Moab is my Washpot

Title: Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry
Genre: Non-fiction, Autobiography
Rating: 4/5

The humorous and frank story of the first twenty years of Stephen Fry's life, following his public school years and his turbulent teens.

I really enjoyed Moab is my Washpot. I've not read many autobiographies in the past, but Stephen Fry's was a joy to read, he's such a genius with words. And his intelligence, or at least his vast knowledge, was evident in the many literary and cultural references throughout the book. The language is a little colourful at points, and the humour a little bawdy but it follows with Fry's style of writing and I didn't find it off-putting.

I have to admit that I was surprised to learn what Fry was like as a child and teen. He seems so friendly now, and it's difficult to picture him causing so much trouble and being arrested in his youth. In Moab is my Washpot, he talks openly about his actions and doesn't make excuses. It's obvious now where many of the ideas for his first novel, The Liar, came from. In fact, he admits to taking whole sections of the book from his own life.

Fry's conversational style of writing and his wit are a joy to read, and I fully plan on reading the rest of his works. Apparently, Fry announced at the beginning of the year that he was taking a break from acting in order to complete a second volume of his autobiography and I await it with bated breath.