Celebrating the work of Ian Fleming at the Henley Literary Festival

With Ian Fleming’s local connections, what better place to mark 50 years of his hugely successful creation than the Henley Literary Festival, at Henley-on-Thames on October 4th 2014.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at 50 with John Burningham & Simon Williams

On this day, multi-award-winning illustrator and author John Burningham – with over 60 books to his credit – will look back on his part in bringing the beloved car to life, as well as his own books including Granpa, Mr Gumpy’s Outing and Borka. As well as John’s stunning illustrations, Simon Williams will be doing a reading from the book, an apt choice as not only a wonderful actor anda Henley favourite, he is married to Lucy Fleming, Ian’s niece.

Matthew Parker: The Name’s Bond

Jamaica is a far cry from Nettlebed where Ian Fleming spent part of his childhood. But from 1946 until the end of his life, he lived for two months of every year at Goldeneye – the house he built on a point of high land on Jamaica’s north coast. Matthew reveals how all of the stories of that most British of icons James Bond were written in Jamiaca, which offered Fleming the perfect mixture of old-fashioned conservatism and imperial values, alongside the dangerous and sensual.

Read more about the book Goldeneye here

Visit the festival website: www.henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk