|
Boyd comments: ‘When the Ian Fleming estate invited me to write the new
James Bond novel 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.’
Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd,
comments:
‘William Boyd is a contemporary English writer whose classic novels
combine literary elements with a broad appeal. His thrillers occupy the
niche that Ian Fleming would fill were he writing today and with similar
style and flair. This alongside his fascination with Fleming himself makes
him the perfect choice to take Bond back to his 1960s world.’
As well as the publication of the new novel, 2013 is a significant year
for Bond, marking 60 years since Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel,
CASINO ROYALE, was published by Cape in 1953. Cape was also the publisher
of the first ever official Bond novel following Fleming’s death in 1964,
when Kingsley Amis took up the mantle writing COLONEL SUN as Robert
Markham in 1968.
Dan Franklin, Publisher, Jonathan Cape comments: ‘It is fantastic that
Bond is returning to Cape, his birthplace, and even more so that he will
do so in the hands of William Boyd. I can’t think of anyone better
qualified.’
‘In more ways than one, William Boyd really is the perfect author to write
the next chapter in the life of James Bond,’ adds Tim Duggan, VP and
Executive Editor of HarperCollins Publishers. ‘His sophisticated
storytelling, his knowledge of history and espionage, and his sheer
inventiveness will all come together to make this novel as grippingly
suspenseful as anything I’ve ever read.’
Jonny Geller, Managing Director of literary agency Curtis Brown observes:
‘This is a dream come true – a fantasy literary combination. Bringing
together this country’s most beloved literary character with one of our
finest contemporary writers will produce a classic James Bond novel, true
to the spirit of Ian Fleming.’
Iris Tupholme, Vice President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief,
HarperCollins Canada remarks: ‘William Boyd, whose mastery of plot and
character has won him readers all over the world, is the right person to
take the beloved James Bond in a new, fresh direction. We are delighted to
be publishing the new Bond novel in Canada.’
Boyd’s most recent novel, Waiting for Sunrise, is published by Bloomsbury
in the UK and HarperCollins Publishers in the US on 17 April.
Full Statement from William 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.’
William Boyd Biography
Born in Accra Ghana in 1952, William Boyd was educated at Gordonstoun
School and attended the universities of Nice, Glasgow and Jesus College,
Oxford. His novels and short stories have garnered many awards, including
the Whitbread, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Jonathan Llewellyn Rhys
Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Prix Jean Monnet and the
Costa Novel of the Year. William Boyd is a Fellow of the Royal Society of
Literature and an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has been
presented with honorary Doctorates in Literature from the Universities of
St Andrews, Stirling, Glasgow and Dundee and was awarded the CBE in 2005.
As a screenwriter Boyd
has written a number of feature films and television productions including
adaptations of his own novels - Stars and Bars (1987), A Good Man in Africa
(1993); Armadillo (2001) and Any Human Heart – a four-part drama for
Channel 4 in 2010 – which garnered much critical acclaim.
He is married and divides his time between London and the south-west of
France.
Bibliography
A Good Man in Africa, 1981; On the Yankee Station and Other
Stories, 1981; An Ice-Cream War, 1982; Stars and Bars,
1984; School Ties, 1985; The New Confessions, 1987;
Brazzaville Beach, 1990; The Blue Afternoon, 1993; The
Destiny of Natalie 'X' and Other Stories, 1995; Armadillo,
1998; Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960, 1998; Any Human
Heart, 2002; Fascination (collection of short stories) 2004;
Bamboo, 2005 (non-fiction); Restless, 2006; The Dreams of
Bethany Mellmoth (short story) Notes from the Underground,
2007; Ordinary Thunderstorms, 2009; Waiting for Sunrise,2012. |
