The Man From Barbarossa - an experiment too far for Bond?
Silhouette Man
The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,835MI6 Agent
I would like to hear AJB members’ opinions on The Man From Barbarossa – John Gardner’s most experimental, realistic and densely plotted novel – it is also (in the UK at least, the US Putnam version being heavily edited and vastly shorter) his longest novel. In many ways The Man From Barbarossa is John Gardner’s The Spy Who Loved Me or Doubleshot – the one novel where he was allowed a free reign by Glidrose to write James Bond in his own image, free of the shackles of formula writing to enjoy the green pastures of literary freedom – his version/conception of James Bond as a modern day secret intelligence officer/operative in 1991, set against a real-world back-drop which presiently predicted the start of the Iraq War in 1991, the coup d’etat in Moscow in the Soviet Uunion on 19-21 August 1991 by an all-to real (and recently deceased) General Yevgeny Yuskovich hardline-Comminist type character. (Deputy to Gorbachev, Gennady Yanaev). See the You Tube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoEXkKV5Dhk
Gardner also stated on very many occasions that it was also his favourite novel as he really broke the mould here with making his plot so contemporaneous (late 1990-early1991) that it could have been lifted straight out of the newspapers and other media of the time. Its plot concerns show trials, Nazi war criminals, The Scales of Justice terrorist organisation cover, Soviet general hardliners, Stalinist nostalgia apologisers like General Yevgeny Yuskovich – rather like the drug baron Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill (film and Gardner novelisation) – lifted straight from the contemporary headlines – a modern target for James Bond’s deadly aim. What are our thoughts on this James Bond novel here at AJB – does Gardner present a picture of a modern secret intelligence officer (rather than the romantic spy or secret agent monikers) working in a coalition of the willing – MI6, Mossad, KGB, DGCE etc. to any great effect?
Does John Gardner do James Bond justice in this novel?
To those US fans who have only read the US Putnam version you should read the complete UK version – it really is the only true copy of the novel in existence. The Putnam version is a travesty – much shorter with many passages edited out altogether.
Your thoughts on this novel are very much appreciated, as always.
This novel is the subject matter of a future article on The Bondologist Blog – so I’d like as many replies as possible, in order to collate representative James Bond fan opinion on these issues. I’m very interested in the controversial aspects of the James Bond literary continuation at the moment, as you may have noticed of late!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoEXkKV5Dhk
Gardner also stated on very many occasions that it was also his favourite novel as he really broke the mould here with making his plot so contemporaneous (late 1990-early1991) that it could have been lifted straight out of the newspapers and other media of the time. Its plot concerns show trials, Nazi war criminals, The Scales of Justice terrorist organisation cover, Soviet general hardliners, Stalinist nostalgia apologisers like General Yevgeny Yuskovich – rather like the drug baron Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill (film and Gardner novelisation) – lifted straight from the contemporary headlines – a modern target for James Bond’s deadly aim. What are our thoughts on this James Bond novel here at AJB – does Gardner present a picture of a modern secret intelligence officer (rather than the romantic spy or secret agent monikers) working in a coalition of the willing – MI6, Mossad, KGB, DGCE etc. to any great effect?
Does John Gardner do James Bond justice in this novel?
To those US fans who have only read the US Putnam version you should read the complete UK version – it really is the only true copy of the novel in existence. The Putnam version is a travesty – much shorter with many passages edited out altogether.
Your thoughts on this novel are very much appreciated, as always.
This novel is the subject matter of a future article on The Bondologist Blog – so I’d like as many replies as possible, in order to collate representative James Bond fan opinion on these issues. I’m very interested in the controversial aspects of the James Bond literary continuation at the moment, as you may have noticed of late!
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Comments
I enjoyed this book - as stated above - one of the most un-typical Bondlike books out there....maybe I enjoyed more than I should have because Gardner had produced some poor Bond novels prior to this one...but I did like the fact that he took a risk with this one and, in the main part, the risk worked.
Well, I look forward to your views when you finish TMFB - I hope to write an article on this one myself!
Glad to hear your thoughts. My TMFB article is nearing completion.
Yes, Gardner, even at his most experimental was better than much of what followed him - the links between Carte Blanche and TMFB are clear to see - reality meets James Bond.