Unearthed Story From James Bond Creator Will Shock Longtime Fans
In it, you'll find a recently rediscovered story penned by Fleming, which will make even his biggest fans think differently about his writing and reputation. Here's why this newly rediscovered Fleming short story is so cool, where to read it, and what it means for the legacy of James Bond.
What is the new Ian Fleming short story?
In the current issue of The Strand magazine, the long-time mystery and thriller publication has recently unearthed stories from both Ian Fleming and Graham Greene. The Fleming story in The Strand is titled "The Shameful Dream," and it's not about a spy or an assassin at all.
Instead, the story is about an editor of a literary magazine who is 100 percent certain he's going to get fired from his job, because he's been ominously summoned to a meeting with his very rich boss. With a good amount of humor, but also self-deprecation, the narrator goes into all sorts of hypothetical situations in his mind, but also recalls the ways in which many of his other colleagues were fired or maneuvered into quitting outright. The stakes are oddly low, but the psychological realism and wit are compelling and gripping.
This is a story that represents what Fleming might have been like had he not become a thriller writer, but instead, a writer of odd short stories. Fleming was very good friends with the author Kingsley Amis in real life. This story has more of a touch of that kind of writing, a sort of short story version of Lucky Jim with smart observations about social class and money. It may not be the greatest Fleming work of all time, but it is a revelation. Before he invented James Bond, Fleming's older brother, Peter Fleming, was a well-known writer and considered a true literary talent. In some ways, "The Shameful Dream" represents a road not taken for Ian Fleming, a style of writing that may have put him in the same class as his brother.Are there more lost Ian Fleming Stories?
The newest unearthed Ian Fleming short story in The Strand is not the only bit of new lost Fleming writing out there. It's actually an excerpt from a new book called Talk of the Devil, which was published in May in the U.S. by Harper Collins.
Talk of the Devil includes this new short story, as well as several unpublished essays and various travelogues, which Fleming was famous for. While we're waiting for more news about the next James Bond film, The Strand's new excerpt and Talk of the Devil are great ways to dive deep into the universe of James Bond, and into unexplored artistic territories, charted by the man who started it all.Unearthed Story From James Bond Creator Will Shock Longtime Fans first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 24, 2025
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Elle
4 hours ago
- Elle
Manny Jacinto Has Been With Actress Dianne Doan for Years and Years
THE RUNDOWN: If you're planning to catch Manny Jacinto as Lindsay Lohan's love interest in Freakier Friday (out now), then you might also be curious about Jacinto's romantic life off-screen. Though he's affectionately referred to as 'the internet's boyfriend,' Jacinto belongs to one woman: He's married to the Descendants actress Dianne Doan, and they got engaged in 2019. Here's everything we know about his dating history. Jacinto is married to the actress Dianne Doan, and he proposed to her in November 2019. In an interview with Vulture, he explained how he planned the day they got engaged: 'I took her to places that really meant a lot to us,' he said. 'Where I first met her, where I first saw her, where we had our first date, and where we had our first dance class.' Doan is a Canadian actress most known for the Descendants films, Warrior, and Grey's Anatomy. Back in 2023, she shared how she met Jacinto. '[We] were dancers, and we met in a hip-hop fundamentals training program called Soldiers in Vancouver,' she said. 'He wasn't [even] acting yet.' She didn't mention a year, so it's unclear when they met, but Jacinto's first acting credit was in 2012, so it's safe to say that it was before then. According to People, the couple did get married, though the exact date is unknown. Jacinto said they were planning to have their ceremony in Vancouver in an interview shortly after their engagement. 'We like it out there,' he said. 'A lot of important moments have happened out there, so I think we'd like to keep it within that city because it's very special to us.' Though Jacinto is relatively private about his relationship with Doan, they often make red carpet appearances together. On July 22, they attended the Freakier Friday premiere in Los Angeles. Doan posted a photo dump from the premiere on Instagram. She also brought her sister Annie along, and met Chad Michael Murray. In her caption, she wrote, 'Proud is an understatement🥹 We had such a great time celebrating the premiere of Freakier Friday. Having my sister by my side and meeting CMM made our night! BEST SISTER TRIP YET😝 get ready for a fun time on August 8th!' And on July 31, the couple attended the U.K. premiere of Freakier Friday in London. Aside from Doan, Jacinto has not been publicly linked to anyone else.
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Gutfeld reminds Fallon they've met before during late-night appearance
Fox News contributor Tom Shillue joins 'America's Newsroom' to break down Greg Gutfeld's appearance on 'The Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon and what it means for late-night TV culture.
Fox News
7 hours ago
- Fox News
John Cena's hair transplant changed his life years after he was 'run out' of Hollywood
Before John Cena was a movie star, he was a WWE star, but his rise to movie stardom wasn't easy. "I was run out of the movie business in 2009 for doing bad movies where I wasn't present," Cena, 48, told People magazine. "I thought that just because I wore a golden leather belt on Monday and Friday, they'd come see whatever I'm doing. It's not true." He began his acting career with roles in movies such as "The Marine" and "12 Rounds." However, Cena didn't see success until the 2010s with roles in "Trainwreck," "Blockers" and "The Suicide Squad." His role as Peacemaker in the DC Extended Universe "changed [his life]." The 2021 movie has since been turned into a TV series. "It's a great show that's more than just action," he told the outlet. "It's a love story. It's a workplace comedy. We're the long shots, the lovable losers." As he retires from the WWE ring and moves his focus toward acting full-time, Cena made one move that he hopes will revitalize his career – a hair transplant. "A different hairstyle can identify a part that can get me more work, do the thing I love to do," he told People. WWE fans wouldn't let the wrestler hide his hair loss, which ultimately helped him make his decision. "As I was trying to hide my hair loss, the audience was bringing it to light," he told the outlet. "I saw their signs that said 'The bald John Cena.' They pushed me into going to see what my options were." The attention to his receding hairline led Cena to develop a lengthy routine and get a hair transplant. "I now have a routine: red-light therapy, minoxidil, vitamins, shampoo, conditioner – and I also got a hair transplant last November," he revealed. "I hate the fact that if there wasn't so much shame around it, I'd have gotten it done 10 years ago. I thought I was alone, but seven or eight out of 10 [men] suffer from thinning or baldness." "They don't do anything except move your hair, one by one, from one area to another," Cena explained. He gets "fired up" about the topic because it "completely changed the course" of his life. "If somebody's going to sweat me for that, I don't think there's any shame in that." Cena's transition from the WWE to Hollywood wasn't easy. Last year, Cena gave advice to NFL star Travis Kelce, who has taken on some acting roles on top of playing for three-time Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs. "I would inspire him to reflect on his journey," Cena said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "He didn't become a Super Bowl champion in a year… This is the one misconception that a lot of people have... 'You were born for this.' I was not. I worked very hard and suffered a lot of setbacks and looked ridiculous and had a lot of failures. But I have a lot of people supporting me, and I just never gave up." Cena joined the "Fast and Furious" franchise in 2021, playing Vin Diesel's character's brother in "Fast 9: The Fast Saga" and "Fast X." He also made a cameo in "Barbie" in 2023, and starred in the Hulu original movies "Vacation Friends" and "Vacation Friends 2." He announced his retirement from the WWE in July 2024. Cena began his WWE career in 2002 on "Smackdown!" as "The Prototype," eventually transforming into his rapper persona, the "Doctor of Thuganomics." Throughout his career, Cena has won a record-breaking 17 WWE world championships. "I've always said to the audience that WWE is my home and I love it," Cena told reporters in July 2024. "Just because I physically feel I'm at my end, doesn't mean I need to distance myself from something I love."
