Stephen Fry
Author of Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold
About the Author
Stephen Fry is an award-winning comedian, actor, presenter, and director. He is also the bestselling author of four novels - The Stars' Tennis Balls, Making History, The Hippopotamus, and The Liar-as well as two previous memoirs- Moab Is My Washpot and The Fry Chronicles, the latter of which is show more available from The Overlook Press. show less
Disambiguation Notice:
Note: Both Mrs Stephen Fry and Edna Fry are pseudonyms of Stephen Fry used on: Mrs. Fry's Diary and How to Have an Almost Perfect Marriage.
Series
Works by Stephen Fry
Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined (2018) — Author; Narrator, some editions — 2,524 copies, 45 reviews
Troy: The Greek Myths Reimagined (2020) — Author; Narrator, some editions — 1,800 copies, 27 reviews
The Tales of Max Carrados 9 copies
QI: The H Series - 3-DVD Set ( QI: The H Series (Series 9) ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (2010) 2 copies
7 Deadly Sins 2 copies
Paddington Here and Now 2 copies
Odissea 1 copy
[Unknown Titles] 1 copy
Galaxy 1 copy
The Tooth Fairy Movie! 1 copy
Pocoyo: Pocoyo Circus 1 copy
QI : A-F and part of G 1 copy
Fry and Laurie Read Daudet and Jerome: Letters from My Windmill & Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow 1 copy
Fry Stephen 1 copy
עושים היסטוריה 1 copy
Associated Works
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) (1997) — Narrator, some editions — 153,393 copies, 2,212 reviews
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998) — Narrator, some editions — 125,260 copies, 1,089 reviews
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) — Narrator, some editions — 121,757 copies, 1,077 reviews
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003) — Narrator, some editions — 113,436 copies, 932 reviews
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005) — Narrator, some editions — 112,949 copies, 993 reviews
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) — Narrator, some editions — 108,254 copies, 1,639 reviews
The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time (2002) — Foreword, some editions — 7,066 copies, 71 reviews
Letters of Note: Volume 1: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience (2013) — Narrator, some editions — 992 copies, 37 reviews
The Book of General Ignorance : The Noticeably Stouter Edition (2009) — Foreword, some editions — 389 copies, 9 reviews
The Four Horsemen: The Conversation That Sparked an Atheist Revolution (2019) — Foreword — 350 copies, 5 reviews
Sherlock Holmes (unspecified) (2008) — Narrator, some editions; Narrator, some editions — 325 copies, 7 reviews
Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection (2017) — Narrator; Introduction — 242 copies, 6 reviews
Writers on Writing, 2: More Collected Essays from the New York Times (2003) — Contributor — 200 copies, 3 reviews
Oscar Wilde's Stories for All Ages (2009) — Introduction; Narrator, some editions; Compiler; Editor — 72 copies
Fantastic Mr. Fox and Other Animal Stories: Includes Esio Trot, The Enormous Crocodile & The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (2004) — Narrator, some editions — 46 copies, 5 reviews
Piglet Meets a Heffalump and Other Stories [dramatized] (2006) — Narrator, some editions — 30 copies
Stephen Fry Presents a Selection of Anton Chekhov's Short Stories (2009) — Narrator — 29 copies, 3 reviews
Welcome to Biscuit Land: A Year in the Life of Touretteshero (2012) — Foreword — 21 copies, 1 review
Absolute Power: Series 1 — Actor — 14 copies
Kingdom: Series 3 9 copies
The Best of Paddington Bear (Unabridged Audiobook, 3-in-1) (1985) — Reader, some editions — 8 copies, 2 reviews
The Dropout [2022 TV miniseries] 2 copies
BBC Proms 2016 : Prom 43 : Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim and the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra [video recording] (2016) — Special guest — 1 copy
The Secret Policeman's Balls — Actor — 1 copy
BBC Proms 2020 : Prom 01 : First Night of the Proms : Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ [video recording] (2020) — Interviewed Guest — 1 copy
Absolute Power: Series 2 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Fry, Stephen
- Legal name
- Fry, Stephen John
- Other names
- Fry, Mrs Stephen (pseudonym)
Fry, Edna (pseudonym) - Birthdate
- 1957-08-24
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Cambridge (MA | 1981 | Queens' College)
- Occupations
- actor
writer
comedian
television presenter
film director
administrator (show all 7)
atheist - Organizations
- Noël Coward Society (vice president)
Cambridge University Quiz Society
British Humanist Association (distinguished supporter)
Dundee University (rector|1992-1998)
Garrick Club (member) - Awards and honors
- Commander of the Order of the Phoenix (2021)
Pipe Smoker of the Year (2003)
Best Game Show Host (Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival | 2006)
Lifetime Achievement Award (British Comedy Awards | 2007)
Special Recognition Award (National Television Awards | 2010)
British LGBT award (Hero of the people | 2019) (show all 9)
AoC Gold Award (2004)
Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism (Harvard Humanist Chaplaincy | 2011)
Best Actor (Seattle International Film Festival | 1998) - Agent
- Anthony Goff (David Higham Associates)
- Relationships
- Spencer, Elliott (husband)
Laurie, Hugh (comedy partner) - Short biography
- Best known for his comedic work in the 1980s and 1990s with fellow UK actor Hugh Laurie as half of the comedy team Fry & Laurie, and as Jeeves in the UK television series adaptation of P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster books. Has also portrayed Oscar Wilde in the UK film Wilde. Has also worked with Ade Edmonson and Rick Mayall, often guest-starring in their own television series', The Young Ones and Filthy, Rich & Catflap, with comedic partner Laurie.
Has battled bipolar disorder. Is a self-described technology fiend.
Currently spends a lot of time on his iPhone updating his Twitter microblog. - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Hampstead, London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Booton, Norfolk, England, UK
London, England, UK - Map Location
- England, UK
- Disambiguation notice
- Note: Both Mrs Stephen Fry and Edna Fry are pseudonyms of Stephen Fry used on: Mrs. Fry's Diary and How to Have an Almost Perfect Marriage.
Members
Discussions
British Author Challenge April 2026: Kit de Waal & Stephen Fry in 75 Books Challenge for 2026 (May 9)
August 2013: "Der Sterne Tennisbälle" von Stephen Fry in Online-Lesekreis (August 2013)
Reviews
Stephen Fry made the right decisions. There's no denying it, with this novel, Fry made the right decisions about how his characters would behave and why. In any other fictional narrative authors would have chosen the widely worn path and turned this story into shite. Not Fry, and let me explain why. We meet a lot of typical Brits right at the very beginning. A pretty school girl working at the Hard Rock cafe, a closeted fake upper class tosser by the name of Ashley who's diary in public show more school causes a tremendous amount of trouble, and Ned the stereo typical all-round good guy who you instantly hate because there's nothing to loathe. Through a curious and extremely coincidental set of circumstances Ned is framed for a crime has no knowledge of committing. He lands in an island based insane asylum and is slowly being convinced he made up his entire former life. Until he meets Babe. The old Socrates/Darwin/Richard Harris type personage helps Ned to reconstruct his life, his ego and his belief in himself. Ned is also taught several languages, problem solving skills, literature, etc, etc. When Babe passes away Ned uses the opportunity to flee from the prison asylum and setup a new life with the massive fortune Babe had 'appropriated' from various government schemes in his former life as a spy. From this point there is only one thing on Ned's mind: Revenge.
Granted this novel is a direct re-telling of the famous The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Unlike that famous romanticized adventure novel Fry's version is a bit darker and nastier. Granted the characters are still very much over the top and the events are appropriately Baroque. But even with the inwardly shallow characters, the predictable romance and the obvious supporting cast there is something grand to be gleaned here. Dumas and every other author or film writer who has ever re-worked the story always chose to end the novel with some sort of reconciliation. The main character changes slowly after his escape from prison, he realizes there is still hope for a happy life and he makes peace with his past. That's the same idiocy as for example the psychopath Dexter turning into a lovable likable character the longer the tv show continues to run.
Of course that's not how these stories should end and Fry knows it. Characters learn and adapt but they don't change from saints to madman and back again. Ned acts and lives out his life as he would have and should have. It is both the best part of the novel as well as its weakness. To say it in a different way: the retribution and satisfaction achieved by the main character in Dumas' original is what sold it and what made it famous, it is also what prevents Fry's version from becoming a classic of the same stature.
Stephen Fry is well known to love language. He lives in it, bathes in it and dresses in it. The fact that he writes in it is an unfortunate side effect however. There is so much emphasis on Wilderesque language and anagrammatic stunts and foibles that some plot elements can become quite ridiculous. Coincidence is what drives the twists in this story. Unlike Dumas' version where events appear unusual but not unlikely, Fry's version leaps over the edge of the fantastic. It is the use of language that tips us off to perhaps Fry's personal reasons for creating this story. Knowing the fascination Fry has with Oscar Wilde, one has to wonder if perhaps this retelling is a way for the author to take his own personal revenge on those who incarcerated Wilde. Certain facts and characters that were changed from Cristo to Revenge can be seen as Wildish modifications. The character of Ashley for example stands out as such. In the end the balance of strange plot twists, shallow characters but persistent and believable human behavior is in Fry's favor. He has delivered an intriguing and pleasant read that is highly entertaining. show less
Granted this novel is a direct re-telling of the famous The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Unlike that famous romanticized adventure novel Fry's version is a bit darker and nastier. Granted the characters are still very much over the top and the events are appropriately Baroque. But even with the inwardly shallow characters, the predictable romance and the obvious supporting cast there is something grand to be gleaned here. Dumas and every other author or film writer who has ever re-worked the story always chose to end the novel with some sort of reconciliation. The main character changes slowly after his escape from prison, he realizes there is still hope for a happy life and he makes peace with his past. That's the same idiocy as for example the psychopath Dexter turning into a lovable likable character the longer the tv show continues to run.
Of course that's not how these stories should end and Fry knows it. Characters learn and adapt but they don't change from saints to madman and back again. Ned acts and lives out his life as he would have and should have. It is both the best part of the novel as well as its weakness. To say it in a different way: the retribution and satisfaction achieved by the main character in Dumas' original is what sold it and what made it famous, it is also what prevents Fry's version from becoming a classic of the same stature.
Stephen Fry is well known to love language. He lives in it, bathes in it and dresses in it. The fact that he writes in it is an unfortunate side effect however. There is so much emphasis on Wilderesque language and anagrammatic stunts and foibles that some plot elements can become quite ridiculous. Coincidence is what drives the twists in this story. Unlike Dumas' version where events appear unusual but not unlikely, Fry's version leaps over the edge of the fantastic. It is the use of language that tips us off to perhaps Fry's personal reasons for creating this story. Knowing the fascination Fry has with Oscar Wilde, one has to wonder if perhaps this retelling is a way for the author to take his own personal revenge on those who incarcerated Wilde. Certain facts and characters that were changed from Cristo to Revenge can be seen as Wildish modifications. The character of Ashley for example stands out as such. In the end the balance of strange plot twists, shallow characters but persistent and believable human behavior is in Fry's favor. He has delivered an intriguing and pleasant read that is highly entertaining. show less
Can you have a mid-life crisis at twenty-four? Or is it just the usual crisis of adulthood, something I was going to have to get used to until I doddered into oblivion? For the past year, I realised, I had been suffering from this pain, this leaking of hot lead in my stomach. Every morning when I awoke and stared at the ceiling and listened to Jane’s gentle snoring it flooded my gut, a dark swell of recognition that here was another pissing day to be got through as me. How can you tell if show more that’s freakish or usual? No one ever says. The ceaselessly expanding Christian Societies in the university would tell you that it was a sign that you needed room for Christ in your life. That your ache was a vacuum in the soul. Yeah, right. Sure. It was the same void that drugs filled, I supposed. I had thought too that maybe this was what Jane was for. No, not what Jane was for, what Love was for. Then either I didn’t love Jane as I should or this was another blown theory. The longings of a creative spirit then? Maybe my soul craved expression in Art? But: can’t draw, can’t write, can’t sing, can’t play. Great. Where does that leave me? A kind of Salieri deal perhaps. Cursed with enough of divine fire to recognise it in others, but not enough to create anything myself. Aw, rats . . .
Even tho I love Stephen Fry's books (and pretty much everything else he shares with the world), Making History has been lingering on my kindle without even tempting me to start this. Why is that?
Well, I unfortunately was put of by the premise that promised time travel that would culminate in the prevention of Hitler, two subjects that really don't intrigue me at all.
When I started the book, the misgivings I had with the premise continued: I liked Fry's writing but I still couldn't get to grips with reading what was in part a biography of Hitler, which, well, I had not planned on ever reading. I even found myself skimming some of those parts. It was written really well, but not something I would have engaged with if it had been by any other author.
However, I knew enough about Stephen Fry to be intrigued as to how he would handle the subject and how he would tie up the various parallel story lines.
And of course the second story line about a history student who has just submitted his PhD thesis, was quirky enough and contained all the good parts, the parts where Fry questions things like the relationship between science and art, and how society attributes more importance to one rather than the other.
But then it happened: At about the half-way point, two things happened:
For one, I realised how unusual it is to read a WWI account (even tho fiction) from a German perspective. What is more, Fry did this rather well and without resorting to a lot of stereotyping or using cliches.
The second change was that the story suddenly changed a gear when the two plots crossed, and when we get to read Fry's conjectured alternate reality, which is not as, erm, peachy as the simple solution erasing Hitler's existence from the 20th century may seem.
The second half of the book had me gripped. If I had not arranged to meet with a friend for lunch, I would have read this book straight through all morning.
What I loved about Fry's story is that he did not rely on a naive plot, but actually put a lot of thought into his conjectures, where one change effects so many things that outcomes are not predictable. And, yet, despite the sensitive subjects that Fry brought up, there is an overarching tone of hope for humankind, even if the book focuses on the balance between the good and the bad that comes with every action.
I absolutely loved it.
Unfortunately, this is the last of Fry's novels that I hadn't read, yet, so I can only hope that he will at some point write another one. I love his other books (the non-fiction ones), but his fiction work is rather special to me. show less
Even tho I love Stephen Fry's books (and pretty much everything else he shares with the world), Making History has been lingering on my kindle without even tempting me to start this. Why is that?
Well, I unfortunately was put of by the premise that promised time travel that would culminate in the prevention of Hitler, two subjects that really don't intrigue me at all.
When I started the book, the misgivings I had with the premise continued: I liked Fry's writing but I still couldn't get to grips with reading what was in part a biography of Hitler, which, well, I had not planned on ever reading. I even found myself skimming some of those parts. It was written really well, but not something I would have engaged with if it had been by any other author.
However, I knew enough about Stephen Fry to be intrigued as to how he would handle the subject and how he would tie up the various parallel story lines.
And of course the second story line about a history student who has just submitted his PhD thesis, was quirky enough and contained all the good parts, the parts where Fry questions things like the relationship between science and art, and how society attributes more importance to one rather than the other.
But then it happened: At about the half-way point, two things happened:
For one, I realised how unusual it is to read a WWI account (even tho fiction) from a German perspective. What is more, Fry did this rather well and without resorting to a lot of stereotyping or using cliches.
The second change was that the story suddenly changed a gear when the two plots crossed, and when we get to read Fry's conjectured alternate reality, which is not as, erm, peachy as the simple solution erasing Hitler's existence from the 20th century may seem.
The second half of the book had me gripped. If I had not arranged to meet with a friend for lunch, I would have read this book straight through all morning.
What I loved about Fry's story is that he did not rely on a naive plot, but actually put a lot of thought into his conjectures, where one change effects so many things that outcomes are not predictable. And, yet, despite the sensitive subjects that Fry brought up, there is an overarching tone of hope for humankind, even if the book focuses on the balance between the good and the bad that comes with every action.
I absolutely loved it.
Unfortunately, this is the last of Fry's novels that I hadn't read, yet, so I can only hope that he will at some point write another one. I love his other books (the non-fiction ones), but his fiction work is rather special to me. show less
Stories from mythology have a certain familiarity no matter who is telling the tale; what makes them interesting reading is the particular slant adopted in telling the familiar tale and the tone of language.
Writing for adults, Fry’s Mythos trilogy (Mythos in 2019, Heroes in 2020, and Troy in 2021) covers the range of classical Greek myths. Across the three books, his re-tellings incorporate some of the more obscure details of the stories but his prose has a wit and dry humor that matches show more 21st century sensibilities.
Fry’s version grasps the point made by Robert Graves about the purposes of mythology being (a) to answer awkward questions and (b) reinforce the existing social structure. Fry in his introduction writes “Greeks did not grovel before their gods. They were aware of their vain need to be supplicated and venerated, but they believed men were their equal. Their myths understand that whoever created this baffling world, with its cruelties, wonders, caprices, beauties, madness and injustice, must themselves have been cruel, wonderful, capricious, beautiful, mad and unjust. The Greeks created gods that were in their image: warlike but creative, wise but ferocious, loving but jealous, tender but brutal, compassionate but vengeful.”
Fry’s books do not sanitize the behaviors of either gods or heroes, so I stress that these are not intended for middle-school readers or younger. However, grown-ups will find the trilogy to be an enjoyable and thoroughly immersive reading experience. show less
Writing for adults, Fry’s Mythos trilogy (Mythos in 2019, Heroes in 2020, and Troy in 2021) covers the range of classical Greek myths. Across the three books, his re-tellings incorporate some of the more obscure details of the stories but his prose has a wit and dry humor that matches show more 21st century sensibilities.
Fry’s version grasps the point made by Robert Graves about the purposes of mythology being (a) to answer awkward questions and (b) reinforce the existing social structure. Fry in his introduction writes “Greeks did not grovel before their gods. They were aware of their vain need to be supplicated and venerated, but they believed men were their equal. Their myths understand that whoever created this baffling world, with its cruelties, wonders, caprices, beauties, madness and injustice, must themselves have been cruel, wonderful, capricious, beautiful, mad and unjust. The Greeks created gods that were in their image: warlike but creative, wise but ferocious, loving but jealous, tender but brutal, compassionate but vengeful.”
Fry’s books do not sanitize the behaviors of either gods or heroes, so I stress that these are not intended for middle-school readers or younger. However, grown-ups will find the trilogy to be an enjoyable and thoroughly immersive reading experience. show less
Well, with the lockdowns, it took me not quite 6 months to finish this on audio (I can only listen in the car), but I finally did it. It was, of course, worth every minute, and I’d recommend the audio version to anybody who even wants to like Greek mythology. Especially those who want to like it, but always struggled with the names, and the who begat whoms, and the who married whoms. Fry unapologetically tells the listener to ignore all of that – there won’t be a test at the end – show more and just enjoy the stories. His narration makes this all the easier, as he’s absolutely brilliant at it, even if the Greeks are speaking with Scottish, English and at one point what I think was a distinctly cockney accent. In fact, the hint of Monty Python in some of the stories made them all the more enjoyable for me, because they made me chuckle.
I’ve never been all that interested in the Trojan War, but I’m sorely tempted to check out his version with the next book in this ‘series’. show less
I’ve never been all that interested in the Trojan War, but I’m sorely tempted to check out his version with the next book in this ‘series’. show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 106
- Also by
- 151
- Members
- 32,338
- Popularity
- #600
- Rating
- 4.3
- Reviews
- 643
- ISBNs
- 462
- Languages
- 22
- Favorited
- 156
