Thursday, April 12, 2012

Boyd says his new Bond novel will be set in 1969

Author William Boyd has shared a few more details about his selection as the new James Bond author, and has also revealed that his book will be set in 1969, which places it after Sebastian Faulks' Devil May Care in the "Classic" James Bond-Ian Fleming timeline. Says Boyd:

"When the Ian Fleming estate invited me to write the new James Bond novel I didn’t hesitate. I accepted at once – for me the prospect appeared incredibly exciting and stimulating – a once-in-a-lifetime challenge.
In fact my father introduced me to the James Bond novels in the 1960s and I read them all then – 'From Russia with Love' being my favourite.
I then became very intrigued by Ian Fleming the man and have written about him on numerous occasions. The fascination went so far that I placed him as a character in my novel 'Any Human Heart' where he’s responsible for recruiting the novel’s protagonist, Logan Mountstuart, into the Naval Intelligence Division in World War II.
One other coincidence should be mentioned. It turns out that I’ve worked with three of the actors who have played James Bond over the years. They’ve all starred in films that I’ve written: Sean Connery in 'A Good Man in Africa', Pierce Brosnan in 'Mr Johnson' and Daniel Craig in 'The Trench'. The idea that these somewhat random connections with Fleming and Bond should culminate in my writing a new James Bond novel is irresistibly appealing. The only thing I’m prepared to say at this stage about the novel that I will write is that it will be set in 1969."

For those who are surprised that IFP is sending Bond back to the past after rebooting 007 as a contemporary hero in Jeffery Deaver's Carte Blanche, recall what Corinne Turner, managing director of Ian Fleming Publications, told me back in 2010 when I asked if Carte Blanche meant an end to period Bonds (at that time represented by the Young Bond series):

“Don’t worry we haven’t left the past behind entirely, but it’s nice to do something different – and keep everyone guessing!”

So it looks like IFP is living up to their promise.

Boyd's yet untitled James Bond novel will be published in Fall of 2013 by Jonathan Cape in the UK and HarperCollins in the U.S. and Canada. Read the full press release here.

2 comments:

  1. ...as I posted on FBook... "Bond back in 1969 eh? Wouldn't it be lovely if he bumped into Boysie, Mostyn & Griffin......"

    ReplyDelete

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