In A Spy Is Born, Jeremy Duns follows the trail of a largely forgotten writer through memoirs, newspaper archives, declassified M.I.5 files and dog-eared paperbacks to reveal the surprising literary roots of James Bond. His name? Dennis Wheatley. We asked Jeremy to share more of his intelligence. 001. You wrote about the links between Fleming…
“Have no fear,” Fleming advises reporter Antony Terry in 1955, “you are by far the best correspondent in Germany and all you have to do is to write what you think and not be afraid of it” (Lenart, Judith, comp. Yours Ever Ian Fleming: Letters to and from Antony Terry. Nelson, New Zealand: Printhouse Nelson…
We are delighted to welcome notable journalist and author Sean Egan in from the cold, to discuss his latest book, which takes a look into the enthralling story of how the espionage fantasies of a rather melancholy journalist came to captivate the world. It exposes the setbacks behind the triumphs, from Fleming’s increasing boredom with his…
***THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED*** In conjunction with our interview with Jeremy Duns, we are giving you the chance to win 4 prizes signed by the author! Just simply submit your answer to a simple question in the form below. A signed copy of Duns on Bond Duns On Bond is an omnibus edition of…
To many literary Bond aficionados, Mr. Duns’ research into the world of James Bond and Ian Fleming provides indispensable intelligence to Bondologists. Here we catch up with him on the eve of his new spy thriller – Spy Out the Land out on January 14, 2016. Has Ian Fleming influenced your own thriller writing, notably your…
This week, we are especially happy to welcome Dr. Wesley Britton, whose multi-talents include a successful teaching and writing career. However, it’s his writing and research on Bondology that’s the reason he’s here and in the following interview, Wesley unravels some of the mysteries behind the original Per Fine Ounce, O.F Snelling and his thoughts…
Words by Edward Biddulph There are two books that represent the holy grails for fans of Ian Fleming. One is Ian Fleming’s account of Kuwait and its oil industry, State of Excitement, which was suppressed by the Kuwait government. The other is what might have been the first continuation Bond novel, Per Fine Ounce, by…
There are literally hundreds of books about Ian Fleming and James Bond, so here at Artistic Licence Renewed, we have made life easier for you and winnowed it down to the pick of the litter. Earlier in the year we published a Top 10 Books on Ian Fleming and James Bond part 1, so it…
With a flurry of James Bond continuation novels in recent years, literary Bond seems to have picked up some steam in the slipstream of the rejuvenated film franchise. This is good news of course and the quality of the continuation novels is getting better. William Boyd‘s Bond outing – Solo – was a solid thriller…
The Fourth of June is the first novel by David Benedictus. This title was reviewed upon publication by Ian Fleming, who was an Old Etonian with David. In Fleming’s Sunday Times review he described it as ‘One of the most brilliantly written books since the war.‘ Fleming’s review of the book was complimentary of the writer but admittedly seemed out of…
1. What is your favorite Chopping cover and why? Hi, and thanks for having me. I think it has to be Goldfinger, with the skull holding the rose between its teeth and gold coins in its eye sockets. I’m not sure it entirely fits the mood of that novel, which apart from Bond’s feelings in…
Artistic Licence Renewed 