tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post1411888195450648051..comments2024-03-28T20:46:22.875+00:00Comments on Clothes In Books: You Only Live Twice by Ian FlemingClothes In Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-10917978659355700582016-12-02T22:31:31.456+00:002016-12-02T22:31:31.456+00:00Yes indeed that IS interesting, and strange, it wo...Yes indeed that IS interesting, and strange, it would be good to read an overview of these traditions and attitudes.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-13302684529619373002016-12-01T02:45:34.438+00:002016-12-01T02:45:34.438+00:00Interesting -- I was stationed in Japan for three ...Interesting -- I was stationed in Japan for three years but am no expert on the country or its traditions*. I do remember after Fukushima reading about the mourning rituals being observed for the livestock and the pets that died (and seeing a photograph of a rather touching set of cat reliquaries (wish I could figure out how to attach a jpeg file. I used the photograph for a conference presentation). <br /><br />It's hard to reconcile this kind of respect for animals with a complete lack of honor for human bodies, isn't it?<br />Shayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16527241089629026268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-68980217186634138652016-12-01T01:51:34.332+00:002016-12-01T01:51:34.332+00:00Oh that is very interesting, and not something I k...Oh that is very interesting, and not something I knew about at all. In the book Bond goes into some detail about the Japanese attitude to death, saying that, for example, after a road accident no-one has any care or respect for the bodies...Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-45214681579561864642016-12-01T01:49:30.045+00:002016-12-01T01:49:30.045+00:00The more I pursue both books and films the more di...The more I pursue both books and films the more different they seem to be, Prashant, you are quite right! They have diverged widely over the years.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-7403548551740560632016-12-01T01:48:54.779+00:002016-12-01T01:48:54.779+00:00I'd not heard of the Winnetou books, so just ...I'd not heard of the Winnetou books, so just looked them up - how very interesting! The mind boggles slightly. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-6835103149207642712016-12-01T01:46:15.167+00:002016-12-01T01:46:15.167+00:00HOnestly, it is a bit like that - very dream-like ...HOnestly, it is a bit like that - very dream-like and weird. I gather the film is nothing like. But it was an interesting departure on Fleming's part at this stage in the series. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-5838316263289469692016-11-30T18:47:56.468+00:002016-11-30T18:47:56.468+00:00You mentioned that it seems a plot hole that the J...You mentioned that it seems a plot hole that the Japanese “care nothing for death, while actually respecting suicide”, so why are they so anxious to eliminate the garden of death.<br />That made me wonder how it plays out in real life in the modern day. In the Atlas Obscura article on the Aokigahara Suicide Forest, I read: “Due to the vastness of the forest, desperate visitors are unlikely to encounter anyone once inside […], so the police have mounted signs reading ‘Your life is a precious gift from your parents,’ and ‘Please consult the police before you decide to die!’ on trees throughout. […]<br />“Japanese authorities discontinued publishing exact suicide numbers in order to avoid making the place even more popular.”Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07654359127201908334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-5391412049328317812016-11-30T12:16:25.786+00:002016-11-30T12:16:25.786+00:00Moira, after reading many of your reviews of Ian F...Moira, after reading many of your reviews of Ian Fleming's novels, I can't help thinking that they lack the glamour and attraction of the Bond movies. Although, I'm sure they are entertaining to read.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-62492884976495657152016-11-30T04:33:12.499+00:002016-11-30T04:33:12.499+00:00Old Shatterhand is (was)a recurring character in t...Old Shatterhand is (was)a recurring character in the Winnetou books by Karl May, but how this name made it into a Bond book is anyone's guess.Shayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16527241089629026268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-38738410336701789342016-11-29T20:37:09.223+00:002016-11-29T20:37:09.223+00:00This is a very strange series, each book so differ...This is a very strange series, each book so different. From your description here this almost sounds like a fantasy novel, without magic or elves, etc.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-10453183144354513022016-11-29T17:14:11.251+00:002016-11-29T17:14:11.251+00:00Amazingly contemporary isn't it...Amazingly contemporary isn't it...Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-18457626055235254212016-11-29T12:10:03.033+00:002016-11-29T12:10:03.033+00:00I LOVE the quote about the Brits. Well, I don'...I LOVE the quote about the Brits. Well, I don't "love" it, but it is so spot on.Daniel Milford-Cottamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07387407272852763234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-36608875991284005512016-11-28T23:13:30.821+00:002016-11-28T23:13:30.821+00:00That's a great way of looking at the plot, and...That's a great way of looking at the plot, and tallies with the dream-like quality of those scenes in the book, they really are surreal and strange. I know, you do long to know how Fleming would have gone on - it's so sad to contemplate him near the end, knowing he was ill and wouldn't survive just when he had achieved success, fame and riches. <br />I like Bond when he talks about the UK in his witty, gentle and affectionate way. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-11589814531762721792016-11-28T23:11:09.493+00:002016-11-28T23:11:09.493+00:00Solid gold fact, Sergio! Yes, my limited knowledge...Solid gold fact, Sergio! Yes, my limited knowledge of the film (which I will watch...) does suggest a quite different plot.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-75204701025514089402016-11-28T23:10:39.619+00:002016-11-28T23:10:39.619+00:00I have never seen the film and now quite want to. ...I have never seen the film and now quite want to. And there is something quite haunting about the garden of death in the book.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-24701370236056243602016-11-28T20:55:35.618+00:002016-11-28T20:55:35.618+00:00It is an absolutely fascinating book. I read it at...It is an absolutely fascinating book. I read it at a very early age, and out of sequence, but it made a real impression on me. The parts set in the Garden of Death gave me the shivers, and when I re-read the book years after the first time, I realised that I had remembered them almost perfectly. They are nightmarish in the truest sense.<br /><br />You do end up wondering how Fleming might have progressed as a writer if not for his early death. The novel is shot through with images and ideas of life, death and rebirth. At the beginning there is the broken, shattered Bond who can no longer function. He is stripped of his 00-prefix and figuratively dies, only to be reborn as 7777 in his semi-diplomatic mission. Later on he has to die as Bond to be reborn as his Japanese fisherman disguise. Finally he must travel through the Garden of Death and into the Castle of Death and kill Death himself (by now Blofeld has become truly monstrous, Tanaka calling him a 'Devil who has taken human form') before dying and being reborn again. I'm not sure if Fleming was aware of all of this, and it was certainly missed by all of the sneering highbrow critics of the time, but once your aware of these themes, they give the novel an extra depth.<br /><br />That attack on the British could almost come from a leader article today! It's interesting that it triggers an equally splenetic response from Bond, who goes on to champion his country against Tanaka's criticism. I've always thought that it goes a long way to rebuffing John Le Carre's claim that Bond is unpatriotic, since the speech that he gives could almost be from Richard Hannay, or Bulldog Drummond, or any of the patriotic, pipe-smoking old-fashioned pre-War heroes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-50656636247266817112016-11-28T13:18:59.820+00:002016-11-28T13:18:59.820+00:00I remember this as being rather morbid and of cour...I remember this as being rather morbid and of course being shocked that is had practically nothing common with the movie - but then, that was written by Roald Dahl ... Sergio (Tipping My Fedora)https://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-3794257230754558412016-11-28T12:16:34.882+00:002016-11-28T12:16:34.882+00:00This does sound strange, Moira. I remember seeing ...This does sound strange, Moira. I remember seeing the film many years ago. I have to confess I don't remember much about it, but I do remember liking the Japanese setting for a lot of the film. And it sounds as though it's done even better in the book. As you say, unusual, but sounds like fun. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com