Ian Fleming

Legacy: the Artists Behind the Legends

Born into a life of privilege just prior to World War I, Ian Lancaster Fleming is most famous for bringing to life the character of British spy, James Bond, over the course of twelve espionage novels. He had a troubled start through his adolescence and collegiate years, yet after serving Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War as the right hand man of the Director himself, Fleming proved to be an invaluable asset to British Intelligence. His experience in the military proved to be the inspiration for Bond, and during his lifetime alone, Fleming sold thirty million books from the Bond series, and that number doubled in the two years following his death. By the end of his womanizing, adventurous, booze and cigarette stained years, Fleming did not just sell books. He was the friend of presidents, prime ministers, as well as celebrities and writers alike. In 1961, he met President John F. Kennedy at the White House, who was a huge fan of the Bond series, and the two proceeded to have a lovely and lengthy chat wherein the president picked Fleming’s brain for ways to assassinate a foreign leader (side note: this is during the time when the CIA was secretly planning the assassination of Fidel Castro in Cuba). Feminists, try not to get your panties in a bunch as we dive into the life and exploits of Ian Fleming…