Then ask your partner the questions.

1. What / he / do in his career?

What did he do in his career?

2. Where / he / travel?

3. What / his life / be like?

4. What / happen / after the war?

5. Why / 1952 / an important year?

6. How many / books / he / write / before / he / die?

7. How many / he / sell?

In what ways do you think Ian Fleming was similar to James Bond?

The man behind James Bond

IAN FLEMING wrote 14 James Bond books between 1953 and 1964. But how much is the author like the hero of the books? Ian Fleming was born in Mayfair, London, on May 28th, 1908. He had three brothers and they were the children of a rich family. His grandfather was a millionaire banker and his father was a Member of Parliament. Ian didn’t know his father well because he died in the First World War, when Ian was only nine years old. Ian was quite close to his brothers but he was very different from them. They all went to Eton, a very expensive private school in the south of England. The brothers enjoyed school, but Ian hated it. He left before graduation. He also hated being in the army and did not want a career as a soldier. In 1930, Ian went to Geneva to continue his education. Then the next year he wanted to join the Foreign Office, but he didn’t pass the exams. He went back to England and he was living with his mother, feeling very bored, when he got a job as a journalist. He worked in London, Berlin, and Moscow. After that, he became a stockbroker. He was doing this job when the Second World War started. Then his life changed. …

IAN FLEMING

Student B

Look at the photo of Ian Fleming. Tick (√) the adjectives that you think describe him.