I'm a huge Horowitz fan and remain optimistic that he will do a great job.
That said, I was a little perturbed when he mentioned that he had been obliged to sanitise Bond of his mysoginist, homophobic, racist tendencies to make him acceptable for a modern audience.
I shuddered when I heard this and do hope he isn't going to deliver us a politically correct, nondescript character.
007 was a dinosaur when Fleming created him, that was a huge part of his appeal and the books, if they are to have any relevance, should be created and read as period pieces.
Maybe it was acceptable to have someone with misogynistic, homophobic and racist tendencies back in Fleming's time, in fact it would not make you a dinosaur back then. But such things would not be acceptable today, and they should go, just like smoking.
Maybe it was acceptable to have someone with misogynistic, homophobic and racist tendencies back in Fleming's time, in fact it would not make you a dinosaur back then. But such things would not be acceptable today, and they should go, just like smoking.
I beg to disagree. As somebody who first encountered the literary Bond in the early '60s, I can vouch for the fact that he was created as a dinosaur. Fleming's whole point was to have a deeply conservative character with pre-war sensibilities bating for Britain at a time of great change and at a time when the intelligence services had been largely discredited. From his debut Bond was, in the era of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, a throw back to a different time.
Although I dispute a lot the whole misogynist, homophobic racist thing - Fleming simply used the language of the time - if any continuation novel is to fit within the canon it has to reflect the same character with the same sensibilities and to sanitise him would be like having Sherlock without his seven percent solution. Frankly it would be pointless, you might as well write about somebody else.
As for smoking, of course we don't do it now but back then, the majority of doctors smoked!
Asp9mmOver the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,535MI6 Agent
You can't write like that anymore even if you wanted to. It would be classed as unsuitable and would never get published.
Yes, the majority of doctors smoked back then, and the majority of the rest of the population too!
That is indeed my point. It is much easier to write a Bond novel set in the 21st century nowadays than one set back in the 1950's because of things like that. Would you have your Bond smoking (and set a bad example), or would you have him not smoking (and be accused of "sanitising" him)?
There are pros and cons to each position, and it will be interesting to see how Horowitz will navigate through this!
You can't write like that anymore even if you wanted to. It would be classed as unsuitable and would never get published.
Happily, providing you are not inciting violence or hatred, in the free world you can write and have published what you like and there are multiple examples of authors - successful and otherwise - who do exactly that and who deal with subjects as diverse as necrophilia, pedeophilia, racism and misogamy.
The best selling works of America's James Ellroy or the UK's Mo Hayden are just two examples of that in what is, for the most case, still a free world.
Yes, the majority of doctors smoked back then, and the majority of the rest of the population too!
That is indeed my point. It is much easier to write a Bond novel set in the 21st century nowadays than one set back in the 1950's because of things like that. Would you have your Bond smoking (and set a bad example), or would you have him not smoking (and be accused of "sanitising" him)?
There are pros and cons to each position, and it will be interesting to see how Horowitz will navigate through this!
It depends what you want.
If you are an avid reader, there are a multiplicity of authors writing spy thrillers that are set in the modern world that many would deem atleast the equal of Fleming - Cumming, Silva, Le Carre - to name but three.
Introducing literary Bond into this environment is at best questionable and Deaver's attempt with 'Carte Blanche' was deemed by many as risible.
As a purist I would like the continuation novels to follow in the vein of the late great Kingsley Amis and give us a period piece that is faithful to Fleming in every regard.
All said, I may be in the minority as it would appear that what many movie fans would appear to want is a literary incarnation of the film character. Personally, I could think of nothing worse!
Asp9mmOver the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,535MI6 Agent
If anyone can pull it off Horowitz can. He succeeded with Holmes brilliantly.
"Bond sucked once more on his cigarette"? .... UGGGHH! badly written and sounds weird
That reminds me somewhat of our founder Ian Fleming asking William Plomer how to use the right set of words to get the smoke "out" of one of his characters and thus letting him subtly know that he was busy writing Casino Royale.
However, I agree that that is rather awkwardly worded.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Comments
Spector.
That would confuse some people!
An Australian radio Interview with Anthony Horowitz.
That said, I was a little perturbed when he mentioned that he had been obliged to sanitise Bond of his mysoginist, homophobic, racist tendencies to make him acceptable for a modern audience.
I shuddered when I heard this and do hope he isn't going to deliver us a politically correct, nondescript character.
007 was a dinosaur when Fleming created him, that was a huge part of his appeal and the books, if they are to have any relevance, should be created and read as period pieces.
I beg to disagree. As somebody who first encountered the literary Bond in the early '60s, I can vouch for the fact that he was created as a dinosaur. Fleming's whole point was to have a deeply conservative character with pre-war sensibilities bating for Britain at a time of great change and at a time when the intelligence services had been largely discredited. From his debut Bond was, in the era of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, a throw back to a different time.
Although I dispute a lot the whole misogynist, homophobic racist thing - Fleming simply used the language of the time - if any continuation novel is to fit within the canon it has to reflect the same character with the same sensibilities and to sanitise him would be like having Sherlock without his seven percent solution. Frankly it would be pointless, you might as well write about somebody else.
As for smoking, of course we don't do it now but back then, the majority of doctors smoked!
That is indeed my point. It is much easier to write a Bond novel set in the 21st century nowadays than one set back in the 1950's because of things like that. Would you have your Bond smoking (and set a bad example), or would you have him not smoking (and be accused of "sanitising" him)?
There are pros and cons to each position, and it will be interesting to see how Horowitz will navigate through this!
Happily, providing you are not inciting violence or hatred, in the free world you can write and have published what you like and there are multiple examples of authors - successful and otherwise - who do exactly that and who deal with subjects as diverse as necrophilia, pedeophilia, racism and misogamy.
The best selling works of America's James Ellroy or the UK's Mo Hayden are just two examples of that in what is, for the most case, still a free world.
It depends what you want.
If you are an avid reader, there are a multiplicity of authors writing spy thrillers that are set in the modern world that many would deem atleast the equal of Fleming - Cumming, Silva, Le Carre - to name but three.
Introducing literary Bond into this environment is at best questionable and Deaver's attempt with 'Carte Blanche' was deemed by many as risible.
As a purist I would like the continuation novels to follow in the vein of the late great Kingsley Amis and give us a period piece that is faithful to Fleming in every regard.
All said, I may be in the minority as it would appear that what many movie fans would appear to want is a literary incarnation of the film character. Personally, I could think of nothing worse!
He certainly did...I hope he writes more of them -{
Well then... those wishing for a dinosaur Bond may have had their wish granted!
Brilliant!
Where did you get the post card from?
It looks like the announcement is to be made on Fleming's birthday. Very appropriate.
Check twitter @Beathhigh or @AnthonyHorowitz, of course
Now:
That reminds me somewhat of our founder Ian Fleming asking William Plomer how to use the right set of words to get the smoke "out" of one of his characters and thus letting him subtly know that he was busy writing Casino Royale.
However, I agree that that is rather awkwardly worded.
Are you referring to Horowitz's postcard promotion or Fleming's Casino Royale here, AOS?
Oh yes, sorry. Could be!