James Bond said: “I’ve always thought that if I ever married I would marry an air hostess.” These are the opening words of Ian Fleming’s short story, Quantum of Solace. The story was originally published in 1960 as part of the short story anthology, For Your Eyes Only. The story is surely Fleming’s most unusual and unique, as it is not an espionage story, nor does Bond play much of a role in it. The tale is set at a dull dinner party hosted by the Governor of Bermuda. After dinner, the Governor tells Bond the story of a young man he knew, who fell in love with and married an air hostess. After she has an affair the relationship dissolves into one of bitterness and hate.
The title, Quantum of Solace, refers to a theory which the Governor calls the “Law of the Quantum of Solace”. This is that human relationships last only as long as a level of basic humanity exists between them. As Bond points out in the text, the phrase means “the amount of comfort”. Fleming’s departure in style with this story was apparently to emulate the famous writer, W. Somerset Maugham.
The 22nd James Bond film is also entitled Quantum of Solace, although only the title is being used for the film. The film is a direct sequel to the 2006 film of Casino Royale and is being released in the UK on 31 October 2008. To tie in with the film's release, Penguin have published the complete short stories of Ian Fleming under the title Quantum of Solace, which is available in both hardback and paperback.
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