascinated by the types of people in Fleming's life. Were they all as crazy as described or reasonably normal people taken out of context. Either way I feel sorry for Caspar. End result, I enjoyed the book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024 by Kindle Customer
    • Well-written but dated
This very detailed biography of Ian Fleming has been extensively researched and is very well-written. But the subject is dated and recounts an era long over. There are no particular lessons to be learned, nor is it a useful look in the history of England in the 40s and 50s, focusing so exclusively on the details of Fleming's life. For me, the dated quality of the book is exemplified by the numerous supposedly clever remarks by Noel Coward. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024 by R. Louis
    • Too long, most boring !
The subtitle of the book reads: "A Complete Man". Ridiculous. No such thing as "a complete man".. Second, the categorical majority of this book could have been shortened by at least two thirds. Third, the horrible style of English writing makes it almost impossible to read. Fourth and last point:boring, very very boring, extremely boring. Mr Shakespeare! Skip it! Avoid it! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024 by Paul Y. Gelman
    • Long, But Worth the Read
Nicholas Shakespeare’s “Ian Fleming: The Complete Man” is a chore to read, but one you’ll enjoy, especially if you’re a Bondophile. Unlike most biographies that offer significant dates, times, and settings, this one digs deep (and I mean DEEP) into Fleming’s psyche. Through this detailed history, you have a front row seat to the settings, situations, and characters that became Fleming’s James Bond stories. Who knew these works were not 100% fictional! Not a light read but a definite must-read if you love Bond… James Bond. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2024 by Madam Stealth
    • Long..Too long
The history of the Fleming family is interesting, from the Dundee slums to SOCIETY. Needed an editor…waay too much detail about his role in WW 2 . Oddly, I didn’t get a sense of the man at all.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2024 by bibliobabe

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