James Bond’s Creator Picked This Epic Russian Novel as His Favorite—And It’s Not What You’d Expect

Before there were shaken martinis, high-stakes espionage, or Aston Martins, there was Ian Fleming—a man whose own life was as fascinating as the world he created for 007. Best known as the mastermind behind the James Bond franchise, Fleming surprised fans and scholars alike when he revealed, shortly before his death, that his favorite novel wasn’t a spy thriller or even a British classic—but Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

The revelation came in 1963 during Fleming’s appearance on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, a radio program where notable figures share which eight records, one luxury item, and a book they would bring to a deserted island. Though only nine minutes of the audio survive today, it’s documented that Fleming, alongside the Bible and Shakespeare’s works, chose War and Peace as his desert island read—specifically requesting the German translation.

Why the German version? It turns out that Fleming was fluent in both German and French, having studied extensively across Austria, Germany, and Switzerland after leaving Eton. His time in the Alps—spent skiing and mountaineering—would later infuse scenes of icy peril into his Bond adventures. And while his novels brim with action and urgency, his literary heart evidently leaned toward grand philosophical meditations and sweeping narratives.

The choice of War and Peace might seem ironic coming from a writer whose own work defined mid-20th-century pulp fiction. But beneath the tuxedo and gadgets of Bond lay a writer shaped by war, loss, and the complexities of European identity. Fleming, who served in British naval intelligence during World War II, had a deep appreciation for the intricate dance of politics and fate—a theme Tolstoy masterfully unravels in his 1869 masterpiece.

Though Fleming died in 1964 at just 56, having only visited the Goldfinger set before his fatal heart attack, his pick of War and Peace adds a strikingly human layer to his legacy. Behind the spycraft and suave bravado was a man quietly drawn to the existential storms of history, love, and duty—echoes of which, it turns out, were always part of Bond’s world.