Bond turns 70

Nearly a week late, but the occasion should be marked nonetheless.

Ian Fleming's Casino Royale was published on the 13th of April 1953.

The Queen was yet to be crowned, Churchill was Prime Minister, Ike was President, and Stalin had only died the month before.

Astounding to think the character has endured for such a period of time, but endured he has in one form or another.

A happy belated birthday!

Remarkable, indeed. The character's timelessness is a sure mark of Fleming's genius.

I listened to part 1 of this last night, by way of marking the occasion -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m001kvyb

Part 2 will follow before the week's out, I'd imagine.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

I listened to part 1 of this last night, by way of marking the occasion -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m001kvyb

Part 2 will follow before the week's out, I'd imagine.

I think that's the one that was first broadcast around the time of Casino Royale's release in 2006. I remember taping it off the radio at the time.

I quite enjoyed it ... on the one hand the 'sweet tang of rape' line was (probably unsurprisingly) omitted, but on the other all of Bond's sexist thoughts about Vesper and 'The bitch is dead' were present and correct.

Might reread it to mark the occasion.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bond.