|
|
|
 |
| |
John Gardner,
author of 14 James Bond novels and 2 movie novelisation's,
talked to MI6 recently about his career
as the official 007 author.
In the third part of this series, we talk to John
Gardner about researching the locations he sent James
Bond to... |
|
In Conversation With John Gardner (3)
7th May 2004
Continuing...
Did you visit every location you had Bond travel to? Were
there any locations you specifically kept close to the real-world?
Conversely, which ones did you use (or have to use) more imagination
with?
Most of them I had visited, or I had visited
them whilst I was doing the set-up for the next book, or
whilst I was writing something else. That's what happened
with Icebreaker. I went up to the arctic circle for about
ten days, and I liked that and though, "ah yes, must
send Mr Bond here!".
I actually got stuck in a car over on the Russian side of
the Finnish border! I went into a snow drift and couldn't
get out, so that was an amusing time.
So these trips were your own, and then sometimes you
thought, I can use this....
The Icebreaker one was with Saab. I went and did a winter
driving course with them up in the arctic circle, and I
stayed on a bit longer than the actual course because I
thought, well, I'm going to use this. So I did a few extra
things for Bond.
|
|
Above: John Gardner in the arctic circle researching
"Icebreaker".
"In the special forces you
do learn one or two things which the security services,
MI5, MI6, know..." |
I had served in Hong Kong in 1946, but I went back, as I had
always promised my late wife I would take her back and show her
some of the places where I was stationed. We went over for three
weeks.
|
|
|
But, yes, I've been everywhere, in all the
books.
Did you keep the locations close to your own experiences
there, or where there any elements you had to invent?
I think they were all fairly accurate. The idea was to
do the series of books like that.
For the first few non-Bond `comedy` spy books I did, I
always chose somewhere that people would go on holiday.
That was the idea, to get people interested, and then they
would buy the book because of the setting.
Left: Finnish artwork for "Icebreaker"
|
You mentioned your time in Hong Kong, in which other ways
did your previous time in the service as a Royal Marine Commando
influence your writing?
I was commissioned in 1945, I was in during the war, but I wasn't
a terribly good Royal Marine I admit. But as far as the books
go, if you've been a trained soldier in those kind of special
services, you cannot help but learn things and use it.
|
...Things such as the weapons training?
Yes, the weapons training definitely. Other things such
as field craft.
In the special forces you do learn one or two things which
the security services, MI5, MI6, know... You learn some
of those things, which are all common sense anyway!
And this was all part of the job of bringing Bond in
to modern day practices, and out of the his fantasy world?
Yes, it had been a bit too fantasy-world for my liking.
I said that to Glidrose, and they just encouraged me to
go on and do it. So I did!
|
|
Above: Japanese cover art for "Icebreaker" |
Join us in Part 4 where we talk about the differences between
the UK and USA, and the influences of the movie series...
Related Articles
In Conversation With John
Gardner (1)
In
Conversation With John Gardner (2)
In
Conversation With John Gardner (4)
In
Conversation With John Gardner (5)
In
Conversation With John Gardner (6)
MI6
John Gardner Literary 007 Section
|
|
|
