Moab is my Washpot
ISBN: 9780099457046
Description
Stephen Fry's autobiography, covering the first 20 years of his life. Fry is candid about his many weaknesses, including stealing, cheating and lying. Fry writes about his older brother Roger, Bunce (the new boy at his prep school, Stouts Hill), Jo Wood (his best friend at Uppingham), and Oliver Derwent (a prefect who "seduces" Fry).
Reviewed on 23rd September 2010
Stephen Fry's autobiography (volume one...) covers the years from his first day of prep school to the day he seeks employment in one at age 20. He writes candidly about his emotions and experiences in an informal and somewhat rambling manner.
The casual writing style makes Fry feel very approachable and his asides make the book far more interesting a read than most in this genre. Although it's loosely chronological he flits around time every so often to fill in blanks and tell stories that would otherwise be missed, and to refer to his research while writing.
Fry's depiction of life at boarding school is much more vivid and detailed than most and he is very open about the sexual activities that occur - something that most literature fails to mention. A sense of realism pervades, and Fry goes out of his way to paint himself as an evil child - a mastermind of theft and lies - and yet in doing so still manages to endear himself to the reader.
I have really enjoyed this read and am looking forward to the new sequel and it's depictions of Fry's adult life and work.
