lundi 3 février 2014

Britain's Famous Cold War Author

By Serena Price


After the end of World War II, in 1945, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were frost and tense. Up until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, these years are collectively referred to as the cold war. Ian Fleming, author of the 007 series of spy novels, was probably the most famous cold war author.

Fleming's family came from Scotland. They moved from Perth to Dundee, where Ian's grandfather, Robert Fleming, made his fortune in the financial sector. When the Flemings migrated from Dundee to London in the south, Robert Fleming started an investment bank of his own.

Valentine, Ian's father, was killed in action during the Great War, World War I, in which he served as one of the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars. His obituary was composed by Valentine's friend and fellow officer, the future Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill. He left a wife, Evelyn Rose, and four children, aged 4, 6, 9 and 10. Prior to serving in the armed forces, Valentine worked as a barrister and as a Member of Parliament.

Ian Fleming was the second of four children born to Valentine and Eve Fleming. He was born in a house in London's prestigious Mayfair in 1908, on the 28th of May. He attended Eton College and pursued further studies in western Europe. His elder brother, Peter, was born the year before him in 1907. Peter married actress Celia Johnson, who appeared in "Brief Encounter, " a film by David Lean. Richard Fleming lived from 1911 to 1977, when he perished of a cardiac ailment. The youngest Fleming boy, Michael, was born in 1913. He married and fathered four children before being killed at Normandy in the year 1940.

Ian Fleming had an early career in journalism at the Reuters news agency. During this time, he was in Oxford and was fined three guineas, or GBP 3.15 for a traffic offense. . His lawyer had to explain that he was unable to appear in court because he was attending the World Economic Conference. His years at Reuters were the most thrilling period of his life.

During his one month's unsalaried trial at Reuters, Fleming was tasked with updating 500 obituaries. This impressed his then-boss, Editor-in-Chief Bernard Rickatson-Hatt, who described him as meticulous, methodical and painstaking. It was here at Reuters that he learned how to be fast and accurate. At Reuters, if you weren't accurate, you weren't employed.

Fleming later served under the Director of Naval Intelligence in London. It was the experience gained in this role that provided the material for so many of 007's adventures. Fleming borrowed the name, James Bond, from the man who wrote his favorite book on the subject of West Indian birds. Fleming lived in Jamaica for a period of almost 20 years, from 1946 to 1964.

Cold war author, Ian Fleming, most famous for his spy novels, also wrote a children's short story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This story was eventually made into a Disney movie. The story was written for his son, Caspar. Fleming suffered a heart attack in Jamaica on the day of his son's 12th birthday, August 12, 1964. The boy never recovered from losing his father at such a tender age and took his own life in 1975.




About the Author:



Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire