Ian Fleming Biography

Ian Fleming was an English author and naval intelligence officer best known for his James Bond series of spy novels. A multi-faceted personality, he had also worked as a journalist, stockbroker, and banker before venturing into fiction writing. Born into a wealthy and influential family in London, he was educated in England, Germany, and Switzerland. He then studied briefly at Munich University and the University of Geneva. Having lost his father at a young age, he was pressurized by his mother to embark on a career as a banker which he did reluctantly by obtaining a position at the financiers Cull & Co. When the World War II began, he received a commission in the Royal Navy and worked for British Naval Intelligence. He was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units, 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. During this time he also learned a lot about espionage. After the war he became the Foreign Manager in the Kemsley newspaper group. His experiences as a naval intelligence officer motivated him to write spy novels and he wrote 12 James Bond novels and two short-story collections between 1953 and 1966 which established him as one of the best known British authors of his era.