They make a cute couple, no?

1960, Feb. 22
Ian Fleming

"...what was easy at 40 is v different at 50. I used
to believe - sufficiently - in Bonds + Blonds +
Bombs. How the keys creak as I type +
I fear the zest may have gone. Part of
the trouble is having a wife & child.
[Page 2]
They k[???] the writerliness out of one. I
shall definitely kill off Bond with my
next book - better a poor bang than a
rich whimper!"


1912 Mar ?
Virginia Woolf

"I began life with a tremendous
abound ideal of marriage, then
my birds eye view of many
[Verso Page 1]
marriages disgusted me + thought I must
be ailing[?] what was not to be had.
But that has passed too. Now I only
ask for someone to make me vehement
+ then I'll marry them!"
...
I spent a strange fortnight in
bed among faded old ladies
who might have been weeds at the
bottom of a river they were so
placid + remote from everything
+ yet alive.               I am now
[Verso 2]
leading a semi-invalid life + it is
very nice when the days are fine,
doesn't that sound old!"


(Only moments) before class, I just wanted to post this interesting little alliance Fleming and Woolf have in their attitudes toward the "zest" of life and domesticity.  They are such the unlikely pair. A couple years ago, I think my sophomore year, I took a class on British Sexualities and we had an entire unit on Fleming's misogyny, homophobia, racism, and just general imperial/colonial attitude toward British masculinity in the come-down of GB's heyday. Woolf also deals with the waning of England's imperial might during the interwar period and perhaps shares some classist ideologies, but one could agree her treatment of gender is wildly, wildly progressive and queer. Anjona told me briefly a day or two ago that Fleming seems as though he tries to be Bond (which I'm sure will be said far more eloquently and ingeniously in the presentation.) Anyway, the matter of killing off Bond rings with a bit of a suicidal threat-- not that Fleming himself is suicidal, but that killing off Bond has greater implications than simply bringing a franchise to a well-meant close.
Anyhow, there seems to be a shared fear of aging and becoming irrelevant, that the world will move on without them, that strikes me.

Ian Fleming Letter Transcription

 I know Becky already transcribed this, but here is my version...

Friday eve.                           

                                                                                                                                           Dudley Hotel 

                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                              Brighton.

My Poor Will,

                                Any moment now, the great annual cow-pat, warm from the [anu?] mondi (grammar right?), will plop upon your back. There will come the grunt of pain that only the elite among dung beetles is capable of [landing?], the limbs will bend like so many angle-poise lamps (MK  II) & then slowly, courageously straighten [menitcloes?] to take the extra [load?] & the brave beetle, cursing as only dung beetles can curse, will be on his way again down the camel track, under the hot sun, [extending?] [perneant?] sheets of green paper.

Right?

Right.

                                                                       Now, because I am not at the helm, this [part?] comes to you uncorrected, so be an angel & write“Uncorrected Typescript” boldly on the trout. Secundo, expect many small errors such as ‘scout’ instead of ‘secret’ (!) on p. 28.

                And I really dont want any other than you & and Michael to see it in its present form as I feel

[Page 2]

It needs much improvement.

                I would personally like to take it back to Jamaica & paint the lily next year, thus skipping a year, which will do no harm, [Latucing?] Cape’s profits for 1965, which they probably deserve, & giving myself about the right-sized stint for my next semester.

                For this is, alas, the last Bond and, again alas, I mean it, for I really have [run?] out of both puff & zest, and I would not like to short-weight my faithful readers to the [deraser?] service. But we will talk about that.  

                Anyway, [read?] it him, & dont wince the words. There is no point in doing so.

                I am here for another good 10 days. In bed, dammit!! But promised an outing to the X Ray monster tomorrow!! These snip-codas have really got me on my knees. But I have a darling nurse with whom I hold deliciously infantile conversations. “That is the next [piece?].  It is very pleasant to walk

[Page 3]

upon piers.” “Yes I will walk upon the West Pier this afternoon,” “You might play bingo on the pier. It is an amusing game.’ ‘Yes, it would be fun to play bingo on the pier” etc. etc.

                Quite a change from the nice [patulum?] I am used to with Annie who comes tomorrow. The contrast is so sharp that the last time she came down for lunch she put my pulse up to 120 !

                [Ann’s?] was excellent. Just [wading?] through a class exhibit by a chap called O.F. Spelling, published by Spearman. Even Shakespeare never had it so good !

                                Much love

                                                Ian.

P.S. Congrats on ‘The [Curlew?]” – But not enough about you in the [Dumpts?] !

Ian Fleming Transcription

"

Duddly Hotel

Brighton

Friday Eve 

My Poor Will,

   Any moment now, the great annual cow-pat, warm from the anu mondi (grammar right?), will plop upon your back. There will come the grunt of pain that only the elite among dung beetles is capable bonding, the limbs will bend like so many angle-poise lamps (MKII) + then slowly, courageously straighten themselves to lake the extra load and the brave beetle, cursing as only dung beetles can curse, will be on his way again down to Camel track under the hot sun, extending petulant sheets of quilt paper?

         Right?

         Right?

         Now because I am not at the helm, this pat comes to you uncorrected, so be an angel + write "Uncorrected Typescript" boldly on the front. Second, expect many small errors such as 'Scout' instead of 'Secret' (!) on p. 28

   And I really don't want any other than you + Michael to see it in the present form as I feel it needs much improvement.

  I would personally like to take it back to Jamaica + paint the lily next year, thus skipping a year, which will do no harm, halving Cape's profits for 1965, which they probably deserve, + giving myself about the right-sized stint for my next semester.

  

 For this is, alas, the last Bond and, again alas, I mean it, for I really have run out of both puff + zest, and I would not like to short-weight my faithful readers of the ___ service. But we will talk about that.

   Anyway, was it him, + don't wince the words. There is no point in doing so.

   I am here for another good 10 days. In bed, dammit! But promised an outing to the xray monster tomorrow!! These snip-codas have really got me on my knees. But I have a darling nurse with whom I hold deliciously infantile conversations. "That is the west Pier. It is very pleasant to walk upon piers." 

"You might play bingo on the pier. It is an amusing game.' Yes, it would be fun to play bingo on the pier." etc. etc.

   Quite a change from the rich ___ I am used to with Annie who comes tomorrow. The contrast is so sharp that the last time she came down for lunch she put my pulse up to 120!

   Annie was excellent. Just wading through a II class exhibit by a chap called O.F. Snelling, published by Spearman. Even Shakespeare never had it so good!

Much love,

Ian

P.S. Congrats on "The Curfew" -But not enough about you in the ____!

"

Fleming, Ian Fleming...

Hello all!

I took a look at the Ian Fleming letters and I must say they're quite intriguing. As a fan of many of the Bond films I was delighted to read into Fleming's life a little bit as I already know very litter about it. It is also interesting seeing his interaction with his editor and great friend Will Plomer who he is obviously good friends with because it gives a larger idea of who Fleming really was. I transcribed the entire first letter but some of Fleming's handwriting was rather difficult to make out. Therefore, I'm just going to post a tiny tidbit of the letter because it was the clearest and most easy to understand. (Although I warn you some of the transcription may still be incorrect! Especially towards the end!) Also, this portion of the letter gives a nice lil snapshot of the Fleming and Plomer relationship. Obviosuly FLeming felt a great sens of comfort with Plomer to divulge his true emotions about another person to him in such a blunt way.

Enjoy!

Sunday 

My dear Will,

Many thanks for your inspiring and informative script. I hadn't heard about J.C.'s death. Perhaps I am wrong, but I cannot mourn him. I daresay he did kindly things but I never heard of one- in fact I have never heard anything attractive said about him by anyone. He had talents of course- 'a nose' for a book, for instance, x he created a great publishing name but I think he was hard x fight-fisted x vain an Eduardian relic x I dislike them en thasse. Sorry x all that, but now I would also like W. It to refrain x for some nice people to come in x franchise the whole outfit. I daresay I'm wrong.  

They've cut all my jokes out of the scripts x done their best to "franchise" it too, but it still reads quite merrily x as I wished it. One of the great bonuses of being 50 x having a success, however small, is that one can at last write as one pleases x not be frightened.

-------------

The letter continues on but I fear that I did not get an accurate enough transcription of it. Hopefully this was enough to show a little bit of Flemings relationship with Plomer. See ya in class!

A Semi-Transcription of Karin Stephen's 2nd Letter...

Wow, Michelle. Kudos to you. This is probably the most difficult transcription I've attempted so far. I can see though how you have come to love these letters. I really enjoy Karin's whimsical tone and general lightheartedness, especially since she speaks with such a tone while sometimes making somewhat rude remarks about other people.

That being said, I could not figure out everything she was saying in her letter. Here is my absolute humble attempt at a transcription...don't laugh at my fudgings of names, etc!

" 

June 2nd,

1912

Dearest Family-

   Yesterday I was fairly whirled in the social vortex.

   I went round [insert: first of all] to call on the Keynes. Mrs. Keynes was perfectly charming- alas ____ Papa Keynes was not there; I hear the angel has taken to catching butterflies in his ___ old age- Margaret Geoffery and Cosume Gordon came into town. I admired them all but Cambridge manners have the art of bathing the other person subtly in the wrong somehow & I felt easier with Mappie. Glen & and I walked to the McTaggarts together. I want to call there but Glen said Mrs McTaggart was scared to be at the garden party Glen was just going too, so I went along in loco filiae, (as her real daughter refuses to go to these shows).

   There I met a Mr. Roso. She has made great studies in the evil eye in India & has passed years of his life chaste by gaul with head hunters. She was ___ insider to the Noodles in ___- it seems that a life of wild adventure tends to produce a reaction later on in favour dandy is now.

   Mrs. McTaggart [insert: and I] shied and another converged & exploded in a shower of talk. Among other things she told me of a combined mind and Aristotelian driven taking place in Trinity that might, & suddenly asked not if I would like to go. Of course I liked enormously. So can court off together Trinity to find McTaggart & ask if he would take us. We used the shadow band of far from disembodied minds streaming out from a discussion. McTaggart was ___ distraught with his resparibilities as President of this affair. His head was larger rounder & nosier than ever & his last few hairs rose erect ___ summit. He was most cordial & said I might certainly come as guest. George Moon promised to look after me. Under Bentin appeared, charm showed to my amazement, mocking us about the law. He was ripping to see ___ again. By 1/4 to 8 I was back, attired in my Cairo dress to call for McTaggart. 

   Going down his 'proposed' to and (a la ___.) There were 4 other women at dinner, Ms. Sidgewick, Mrs. Ward, Mrs. Stout, and an American professoress. I seemed to myself a very comic fifth."

Again, I know a lot of this is gibberish, but it was my most valiant attempt!

The Woolf letters for Thursday

Just so you know, I have flagged two Virginia Woolf letters for you to read.  They are in a folder from the MacCarthy Mss. collection.  They are relatively short and are written in Woolf's clear and elegant hand, so they should be easy for you to read and to transcribe, if you wish to transcribe them.   Dr. Irmscher and I decided not to post digital copies, as they likely will not photograph well, and they are well worth visiting in the reading room just so you can see Woolf's handwriting, 

 

I will save my presentation of background material for Thursday.  For now, all you need to know is that Mary (Molly) MacCarthy was a close personal friend of Woolf's. 

 

Here are a few questions to consider as you read the letters.  Where in the letters do you see evidence of Woolf the writer?  Where in the letters do you see evidence of Woolf in a more private aspect?  Please take some notes of your evidence.

 

I continue to be fascinated by the public/private tension that we have been discussing in our class.  These beautifully written letters are at the same time intensely personal.  They illustrate a tension that pervaded Bloomsbury as a group, as we will discuss on Thursday.

 

Deborra

Ian Fleming preparation

Hello all,

The materials for my presentation on Ian Fleming should now available in the reading room, taken from the Plomer II mss and the Russell, L mss. There are two letters and a postcard from Fleming to his editor and good friend, William Plomer. In addition, there are also a few photographs to glance at, marked with start and stop flags. The letters and postcard are the most important things to look at, but the photographs help put the writings in context. 

Ian Fleming is best known as the creator and author of fourteen James Bond novels. He wrote these novels while at his vacation home, Goldeneye, in Jamaica and then would edit them once he returned to the UK. He had a very privileged childhood; his father, Valentine Fleming, was a member of British Parliament and he was educated at Eton College. Before penning the Bond novels, Fleming was a naval intelligence officer and later, a journalist. However, these letters are from the later years of his life, after the initial success of Casino Royale. Fleming died on 12 August 1964 - about two months after the second letter (postmarked 27 June 1964). 

A few things to think about while reviewing the material:

These letters are between Fleming and Plomer, who is both a friend and business partner. How do these letters reflect the relationship between these two men? How do they reflect Fleming's social standing and personality? 

Secondly, Fleming also talks of his struggles with writing a commercially popular series and continuing his success. How might these materials evidence a sort of 'reluctant celebrity' in Fleming?  

While the pictures are unable to be put up due to copyright, some of the materials are available online, thanks to Professor Irmscher, at https://iu.box.com/fleming

Have a good weekend,

Anjona