To mark the 60th anniversary of the publication of Ian Fleming’s Diamonds Are Forever (and 45th birthday of the film version) a panel discussion will be held on the novel/film for the SAMLA conference held in Jacksonville, Florida from Nov 4-6 2016.

Following the all-English setting of Moonraker (the third Bond novel), Fleming sought to attract readers by setting Diamonds in far-flung locations, including the United States (New York and Las Vegas), and Africa (the borders of French Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia). This panel welcomes paper proposals on any aspect of Diamonds Are Forever, the novel and/or film adaptation, including topics such as:

• Fleming’s portrayal of American society, including crime (the Spangled Mob) and leisure (horseracing, gambling)—American utopia, dystopia, or realist portrayal?

• Fleming’s attitudes to gender and sexuality (for example Tiffany Case as entrepreneur, the queer hitmen Wint and Kidd)

• Fleming’s use of setting and environment (including the famous African opening, describing a scorpion, the scenes in Saratoga, and in the Nevada desert)

• The significance of the film as Sean Connery’s last appearance in an “official” Bond movie and/or Guy Hamilton’s follow-up to Goldfinger (1964)

• Fleming’s use of gambling and sports events as a setting (the races at Saratoga, the Vegas casinos)

• The portrayal of diamond smuggling as an international criminal trade

• The addition of Ernst Stavro Blofeld as villain in the film adaptation

By June 6th please send a 250-300 word abstract, brief bio, and A/V requirements to Oliver Buckton, Florida Atlantic University (obuckton@fau.edu)