AutoBiogs and Biogs

[Jocasta]

Not my usual reading but I must recommend
Moab is my Washpot. By Stephen Fry.

'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.'

'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'.

'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'

[Moshe..]

I haven't managed to read anything yet. But I've found lots of videos of him youtube. He's so good at talking. Definitely on my list of dream friends (in a perfect world)!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXpYvf8OVpA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Y7MKaPNyE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Az-JEoVl8

ect

[Jocasta]

You might have put up with me too, Moshe because Fry Junior is also on my list of dream friends.

I'm just waiting for Part II of his autobiography... the next 20 years. Thanks for the links, I'll check them out later.

[Ophelia]

My favorite is Life and Death in Shanghi by Nien Cheng. Taught me so much about China and Mao Zedong and what the Cultural Revolution was all about. This woman is made of steel and she is an inspiration.
From Publishers Weekly
This gripping account of a woman caught up in the maelstrom of China's Cultural Revolution begins quietly. In 1966, only the merest rumblings of political upheaval disturbed the gracious life of the author, widow of the manager of Shell Petroleum in China. As the rumblings fast became a cataclysm, Cheng found herself a target of the revolution: Red Guards looted her home, literally grinding underfoot her antique porcelain and jade treasures; and she was summarily imprisoned, falsely accused of espionage. Despite harsh privationeven tortureshe refused to confess and was kept in solitary confinement for over six years, suffering deteriorating health and mounting anxiety about the fate of her only child, Meiping. When the political climate softened, and she was released, Cheng learned that her fears were justified: Meiping had been beaten to death when she refused to denounce her mother. The candor and intimacy of this affecting memoir make it addictive reading. Its intelligence, passion and insight assure its place among the distinguished voices of our age proclaiming the ascendancy of the human spirit over tyranny.

[MissyO]

I haven't read any recently. I've gotta get back into the habit, I used to read them as a teen and find them inspiring.