british writer Ian Fleming He spent a large part of the year in Jamaica, on a farm he owned, which he baptized with the name of Goldeneye. There he dedicated himself, in addition to writing, to his other great passion: ornithology.
When the time came to name the protagonist of his first novel – ‘Casino Royale’ (1953) – it occurred to him to use the name of the author of the main ornithological guide of the place. The book in question was entitled ‘Field Guide of Birds of the West Indies’ (1936) and its author was none other than James Bond. A publication of 460 pages and 159 black and white illustrations.
In this way, a flesh and blood ornithologist became the Her Graceful Majesty’s Agent 007the most famous spy in fiction.
the real Bond
When Ian Fleming was asked some time later why he chose the name, he replied that he found it sonorous, unromantic, easy to remember and, above all, manly.
The real James Bond was born in 1900 in Philadelphia, the city that saw him die eighty-nine years later. He was a famous ornithologist who worked for the Academy of Natural Sciences due to his vast knowledge of Caribbean birds. He was the first to defend that the birds of that region originated from North American birds and not from South American ones. In 1954 he was awarded the Brewster Medal of the American Ornithological Union.
In 1961 the oasis of tranquility of the Bond couple -James and his wife Mary- disappeared, their phone did not stop ringing for weeks. The reason was none other than the growing fame that Fleming’s character was acquiring.
It was then that they decided to write to the English writer to ask for an explanation. Mrs Bond took the usurpation of her name as a lewdness and in a letter she accused Fleming of having stolen her name from her husband.
Fleming immediately responded to Mary Bond by apologizing, inviting them to his house in Jamaica and offering his name to the ornithologist when he discovered a new species of bird that he had to name.
On February 5, 1964, the Bonds visited Goldeneye, producing the meeting between the writer and the ornithologist. When the Bond couple left, several hours later, the British presented them with the first edition of his latest book (‘We only live Twice‘) with a dedication: ‘To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity. Ian Fleming, Feb 5, 1964 (a great day!)».
Mary, who had already written several books of poetry and fiction, tried to take advantage of the situation and wrote a book called ‘How 007 Got his name’.
A nod from fictional to real Bond
Some of the scenes of the movie ‘Dies another day’ were shot on the beach of La Caleta, in Cádiz, simulating that it was a fictitious Cuban beach, called Los Órganos. In the film there is a memorable event in which James Bond -played by Pierce Brosnan– observes with binoculars like Jinx –Halle Berry– comes out of the water in a sensual way.
They strike up a conversation in which Jinx asks him what he does for a living and 007 replies: “I’m here for the birds. I am an ornithologist. To which Jinx adds: “Ornithologist, what a word. I suppose the owls will keep you busy tonight.’ The dialogue ends with a new intervention by Bond: «There are no owls in The Organs, there is nothing to see until tomorrow. At least outside… And from there… well, you can imagine it.
So you know, the real James Bond was not bold, violent, player or womanizer, but restrained, methodical, thoughtful and with a certain point of shyness, and of course the only thing he spied all his life were birds.