Ian Fleming centenary

Ian Fleming, born in May 1908 is one of the few thriller writers to have left a lasting inflence on British popular culture. His suave super-spy. James Bond, retains a lasting popularity more that forty years after his creator's death.
  Fleming's centenary is marked by an exhibition in the Imperial War Museum in London.  The cedar desk Fleming used at Goldeneye – his home in Jamaica - to write his books is part of the exhibition. Ian Fleming iwrote Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia with Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, For your Eyes Only, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,  You Only Live Twice, The Man With The Golden Gun, Octopussy and The Living Daylights.  
He is also the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – the children’s story about the vintage flying car.
   Fleming's birthday marked the official publication of Devil May Care, the next Bond novel, written by Sebastian Faulks. Faulks, author of the wonderful Great War novel, Birdsong, was authorised by Fleming's estate to write a new Bond book. On the official centenary website, he wrote: "In his house in Jamaica, Ian Fleming used to write a thousand words in the morning, then go snorkelling, have a cocktail, lunch on the terrace, more diving, another thousand words in late afternoon, then more martinis and glamorous women. In my house in London, I followed this routine exactly, apart from the cocktails, the lunch and the snorkelling."
  Given the success of Charlie Higson's Young Bond novels, it's quite likely that Faulks' book will do well.
Since the publication of Casino Royale in 1953, over 100 million Bond novels have been sold. This year, to mark Fleming’s centenary, Penguin is publishing new hardback editions of the 14 books.  
  During the Second World War, Fleming 13 In 1939 he was recruited as personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence. In Room 39 of the Admiralty  he gained a fair deal of his inspiration for the characters and incidents in the Bond novels. He remained in this post throughout the war where he reached the rank of Commander.  His fictional spy was officially 'Commander James Bond'.
   Fleming lived long enough to see the first two Bond films after he sold the film rights in 1961 to all his Bond novels to Harry Saltzman, who co-produced the first Bond film Dr No with Cubby Broccoli. He initially suggested Noël Coward for the role of Dr No.  He met Sean Connery for lunch, but initially wondered whether “this overgrown stuntman”, was suited to the role. His first choice was Roger Moore. He was assured by women that Connery had the right stuff.  As much of Dr No was filmed near his home in Jamaica, he visited the set just as Ursula Andress emerged from the lagoon.  He was yelled at by the filmmakers and had to dive out of camera shot.
  Most people today only know Bond through the films.  Fans are divided over who makes the best film Bond.  My money is on Sean Connery, although I do like the latest incarnation of the character; Daniel Craig. In my view, Roger Moore's version – especially the woeful version of Moonraker – was the low point of the Bond series.
  It's interesting to see how the films have developed after the end of the Cold War in ways probably unimagined by Ian Fleming. Bond started off fighting villains like Dr No and his nemesis, Ernst Blofeld.  He regularly ran up against SPECTRE and SMERSH.  I always liked Blofeld as anyone who keeps a white Persian cat can't be all bad.  Donald Sinden played him with suitable understated menace.  Lately, he's been up against international media tycoons, renegade former colleagues and the North Koreans.  
 A century after his creator's birth, James Bond is still a literary and film crowd-pleaser.  I'm sure that Fleming would have approved.