You Only Live Twice is the twelfth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. First published by Jonathan Cape on March 16, 1964, it holds the distinction of being the last novel written by Fleming to be published in his lifetime. The novel The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) and the short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights were later published posthumously.

You Only Live Twice is the concluding chapter in what is known as the “Blofeld Trilogy.” The trilogy began with Thunderball, and after the interlude novel The Spy Who Loved Me, resumed with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It marks the final appearance of Ernst Stavro Blofeld and references to his criminal organisation, SPECTRE in Fleming’s novels.

The title is often mistaken as being the work of a Japanese poet named Matsuo Basho; however, the unique title comes from a haiku that James Bond wrote for his friend Tiger Tanaka. It is also mentioned in the novel that it isn’t a haiku at all, that in actuality it is a failed attempt by Bond after being taught the basics for creating a haiku.

In the epigraph and later explained in the novel, the haiku is listed as being “after Basho”, meaning written in the poet’s style.
You only live twice:
Once when you’re born
And once when you look death in the face.

Plot summary: James Bond, his career fading after the wedding-day murder of his wife Tracy Bond, is promoted by M to a special branch of MI6. M, was actually going to offer him dismissal from the secret service, but later changed his mind as a “last chance” opportunity for Bond to shape up. Bond is subsequently re-numbered as 7777 (“four sevens”), and assigned an impossible mission: Convincing the head of Japan’s secret intelligence service, Tiger Tanaka, to provide information about an informant within the Soviet Union, information referred to as Magic 44. In exchange, Tanaka asks Bond to kill Dr Guntram Shatterhand, who operates a politically embarrassing “Garden of Death” where people go to commit suicide, whether they want to or not. Bond accidentally discovers that Shatterhand is his nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and gladly takes the mission, keeping his knowledge of Blofeld a secret so that he can exact his revenge. Aided by former Japanese film star Kissy Suzuki, and, with make up and training, James Bond learns to live and think as a Japanese in order to penetrate Shatterhand’s castle. Bond is renamed by Tiger while on this mission as Taro Todoroki.

Bond ultimately exacts revenge on Blofeld in a sword fighting duel, but, on escaping, suffers a head injury leaving him an amnesiac living as a Japanese fisherman with Kissy, while the rest of the world believes him dead. While Bond’s health improves Kissy conceals his true identity so as to keep him forever to herself, even going as far to marry him in a Japanese ceremony (Kissy never officially becomes his wife). At the novel’s end, however, Bond finds a paper slip with the name Vladivostok written on it, making him wonder if the far-off Russian city is the key to his missing memory. Unbeknownst to Bond, Kissy reveals, in thought, that she is pregnant.

At book’s end, is an obituary written by M for Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR, featuring the majority of his biography, per Fleming. It includes his parents’ names, their fate, and Bond’s Royal Navy service. Most notably, the obituary refers to a series of sensational novels about his exploits — a post-modern/metafictional reference to Fleming’s work; this gave rise to rumours that James Bond might have been based upon a real person. The book, James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 is based upon this premise. Additionally, the same chapter includes an epitaph by Mary Goodnight (MG).

See also:

• Bond novels: Ian Fleming