Product Description

'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 exist alongside behaviour that threatened to ruin the lives of innocent victims, noble parents and Fry himself, gives the book a tragic grandeur and lifts it to classic status.' Financial Times

'A remarkable, perhaps even unique, exercise in autobiography... that aroma of authenticity that is the point of all great autobiographies; of which this, I rather think, is one' Evening Standard

'He writes superbly about his family, about his homosexuality, about the agonies of childhood... some of his bursts of simile take the breath away... his most satisfying and appealing book so far' Observer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1240 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Sunday Telegraph
'One of the most poignant, funny, intelligent, frank and horribly addictive books you're likely to read all year'

Synopsis
'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 exist alongside behaviour that threatened to ruin the lives of innocent victims, noble parents and Fry himself, gives the book a tragic grandeur and lifts it to classic status." - "Financial Times". "A remarkable, perhaps even unique, exercise in autobiography - that aroma of authenticity that is the point of all great autobiographies; of which this, I rather think, is one" - "Evening Standard". "He writes superbly about his family, about his homosexuality, about the agonies of childhood - some of his bursts of smile take the breath away- his most satisfying and appealing book so far" - "Observer".

About the Author
As well as being the bestselling author of four novels, The Stars' Tennis Balls, Making History, The Hippopotamus, and The Liar, and the first volume of his autobiography, Moab is My Washpot, Fry has played Peter in Peter's Friends, Wilde in the film Wilde, Jeeves in the television series Jeeves & Wooster and (a closely guarded show-business secret, this) Laurie in the television series Fry & Laurie.

Customer Reviews

fantastic read
like all stephen fry's book this one was brilliant. a fantastic author. once i started reading i could hardly put it down. it's got me started on reading all of his others.

A thoroughly delightful read
I must admit I approached "Moab Is My Washpot" with a tiny bit of trepidation, fearing a bit of a luvvie's memoirs of his time in the theatre and the Cambridge footlights and so on. I am not a bona fide fan of Stephen Fry as such so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the book was such a delightful, poignant, moving and amusing read. It largely takes in the time from his birth to when he gets acepted at Cambridge. For anyone who had a middle-class upbringing in the sixties this book will undoubtedly bring back so many memories - of delightful primary school activities, of school fetes, of bullying grammar/public school teachers, of the hierarchy of children. It is told in a sensitive, affectionate, sometimes self-deprecating but never indulgent way. Fry's recollections are those shared by so many of us - resentful that we didn't win a primary school competition and so on - and he manages to recall certain characters from his youth with such genuine affection. The descriptions of the kindlier of his teachers is some of the most appreciative, evocative and genuine kind writing I have read in a long time.

Fry realises when his behaviour was worthy of shame and opens his heart honestly and accordingly, yet he is never mawkish, merely breathtakingly sincere. Even his accounts of his crush on a younger boy are touching in the extreme, even for one who has not experienced such a thing, it was so vividly described, that one found oneself appreciating the boy's beauty oneself ! In general the school passages are magnificent in every way. Fry really takes the reader into that world which now seems so very long ago.

In keeping with the man, there are also many touches of humour but is nearly all dealt with not unconsiderable pathos. Stephen Fry is a gentleman and a scholar. I could not put this book down and enjoyed every page of it.

Brilliant
Like many of the other reviewers, I found I couldn't put this book down. True some of the language gets a bit complicated in places but Fry's amazing narrative style is so addictive that the few stumbling parts are easily forgiven. It's brilliantly funny, heart-breakingly sad and refreshingly honest, after reading it I would challenge anyone not to feel even slightly moved. Personally I felt a whole rainbow of emotions and I am so glad I read it. I would recommend this to anyone.