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Ian Fleming

The Complete Man

Nicholas Shakespeare

$27.99

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English
Vintage
17 October 2024
A fascinating new biography of the man behind James Bond, by an award-winning biographer and novelist who has unprecedented access to the Fleming Archive.

A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond, and his enduring impact, by an award-winning biographer with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers.
*WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION
*

Ian Fleming's greatest creation, James Bond, has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture, but Fleming's life was more mysterious than anything he wrote.

Ian's childhood with his gifted brother and extraordinary mother established his ambition to be 'the complete man'. Only a writer for his last twelve years, his dramatic personal experiences and career in Naval Intelligence put him at the heart of critical moments in world history, while also providing rich inspiration for his fiction.

Nicholas Shakespeare is one of the most gifted biographers working today. His talent for uncovering new material that casts fresh light on his subjects is fully evident in this masterful, definitive biography.

'Elegant and painstakingly researched' Observer

'Marvellous...one of the most engaging portraits of a particular period of British history that I have read in a long time' Antonia Fraser

'A book so buoyant and delicious that you feel it will be a friend for life' Telegraph
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE SALTIRE SOCIETY LITERARY AWARD
*
*A The Times, Financial Times, Economist, Spectator and BBC History Magazine Book of the Year
*
By:  
Imprint:   Vintage
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 37mm
Weight:   613g
ISBN:   9781529920604
ISBN 10:   1529920604
Pages:   886
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Nicholas Shakespeare was born in 1957. The son of a diplomat, much of his youth was spent in the Far East and South America. His books have been translated into twenty-two languages. They include The Vision of Elena Silves (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award), Snowleg, The Dancer Upstairs, Inheritance, Priscilla and Six Minutes in May. He has been longlisted for the Booker Prize twice, was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews for Ian Fleming: The Complete Man

Written with Fleming-esque brio and insouciance, with a feeling for the tragic aspects of his life as well as the ironic comedy of it..elegant...the research here is impeccable. * Telegraph * This excellent biography is as worldly and clever as one could wish. -- Philip Hensher * Spectator * Magisterial.... Shakespeare knows Fleming’s world intimately and the intricate portrait of this complex individual is unsurpassable. -- William Boyd * Daily Express, Books of the Year * Elegant and painstakingly researched * Observer * This is a marvellous book about Ian Fleming, but it's also one of the most engaging portraits of a particular period of British history that I have read in a long time -- Antonia Fraser A must-read * Evening Standard * The Complete Man is packed with women, their characters and stories carefully filled in...highly accomplished and readable * New Statesman * A revealing insight into postwar, post-Empire Britain...A terrific read -- Michael Wood * BBC History Magazine * Fascinating, well researched, neatly written -- D.J. Taylor * Literary Review * Shakespeare has the rare ability to reinvigorate subjects that had seemed exhausted. If, like me, you thought you knew all there was to be known about Ian Fleming, prepare for a surprise...written with such brio that the pace never slackens -- Adam Sisman


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