The Shadow Library: Stephen Fry

Birthday Books: "More Fool Me" by Stephen Fry

"More Fool Me" is the third and by far the least satisfying of the memoirs of writer and actor Stephen Fry. The first third or so of the book is a rehash (a kinder word might be recapitulation) of his first two volumes. The middle concerns anecdotes and memories of his rising show business career and the people he met. And the last third is simply a transcription of his diary for 1993, which, somehow, although it is full of incident and interesting bits, gives the impression of lazy filler, especially because there seems to be no reflection on or analysis of this period of his life, nor any real reason to end the book where it does. There seem to be no lessons to be learned from his experiences; well, it is a memoir and not a moral or biographical tale.  At most there is a mild self-deprecation for being a "fool" for all his dangerous indulgences. There was an overall air of 'Oh, wasn't I a mad lad for being so naughty, and so lucky a duck to get out of it?'

While I was reading it I was plagued with a nagging familiarity, and not only because of his recycled material about his youth from "Moab is My Washpot" (which was an altogether superior production). Sure enough, looking back I saw I had listened to the book on YouTube when I could not get hold of a material copy, but had completely forgotten the experience. Still, I am glad I bought the book, for a variety of reasons.

The shallowest, perhaps, is that it completes the 'trilogy' so far. Fry really is an engaging writer, and the contradictions of his character make a fascinating study. He is a strange bridge between the traditional and the modern, the Apollonian and the Dionysian, the adult and the childish. He loves history, art, literature, and facts in a vacuum. He is, at bottom, an emotional rather than a rational atheist; reading what he says about his father one gets the impression he would rather not have a Heavenly Pater looking at him with the same distant disapproval at his crimes, follies, and choices. 

Otherwise he loves his family and friends, is charitable, enthusiastic, and wants to be liked while at the same time feeling unworthy of love, and prone to fits of depression. I cannot help but like him. Although ineffably smug sometimes, he is like a high-spirited, somewhat homely puppy that cries out for affection as he does his tricks. I wouldn't mind being his friend. I feel sure we would have plenty of interesting discussions and arguments, though I would win very few of them. Even if I was right. 

Autobiographical: Acting, Actors, and Their Actions

Blessings in Disguise, by Alec Guinness.

A Common Reader Edition. Photos. “The memoirs of the actor Sir Alec Guinness. The book includes pen portraits of such characters as Ralph Richardson, Sybil Thorndike and John Gielgud, as well as accounts of Guinness's film career, religious beliefs and wartime experiences.” – Amazon. Me fellow Cat’lic!

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Autobiography. Soft Cover.

My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor (Softcover) and A Positively Final Appearance (Hardback), by Alec Guinness.

‘My Name’: “Ranging from January 1995 to June 1996, the diary of an esteemed actor, full of touching anecdotes of his acquaintances, presents a witty and revealing look at his major concerns and daily life, capturing the essence of a gifted man. The distinguished English actor offers a collection of spontaneous reflections on the theater, books and art, the church, gatherings with famous friends, and the English countryside.” - Amazon. ‘Final Appearance’: “These journal entries are comprised of Sir Alec Guinness’s observations on Britain during the tumultuous times of Princess Diana’s death and the election of Tony Blair, and comments on his quintessentially English country life with his wife. Written from the summer of 1996 through 1998, A Positively Final Appearance offers frank (and surprising) reflections on the effects of appearing in the Star Wars films, and both hilarious and poignant memories of such well-known performers as Humphrey Bogart and Noel Coward. This delightful, humorous journal is a wonderful legacy from a beloved actor.” – Amazon.

Ranking: Keepers. 

File Code: Autobiographical Essays.

Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Christopher Lee.

Introduction by Peter Jackson. Photos. “From the cult classic The Wicker Man to the blood–thirsty Count Dracula, Christopher Lee has been the face of cinema villainy for decades. In Lord of Misrule, Lee tells the story of his exceptional career, in films like The Curse of Frankenstein, the James Bond classic The Man with the Golden Gun, and more recently, in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. After appearing in more than 300 films, and a legend in his own right, Lee undertook one of the most demanding roles of his career as Saruman in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. Shortly after, as one of the most powerful adversaries in the Star Wars canon, Lee proved that at 80, he is still a commanding screen presence. Written with self–deprecating wit and laced with hilarious anecdotes, Lord of Misrule is a marvelous career history of the man The Guardian called “the coolest actor on the planet.” – Amazon. Just looking it up, they are asking $100 for a used hardback copy of this book!

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Autobiography. Hardback.

Moab is My Washpot and The Fry Chronicles, by Stephen Fry.

With Photos. About ‘Washpot’: “A number one bestseller in Britain, Stephen Fry's astonishingly frank, funny, wise memoir is the book that his fans everywhere have been waiting for. Since his PBS television debut in the Blackadder series, the American profile of this multitalented writer, actor and comedian has grown steadily, especially in the wake of his title role in the film Wilde. Fry has already given readers a taste of his tumultuous adolescence in his autobiographical first novel, The Liar, and now he reveals the equally tumultuous life that inspired it. Sent to boarding school at the age of seven, he survived beatings, misery, love affairs, carnal violation, expulsion, attempted suicide, criminal conviction and imprisonment to emerge, at the age of eighteen, ready to start over in a world in which he had always felt a stranger. One of very few Cambridge University graduates to have been imprisoned prior to his freshman year, Fry is a brilliantly idiosyncratic character who continues to attract controversy, empathy and real devotion.” – Amazon. This first book, the childhood and school years, is the most interesting. About ‘Chronicles’: “The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography is the 2010 autobiography of Stephen Fry. The book is a continuation from the end of his 1997 publication of his first autobiography. Though without a strict chronology, it concentrates on a seven-year period of Fry's life, taking up the story after his release from prison, his time at the University of Cambridge and his career in comedy by the late 1980s.” – Wikipedia. I should note here that while I have always found Fry engaging as an actor, a wit, a personality, and an autobiographer, I have to say I’ve found his novels unreadable. I bought a few, gave them a try, and failed miserably in my efforts to enter.

Ranking: Keepers.

File Code: Autobiography. Hardbacks.

The Groucho Letters, by Groucho Marx.

“Letters From and To Groucho Marx”. “Donated to the Library of Congress in the mid-1960s, Groucho Marx's correspondence was first crafted into this celebration of wit and wisdom in 1967. Reissued today with his original letters and humor intact, The Groucho Letters exposes one of the twentieth century's most beloved comedian's private insights into show biz, politics, business, and, of course, his illustrious personal life. Included are Marx's conversations with such noted personalities as E. B. White, Fred Allen, Goodman Ace, Nunnally Johnson, James Thurber, Booth Tarkington, Alistair Cooke, Harry Truman, Irving Berlin, and S. J. Perelman.” – Amazon. First read this in a coverless paperback that belonged to John; when I got this copy at the San Marcos library sale, I finally gave the coverless paperback to John. “Don't be scared, you'll get it back. I'll give you my personal note for ninety days. If it isn't paid by then, you can keep the note.” – Groucho.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Letters. Biography. Softcover.