Daniel Craig as Bond
It was revealed that Ian Fleming actually wanted to call the iconic character of Bond James Secretan as an early draft of Casino Royale is brought into the spotlight.
Saying out loud “Secretan… James Secretan”, it didn’t flow quite that well compared to the introduction we have all come to love and recognise, “Bond… James Bond”. Fleming resorted to changing the name just before the publication of Casino Royale in 1953.
This weekend was the 60th Anniversary of the book and to mark the occasion, the 1952 version was made available to the public.
In the manuscript, a CIA man introduces himself to 007 at the Hotel Splendide casino by saying: “My name’s Felix Leiter. Glad to meet you.” Bond replies: “Mine’s Secretan. James Secretan.” The word “Secretan” is scribbled out in blue ink, with “Bond” written instead.
The author’s niece, Kate Grimond, voiced her opinions to The Sunday Times of why he might have dropped the name.
“Ian must have realised it would cause confusion if he had Bond known as Bond to his friends and the security services in London, but as Secretan for his cover name to strangers or people he didn’t want to know he was a spy.”
Grimond suggested that the name was derived from the 19th century Swiss philosopher Charles Secrétan. “I’ve no proof but I do know Ian was interested in philosophy,” she said. “He also often chose names from people he knew or had heard of – sometimes an amalgam of more than one person.”
In the manuscript, other well-known characters’ names have also been altered. Miss Moneypenny was originally called Miss Pettavel. With the manuscript, a letter was also made public which reveals that Fleming butted heads with his publisher about the book’s recommended price, claiming that it was too low.
Source: The Independent
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