John Pearson's JB: The Authorized Biography- an indispensable companion to the Fleming ouevre

Just finished a re-read of this 1973 installment in the post Fleming canon. What a marvelous read. We meet the 52 year old Bond, who is wondering if he is indeed done with the British secret service. The poor guy is stranded in Bermuda, awaiting instructions, that take a long time in coming.
In the meantime he relates his life story to our scribbler Pearson who dutifully sets about the task of chronicling Bond's entire life, as told by the famous agent himself.
Fascinating stuff. Pearson fleshes out the Fleming narrative. We learn of Bond's childhood, early life, time in the war, the gap between the war, and his return to the secret service with the birth of the newly created double-0 section.
I believe this book and it's predecessor Colonel Sun nicely complement the Fleming canon. Pearson digs us deeper into Bond's psyche and his relationship with Fleming. The hook here of course is that Bond really did live and that Fleming passed his exploits off as fiction to confuse the Smersh spymasters who were determined to kill Bond. We learn that FRWL was the Smersh response to the Fleming books deception, once they figured it out - one last effort at putting down Bond, but of course it blew up in their face with heavy losses of key personnel. The decision was then made to leave Bond alone, to cover their own incompetent butts. Better to roll with the fantasy of Bond as fictional character, than risk failure reprisals from the supreme Soviet.
What a great read. Pearson fleshes out Bond's extended relationship with Tiffany Case, which was actually quite serious, but ultimately she walked out on him as Fleming described.
We learn that Klebb took cyanide, whist being transported in the laundrey hamper. Bond says Mathis blew that one. She should have been searched. Tatiana meanwhile was spirited off to Australia to live under a new identity. Good for her
Bond talks of the onerous sexual demands that Miss Romanova placed on him. He allowed that he lost his edge in the final showdown with Klebb, due to fatigue. Both Tatiana and Grant had exhausted him, but in different ways. Otherwise Klebb wouldn't have caught him with his guard down.
And of course there's the ravishing Honey Ryder, now a rich widow with her own yacht, and looking to land Bond as husband #3, a prospect which greatly appeals to the now older Bond.
We learn that James Suzuki is ten years old and that Daddy Bond visits him regularly, and that he was presented as dad. No secrets. Kid was being raised in America by mommy and her post-Bond husband. Kissy actually rebuffed Bond's offer to marry. She had plans for a less adventurous partner, to help raise her son. Meantime though, proud pappy gets lots of quality visiting time. He'd even arranged for James Jr. to attend Eton.
Another real interesting passage, is where Bond allows that deep down he feels he did know that Vesper was a double agent, and that might have made her all the more appealing to him. Interesting.
I think this book ties up the Fleming narrative very nicely.
As a result I have no interest in any crazy plans for Boyd to kill off Fleming's Bond in the next novel. I shall dismiss such storytelling as just that, althernative Bond-universe storytelling.
In fact anything that doesn't jive with the Fleming-Pearson narrative shall be dismissed as alternative and that includes Higson and anyone else that dares tamper with the Pearson bio. After all, as the title says the bio is "authorized" and dictated by Bond himself.

I really like Amis and Pearson, though I dislike things in Pearson like the idea that MR never happened (or somethig like that) and something about Honey ending up with Bond seemed wrong -- more like he was writing Ursula Andress than Honeychile. Maybe I am a softy but I wouldve liked to see Vivienne Michel again. Also giving James a brother felt weird.

But I will always be grateful that Pearson's book enabled me to debate that guy who insisted that SF ruined Bond by giving the Bond family a wealthy background.

Interesting that Fleming actually hinted at Bond being real himself, what with references in the obit, to the books and Fleming is also on record as referring to Viv Michel as the actual author of TSWLM. It seems Pearson picked up on these little threads that Fleming had dangled.
Pearson suggests that Uruqhart had sussed out the Viv story after Bond had purposely left her out of his official report. Urquhart then got the full story from Viv, added Bond's adventure in Toronto which preceded the episode at the Dreamy Pines Moter Inn, and presented it to Fleming as the next novel. Bond was pissed at Viv for opening her big mouth and was rather embarassed by the story going public. Viv had writing pretensions anyway so was glad for the publicity. M didn't mind. He loved the Fleming books as they made the Secret Service look real good at the expense of the Americans and French.
I do think the Honey Ryder things works. Convenient that Pearson arranged for her to have left her first husband, and that hubby #2 (sugar daddy) had croaked, leaving her stinking wealthy a la Liz Krest.
Pearson however does not mention Honey's two kids from the first marriage. They would be mid-teens. Maybe she left them at home, while she set sail to rv with Bond.

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I think the reason Pearson decided that MR would be a story actually made-up by Fleming as opposed to being based on a real adventure, was because the MR story did operate in the public domain with all the media coverage of the rocket launch, so it couldn't be passed off as fiction if the story was also very publicly real.
So Fleming would make this one up, to further re-inforce to Smersh that Bond was indeed a fictional character.
Thus in our world, for those of us that like to roll with the Pearson bio, and believe that Bond is real, all the Fleming stories are based in reality but for MR, which is pure fiction. :)

I spose I'll have to read this book eventually.

I was interested to read it as well.

We own this book for a very long time now, but I have never seriously started reading it.
Maybe I should. Is it really worth it, or is it confusing with regards to the things we know from the Bondoverse as created by I.L. Fleming?

Manhunter wrote:

We own this book for a very long time now, but I have never seriously started reading it.
Maybe I should. Is it really worth it, or is it confusing with regards to the things we know from the Bondoverse as created by I.L. Fleming?

No its not confusing at all. It's the perfect companion to Fleming's work. It's Bond's actual biography as dictated by the agent himself to John Pearson. Pearson you see had sussed out evidence suggesting that Bond might actually be real. He wasn't sure of course, but this trail did seem to exist, so he followed up. His enquires caught the attention of the secret service naturally, which decided to bring him in on the truth, and allow him to publish Bond's authoritative bio, along with the truth and purpose of the Fleming novels, which as we learn were actually a false flag intelligence op. Thus the great Canadian spy master Sir William Stephenson, of Man Called Intrepid fame, afforded the introductions in Bermuda, and Pearson over the course of a couple of weeks, got the full lowdown from Bond himself.
Basically, all of Fleming's Bond adventures are based on true exploits, embellished somewhat by Fleming, except for Moonraker, which was cooked up as pure fiction to further confuse Smersh; ie Smersh was naturally aware of the Le Chiffre and Mr. Big operations, but this Drax-Moonraker story was right out of the blue, thus helping to re-inforce the notion that this Bond person might only be a mythical agent, not real, and thus not killable. They eventually wised up though, and took their last shot at Bond in FRWL. After Bond kicked their butts again in FRWL, the Smersh spymaster (General G that Fleming describes in FRWL) destroyed all the proof of Bond's existence. The Supreme Soviet doesn't tolerate such failure. The Fleming deception ironically now worked in Smersh's favour, and that was the end of the Smersh vendetta against Bond.
It's a fascinating read.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I spose I'll have to read this book eventually.

I am surprised to hear that you haven't, Khanners, as the forum's Literary Bond guru.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I spose I'll have to read this book eventually.

Khan, this book was written for fans of the Fleming Bond.
I first read it when I was 15 I think. I was absolutely convinced that Bond was real. I love the little warning on the back of the paperback.
Publisher's Note: For security reasons there can be no photographs in any edition. :shock:
In fact if intelligence operatives had contacted me, I would have dutifully sworn on the Official Secrets Act, not to reveal what I knew about the true nature of Bond and the Fleming books. :study:

tiffanywint wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I spose I'll have to read this book eventually.

Khan, this book was written for fans of the Fleming Bond.
I first read it when I was 15 I think. I was absolutely convinced that Bond was real. I love the little warning on the back of the paperback.
Publisher's Note: For security reasons there can be no photographs in any edition. :shock:
In fact if intelligence operatives had contacted me, I would have dutifully sworn on the Official Secrets Act, not to reveal what I knew about the true nature of Bond and the Fleming books. :study:

Heh. You had an active imagination. So did I. Used to draw up fictional dossiers for fictional villains of global reach who would suit a Bond film. And that was long before I was a Bond fan! Yes, I was a strange kid.

At any rate, the Pearson biography is on my to-buy list.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Heh. You had an active imagination. So did I. Used to draw up fictional dossiers for fictional villains of global reach who would suit a Bond film. And that was long before I was a Bond fan! Yes, I was a strange kid.

At any rate, the Pearson biography is on my to-buy list.

I still believe Bond is real and that the Fleming books were based on his real exploits, except for MR of course. Bond lives. Kate Westbrook found him living peacefully on an island off the coast of England, circa 2008, in MP Diaries, Final Fling. He'll be 92 this November 8th. Long live Bond!

I share your beliefs, Tiffy. I don't know what exactly, but I'm pretty sure Fleming lived most of what he's written.

Think of the Smersh's office description in From Russia With Love. He describes it in every single particular, like if he was there. In my opinion, he had been there.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I spose I'll have to read this book eventually.

I am surprised to hear that you haven't, Khanners, as the forum's Literary Bond guru.

More of a Fleming guru.

Walecs wrote:

I share your beliefs, Tiffy. I don't know what exactly, but I'm pretty sure Fleming lived most of what he's written.

Think of the Smersh's office description in From Russia With Love. He describes it in every single particular, like if he was there. In my opinion, he had been there.

Yes, very good. I think when Bond turns 100 on November 8, 2021,(Fleming scholar, John Griswold's authoritative D.O.B for Bond. Pearson was off by a year. He must have heard Bond wrong during their discussions) the Bond community should have a major celebration. Hopefully he'll catch wind, and tip his glass of double-bourbon-rocks to us.

tiffanywint wrote:

Walecs wrote:

I share your beliefs, Tiffy. I don't know what exactly, but I'm pretty sure Fleming lived most of what he's written.

Think of the Smersh's office description in From Russia With Love. He describes it in every single particular, like if he was there. In my opinion, he had been there.

Yes, very good. I think when Bond turns 100 on November 8, 2021,(Fleming scholar, John Griswold's authoritative D.O.B for Bond. Pearson was off by a year. He must have heard Bond wrong during their discussions) the Bond community should have a major celebration. Hopefully he'll catch wind, and tip his glass of double-bourbon-rocks to us.

November 11th, not 8th. He was born on Armistice Day.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

tiffanywint wrote:

Walecs wrote:

I share your beliefs, Tiffy. I don't know what exactly, but I'm pretty sure Fleming lived most of what he's written.

Think of the Smersh's office description in From Russia With Love. He describes it in every single particular, like if he was there. In my opinion, he had been there.

Yes, very good. I think when Bond turns 100 on November 8, 2021,(Fleming scholar, John Griswold's authoritative D.O.B for Bond. Pearson was off by a year. He must have heard Bond wrong during their discussions) the Bond community should have a major celebration. Hopefully he'll catch wind, and tip his glass of double-bourbon-rocks to us.

November 11th, not 8th. He was born on Armistice Day.

Thanks, November 11th it is!
I love the work he put into his chronology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_James_Bond_novels_and_short_stories#Fictional_chronologies
Must buy his book!

You can read it on Google books. At least a good chunk of it.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

You can read it on Google books. At least a good chunk of it.

Thanks, its on my Bond list of things to do. It's a growing list.