Usually, when you spend an evening reading a particular book, you don’t think about the story behind its creation or its influence on those around it. And yet, behind every worthy work, there’s an equally interesting story or mystery.
1. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket”
In Edgar Allan Poe’s 1838 novel “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” there is an episode where a ship is wrecked during a storm, and only four people survive on a lifeboat. To avoid dying of hunger, they decide to eat one of their own — a man named Richard Parker. In 1884, a real-life incident took place when the yacht Mignonette sank, and four survivors were stranded in a lifeboat. To survive, three of them killed and ate the cabin boy, whose name was also Richard Parker.
Fact Check: This remarkable coincidence between Poe’s fictional character and the real-life case of Richard Parker is well-documented. Edgar Allan Poe’s novel was published in 1838, and the real incident involved the shipwreck of the Mignonette in 1884, where indeed a cabin boy named Richard Parker was killed and eaten by the others to survive.
Sources:
- “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.” Wikipedia, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Narrative_of_Arthur_Gordon_Pym_of_Nantucket)
- “Cannibalism at sea: the starving Victorian sailors who ate a cabin boy” historyextra.com, (https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/cannibalism-at-sea-sailors-ate-the-cabin-boy/)
2. J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”
In 1995, J.K. Rowling finished working on her book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” Her literary agent sent the manuscript to 12 publishers without success. A year later, an editor at a small publishing house called Bloomsbury agreed to publish “Harry Potter,” though he did not expect it to be successful. He even advised the author to find a regular job, as he believed she wouldn’t make money writing children’s books.
Fact Check: J.K. Rowling’s manuscript for “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was famously rejected by numerous publishers—it’s widely reported that there were around 12 rejections before Bloomsbury accepted the manuscript. After being accepted, Rowling did receive a note advising her not to quit her day job. This story has been confirmed by various sources.
Sources:
- “JK Rowling shares Robert Galbraith rejection letters” BBC, March 25, 2016.
3. Agatha Christie’s “The Pale Horse”
Agatha Christie’s novel “The Pale Horse” once helped save a person’s life because it describes the effects of the poison thallium. In 1977, a patient in a London hospital had an unknown illness. A nurse who had read the detective novel recognized the symptoms of thallium poisoning from the book. Thanks to this realization, the patient received the correct treatment in time and was saved.
Fact Check: The story of Agatha Christie’s novel “The Pale Horse” helping diagnose and save a patient’s life is true. In the 1970s, several reported cases showed how Christie’s detailed descriptions of poison symptoms helped medical professionals diagnose thallium poisoning. Specifically, in 1977, nurse Marsha Maitland recognized the patient’s symptoms from Christie’s novel.
Sources:
- “The true story of how The Pale Horse caught a criminal and saved lives” radiotimes.com, 16 February 2020.
4. Ian Fleming’s “James Bond”
When Ian Fleming conceived his novel about the super-spy, he struggled to find a suitable name for the character. One day, a book on ornithology by James Bond fell into his hands. Upon reading this simple and short name, Fleming realized instantly how to name his hero. Interestingly, in the James Bond film “Die Another Day,” the main character infiltrates Cuba under the guise of an ornithologist. He is seen holding the actual book by the real ornithologist James Bond.
Fact Check: Ian Fleming indeed took the name “James Bond” from an American ornithologist whose book “Birds of the West Indies” he owned. Fleming wanted a simple, unremarkable name for his fictional spy. The cameo with the book “Birds of the West Indies” in the 2002 film “Die Another Day” is also correct: Bond is seen reading a book by the real James Bond as a playful nod to the name’s origin.
Sources:
- Lycett, Andrew. Ian Fleming. Phoenix, 1996.
- “Die Another Day” (2002) – references to James Bond (ornithologist) in the film. IMDb Trivia: (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246460/trivia)
- “James Bond (ornithologist).” Wikipedia, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_(ornithologist))