Summary of John Gardner Interview 1984

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

John Gardner, the author of the James Bond novel "Role of Honor," discusses his writing process, his thoughts on the character of James Bond, and his upcoming book. He describes how he became a writer and how he views the Bond character.

• 00:00:00 John Gardner was born in England in 1926 and grew up in a coal mining area. His father was an Anglican priest and he worked during the coal miners' strike of 1926. Gardner became a theater critic and eventually published his first book, "The Arts of the Imagination."
• 00:05:00 John Gardner wrote the spy novel "The Liquidator" and it became a bestseller. He then wrote eight more novels in the same genre. In 1979, Fleming's death made Gardner realize that he had been writing with a different audience in mind, and he began writing serious espionage novels.
• 00:10:00 John Gardner wrote three James Bond novels, experiencing a great deal of difficulty in following Ian Fleming's guidelines. He eventually returns to England, where he continues to write.
• 00:15:00 John Gardner, the author of the James Bond novel "Role of Honor," discusses his writing process, his thoughts on the character of James Bond, and his upcoming book.