James Bond Breakfasts at Tiffany's

The young Truman Capote

Ian Fleming

During the 1956 Jamaican sojourn when he was writing “From Russia With Love,” Ian Fleming’s unlikely houseguest at Goldeneye was Truman Capote.

The tall, womanizing English spy novelist and the tiny, effeminate American writer got along well. The creator of James Bond described the creator of Holly Golightly as a “fascinating companion” who told “wonderful stories all day long when we weren’t working.”

When Fleming’s young, wealthy racehorse fancier friend Billy Woodward was shot to death by his wife, Fleming dedicated a novel, “Diamonds Are Forever,” to his memory, no doubt wishing Woodward had heeded him when Woodward asked Fleming what to do about his socially inept ex-showgirl wife, Fleming replied, “Divorce her, old boy. Divorce her.” Capote fictionalized the tragedy in his novella “Answered Prayer.”

Fleming’s wife, Ann, was in England while Capote was Fleming’s

houseguest, and was amused by the notion of them staying together with Noel Coward and Cole Lesley as friendly neighbors.

“Goldeneye was the last heterosexual household,” she quipped. “What will its reputation be now?”

Source: “Ian Fleming” by Andrew Lycett