Ian Fleming: The Complete Man

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.

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.

very well written biography of Ian Fleming

For all you Ian Fleming junkies out there, this book is a must. But I would not recommend this as your first Ian Fleming biography. For that I would recommend Pearson's The life of Ian Fleming. Pearson's book will provide a highly readable biography that provides the broad outline of his life, written by someone who knew Fleming and his circle first hand, and who's writing style reads remarkably like a James Bond novel. The Complete Man is also a thorough stand-alone biography, but really focuses on understanding the man himself...his mindset, influences, desires, and needs. Through new material, and loads of interviews and letters of those close to Fleming, it provides a rich explanation of what made Fleming in some regards more fascinating than Bond himself. There is quite a bit of time hopping in these chapters, which is another reason to read another more linear biography first.

There's a lot to like here, facts that have not previously come to light or been explored, wonderful quotes from diaries and letters not yet seen, and, finally, a good look at Ian's childhood--a subject most Fleming bios seem to gloss over.Shakespeare is a good storyteller in most respects. However, there is much bad writing, technically, here. Inept use of commas and of pronouns make it hard to read. Almost every chapter contains at least one sentence that reads something like this, "He told him he would not succeed." Who is going to not succeed? The one being spoken to, or the speaker?His horrid switching from past to present tense, from one paragraph to the next, and sometimes even in a sentence, is cringe-worthy. Again, an editor could have, and should have, put an end to this.There is no reason to refer to the women Ian took to bed as "girls." I don't mean in quotations; I mean, in a 2024 (American edition) book, Shakespeare calls women "girls." Ick.There's way more about WWII than I enjoy reading, but that's par for the Ian Fleming course.Even though this work bothers me, from a reader's standpoint, it contains valuable information. I wanted to throw it across the room many times while reading, but I know I will refer to it frequently.Wonderful index. Needs to be on the shelf of every Ian Fleming scholar.

I really wish the quality of the book’s construction was as good as the written material. Book cover is not so great and the paper used for books pages is very cheap. Bonus photos inside and really deep and exciting story on Fleming’s life.

The book is VERY well researched and provides excellent background as well as life history of the creator of James Bond. But beware, he had a complex and somewhat sad life dying of substance abuse - cigarettes and alcohol. And like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, at the end, felt that he couldn't escape Bond.The family history is fascinating and is his path towards the intelligence service during WWII clearly demonstrates that he had found his true home.

Typically I can zip thru a $40 history book or biography from the library very quickly. I am so glad this was a purchase as it took a long time to read! If you are a fan a WW2 History get this book. Also of causer if you really love the films! Cheers!

Je lis toujours les commentaires défavorables en premier, et une fois de plus je me rends compte que les quelques pauvres esprits chagrins qui se sentent obligés de dénigrer ce qui les dépasse ne font qu'exhiber leurs limites. Ce livre magnifiquement documenté, bâti et écrit est sans doute l'ouvrage définitif sur le père de James Bond et sur tout ce qui a contribué faire naître un personnage dans lequel le monde entier a pu se reconnaître aux 20e et 21e siècles. Outre ses capacités d'analyse, sa fibre historique évidente, Nicholas Shakespeare est un remarquable styliste. Son récit, qui couvre bien plus que la période 007, examine l'ascendance de son auteur, son enfance, sa fratrie, les détails de son existence, ses travers et ses extraordinaires qualités humaines - le plus souvent mises de côté par ses biographes précédents au profit du portrait d'un viveur cynique et viriliste - possède la souplesse et suavité d'un excellent travail romanesque. Les multiples protagonistes vivent sous nos yeux, chacun dans son époque, dans ses mœurs et dans ses manières. C'est un authentique travail d'écrivain. A la hauteur de ce phénomène invraisemblablement britannique que fut Fleming. Un pur délice.

Well put together book

This was a birthday present and he found the book very intriguing and interesting.

I've waited a long while to get a copy, ever since the first ediiton was removed from circulation, and the new version was in production most of this year. I don't know exactly what the difference is but it is a very satisfying read so far. The author has done an incredible depth of research. I feel sure this is the definitive and most important bio yet of Ian Fleming. You won't be disappointed if you're a fan of his novels.

Firstly as an old man, i found the font size too small and consequently the paper glaring.It’s an exhaustive biog.The first one hundred pages i found not boring but tedious.It came alive after that.The Bond stories are fun,fanciful comic book stuff.To be enjoyed and then forgotten.[ the movies].But both the Flemings post war led such narcissistic sad lives,cloaked by money and personal angst that there was little to like in either of them.A dysfunctional family who had they lived on a sink estate would have been a concern to social services.