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According to The Guardian, 007 fan and novelist Kim Sherwood recently received authorization from the original author, Ian Fleming's Legacy Committee, to write a new series of "bold, rhythmic, sexy" spy stories.
"Ever since I first saw Pierce Brosnan jump off a dam in GoldenEye," Sherwood said, James Bond "has been one of the eternal loves of my life." Sherwood has struck a deal with Harper Collins to write three contemporary thriller novels set in the world of James Bond.
"When I was a teenager, my English teacher asked us to write a writer I admired, and I chose Ian Fleming. Since then, I've dreamed of writing James Bond," Sherwood said. Her first novel, Testament, won the 2016 Bath Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year in 2019. "It's a rare dream to dream of, and I'm grateful to the Fleming family for providing this incredible opportunity. I feel honored to be a novelist who expands the Bond universe, brings new life to old loves, and brings fresh characters to the classics."
Corinne Turner, Ian Fleming's general manager of publishing, said Sherwood was the right choice to take over the series. The collection will be launched in September 2022. Previous authors of the Fleming Spy Series include Kingsley Amis, Sebastian Faulks, and Anthony Horowitz, and although their books feature Bond himself, these works are the author's own original novels.
Sherwood, 32, will be the first woman to write a novel for the series. The university of Edinburgh lecturer may not have had the star status of these "Bond writers" before her, but she is certainly passionate about continuing the series. She tweeted: "James Bond is one of the eternal loves of my life," adding that she "can't wait" to get readers to know her new character. According to BBC, Sherwood told BBC's "Woman's Hour" programme that Bond "is still an evergreen symbol in the UK because he can change with us".
The London-born writer says she will find inspiration for her characters in the depths of the world in Fleming's originals, though. She explains: "We've been following 007 before, but in the context of Ian Fleming's novel, there are many other spies that you only hear occasionally. There's an incredible room for imagination in this, as there is a group of heroes on missions around the world... As a writer, it's really exciting for me." Sherwood also confirmed that classic characters including Bond's trusted secretary, Ms. Money Penny, and spy boss M, would return in the trilogy.
Sherwood says her goal is to reflect "the complexity of the women in the book," which she believes is sometimes "overlooked" in the film.
"As a young female writer, I wanted to bring a feminist perspective to the classics," she said. I respect what was before, but I also want to create something new and create a space for all of us to be heroes." "We are now in a very different world from that of Fleming's novels. In a way, the world Fleming wrote about doesn't exist. He writes about a luxurious, material world in which Britain has important significance on the international stage... In the transformation of British imperialism, Bond has always been an imaginary projection, a being capable of reflecting and shaping our imagination. I'm excited to be part of it and make it a part of the contemporary world."
Kim Sherwood
In the first novel, Testament, Sherwood showed a rare talent in character building, time and space unfolding, and so on. She draws the reader into a journey that unfolds in unexpected ways," Turner says, "and her passion for Fleming and Bond, make her the perfect choice to expand the 007 universe." I can't wait for readers to see her work."
In 2008, to commemorate Fleming's centenary, Sebastian Faulks' Bond novel was published, and critics spoke of it as mixed. As a faithful continuation of the original book, the cover is even printed with "sebastian faulks, writing as ian fleming". But Euan Ferguson argued in his Observer Review that "Fleming is Bond" and that after his death "this connection was broken" that it was impossible for a new writer to fully understand the character. Deciding to create a series without a famous protagonist should need to avoid this problem and will give Sherwood the space to be creative and keep the series up to date.
Kathryn Cheshire of Harper Collins describes the new trilogy as "fresh, modern, thrilling, and a new generation of spies that everyone will love."
Reference Links:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59122546
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/nov/04/licensed-to-thrill-kim-sherwood-set-to-expand-the-james-bond-universe
Author | Wu Junshen
Edit | Liu Yaguang
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