Spybrary Spy Podcast Ian Fleming The Complete Man with Biographer Nicholas Shakespeare
Feb 29, 2024
Explore the enigmatic life of Ian Fleming with his latest biographer Nicholas Shakespeare. Dive into Fleming's naval intelligence work, family legacy, and unpublished works. Discover insights on spy fiction, potential Bond novels, and the impact of the pandemic on research methods.
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Personal Coincidences That Sparked The Project
- Shakespeare discovered multiple personal coincidences linking his family to Fleming, which helped persuade him to write the biography.
- These serendipities included shared acquaintances and archival materials from John Pearson.
Research Smart, Not Exhaustively
- Use expert archivists and specialist researchers rather than trying to comb every national archive yourself.
- Prioritise living witnesses and focused collections to get unique, usable material quickly.
Wealth Divided, Ambition Ignited
- The Fleming family splits into banking and literary branches, which shaped Ian's money pressures and ambitions.
- Ian's relative lack of inherited wealth likely motivated his journalism and commercial drive for success.