Name: Moab is My Washpot
ISBN: 9780099457046

Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is one of the great originals... This autobiography of his first twenty years is a pleasure to read, mixing outrageous acts with sensible opinions in bewildering confusion... That so much outward charm, self-awareness and intellect should exis

Moab is My Washpot

The British author and actor shares his own entertaining gay coming-of-age story, from his tumultuous youth, to the teenage love affair with a fellow schoolboy that had a profound impact on his life, to the attempted suicide, deliquency, and madness that followed. 20,000 first printing.

An Autobiography

anjali

Whatever your expectations for this book, it will outstrip them. No, that's an understatement. It will take those expectations, multiply them with a factor of 10 or so, take you through 60s England, through the land of schoolboy mischief and lies and heartbreak, show you kindness and compassion along the way, go off on tangents about music and madness and philosophy,and leave you with mad props and respect and love for one Mr. Fry.

For that is the heart of it, of this book and of the writing and all that contained therein: Stephen Fry. Incredibly funny, witty, kind, compassionate, brutally honest and very, very clever. 

This is deceptively titled as an autobiography, for it is much, much more than that. Yes, it is a book chronicling the first 20 years of Stephen's life, no doubt - but it is also a book that goes much beyond the life of one schoolboy and into the wild territory of intellectual passions and real world cruelties. Stephen is prone to going off on tangents now and then on anything that tickles his fancy, in the best way possible.


He has more than a way with words, one of the chief reasons why reading this book is such an enjoyable experience. It is a delight to watch Stephen go about anecdotes and essays, conversations and explanations as he weaves his web of verbal dexterity, balances on a trapeze of mental kickbacks and does tricks with words.

Hail Stephen Fry.

Gavin

There are worse teen idols to have, than Fry, Dawkins, Graffin, Rollins, Goldacre, Bangs, Gould, Earls, Pratchett, Banks.

Prashanth Srivatsa

Fry's story is neither enviable nor exceptional. He was always known for his eloquence, both in speech and writing, and his wit alone keeps you up at night. He approaches homosexuality with shocking frankness, and in that, the book may come across as a tirade against everything conventional, but his growth as the bullied Brit in boarding schools is a fun read.

Cams Campbell

This is utterly candid and revealing. The audiobook is read by Stephen Fry himself, which, in this instance, makes it all the more enjoyable. It's quite incredible how open and honest he is in this book, although I suppose that's what autobiographies are all about. 

This follows the first 20 years of his life and gives a great insight into what it's like at prep school amongst other things. I didn't even know what a prep school was, so it was most interesting for me. 

I read this alongside his new autobiography and enjoyed one as much as the other.