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I’ve just finished reading Moab is my washpot, by Stephen Fry. A fascinating book by this well known personality.

Stephen Fry is a presenter and actor I always seek out. His compelling documentary on manic depression was a stunning piece of work. His comedy double-act “A bit of Fry and Laurie”, with Hugh Laurie remains one of my favourites, and of course more recently QI: a show that must have been designed with Stephen Fry in mind to present it. Whilst ‘Wilde’ is on my PVR still to be watched, he was superb in ‘Peter’s friends’, and I’m looking forward to watching Wilde just as soon as I can.

But I’d only limited knowledge about Stephen Fry’s life, so when I realised that ‘Moab is my washpot’ was his autobiography of his time before Oxford, I thought it would make an interesting read, so placed it on my christmas list. I’m not normally taken by autobiographies, but this book read almost like a novel. The character he was describing seems so very different from the person we see before us. His sheer honesty about less than admirable traits - he most famously was convicted for credit card theft - makes the book all the more compelling.

I sometimes worry that perhaps I put too much detail about my life, thoughts and opinions on this weblog, or bring up too much personal detail in conversation. I’m not very good at separating my work from my personal life, and don’t really want to. That Stephen Fry has put so much intimate detail about his childhood experiences, thoughts and actions into the public sphere is admirable and very brave. But the result is a book that was very difficult to put down.

Compelling, witty, extremely well written, thought provoking and very, very personal. A unique book, by a fascinating individual, and is very highly recommended. I will certainly be seeking out more of his books in the near future, and also look forward to perhaps a second volume, covering more of his life.