NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “John Cleese’s memoir is just about everything one would expect of its author—smart, thoughtful, provocative and above all funny. . . . A picture, if you will, of the artist as a young man.”—The Washington Post
The legendary writer and performer of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame takes readers on a grand tour of his ascent in the entertainment world
John Cleese’s huge comedic influence has stretched across generations; his sharp irreverent eye and the unique brand of physical comedy he perfected now seem written into comedy’s DNA. In this rollicking memoir, Cleese recalls his humble beginnings in a sleepy English town, his early comedic days at Cambridge University (with future Python partner Graham Chapman), and the founding of the landmark comedy troupe that would propel him to worldwide renown.
Cleese was just days away from graduating Cambridge and setting off on a law career when he was visited by two BBC executives, who offered him a job writing comedy for radio. That fateful moment—and a near-simultaneous offer to take his university humor revue to London’s famed West End—propelled him down a different path, cutting his teeth writing for stars like David Frost and Peter Sellers, and eventually joining the five other Pythons to pioneer a new kind of comedy that prized invention, silliness, and absurdity. Along the way, he found his first true love with the actress Connie Booth and transformed himself from a reluctant performer to a world class actor and back again.
Twisting and turning through surprising stories and hilarious digressions—with some brief pauses along the way that comprise a fascinating primer on what’s funny and why—this story of a young man’s journey to the pinnacle of comedy is a masterly performance by a master performer.
- In the News
- Read-Along eBooks for Children
- Get Hooked on a Series- eBook
- Graphic Novels & Comics
- Living on the Edge
- Is It True Dukes Have More Fun?
- Danielle Steel eBooks
- True Stories of World War II
- Biographies of Early Americans - eBooks
- Shifting Sands
- Children's Picture Books
- Mysteries You Might Have Missed
- Kids' Mysteries
- See all
- Read by the Author
- Short Stories for Short Commutes
- Have You Listened to the Most Popular Titles in the Collection?
- Audiobooks the Whole Family Will Enjoy...
- Historical Fiction on Audio
- Get Hooked on a Series- Audio
- Audiobooks You Might Have Missed
- Listen and Learn
- Listen & Learn: Science Nonfiction
- The Girls of Audiobooks
- Book 'em!
- Celebrity Biographies - Audiobooks
- Listen to Your Heart
- See all
- 2019 Ladybug Picture Book Award Nominees
- 2017 Library Reads
- 2018 Library Reads
- NHPR Great 2017 Reads - eBooks
- NHPR Great 2017 Reads - audiobooks
- Book Shimmy Awards
- Isinglass Teen Read Award
- Flume Titles Throughout the Years
- Great Stone Face 2016-2017
- Not Necessarily Award Winners: Books for Boys
- Outstanding Titles for Middle Graders
- Great Stone Face 2017-2018
- Edgar Award Winners
- See all
- Enjoy a Digital Magazine!
- Home & Garden
- Technology
- Cooking, Health, and Fitness Magazines
- Travel Magazines
- See all