riter Ian Fleming created James Bond in the early 1950s. He reasoned that the British public needed a character who would reassure them that England still mattered. The country had not only lost its colonies but had been pushed off the world stage by the emerging rivalry between the US and the USSR post World War II.

As salves go, Bond has worked remarkably well. The international political scenario has altered dramatically with the collapse of the USSR. Attitudes to sex have changed. New heroes have emerged and old ones have disappeared. The entire context in which Bond operates has changed. ... more