A Young Man's Passage
by Julian Clary
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Description
This is Julian Clary's story, in his own words - the tale of an awkward schoolboy who became a huge worldwide success on stage and screen.After a sheltered suburban upbringing, Julian was sent to St Benedict's, where beatings from 'holy' men gave him some brutal life lessons, and other 'unholy' boys his first awakenings of sexuality. He had just one true friend and ally, Nick - to his other school peers, Julian's aloof demeanour made him an enigma or simply a figure of ridicule. In school he show more was just another pained adolescent, but inside Julian was a new Jean Genet or Quentin Crisp bursting to get out.Leaving St Benedict's thankfully behind him, Julian went on to college where he found his true vocation as an entertainer with a peculiar comic brand of smut and glamour. At the same time, he was finding as much sex as he could, sometimes with remarkably less-than-glamorous characters.Periods in community theatre and the singing telegram industry followed before Julian hit the big time with cabaret co-star Fanny the Wonder Dog as The Joan Collins Fan Club. Soon, the world was his oyster. But fame came at a price, as Julian struggled not only with the reality of being a high-profile gay man in the 1980s but also the pain of losing his lover to terminal illness.Far more than just another celebrity autobiography or 'funny book', this is a touching, beautifully written and wryly witty account of a unique progression from shy child to comedy icon. show lessTags
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jonathankws Bringing Julian's memoir up to date, with anecdotes and stories told around his relationships with different dogs - including a lot of Fanny the Wonder Dog obviously!
Member Reviews
A Young Man's Passage by Julian Clary I like biographies because a good one will reveal more of a person that you think you know something about.
I think a good biography should consist of several elements.1. What happened to them.2. What they did with that.3. What they make of it all.
What happened to them.This is the mundane details of their life like: where they were born, what their family was like, what school was like etc.
What they did with that.This is normally the full description of their career/chosen path and their struggles to overcome both their own limitations and external obstacles to finally achieve their goal.
What they make of it all.This should contain some reflection about the bigger things in life and point to a show more deeper understanding about their life.
Sadly many biographies, especially of living subjects, contain only the first two of the above elements. Not so this one though.
I cannot imagine this is ghost written because Julian's voice comes through so clearly, complete with asides in that deadpan delivery. As you can imagine it is very frank and no prisoners are taken along the way. What else would you expect? Anything else would be a let down. show less
I think a good biography should consist of several elements.1. What happened to them.2. What they did with that.3. What they make of it all.
What happened to them.This is the mundane details of their life like: where they were born, what their family was like, what school was like etc.
What they did with that.This is normally the full description of their career/chosen path and their struggles to overcome both their own limitations and external obstacles to finally achieve their goal.
What they make of it all.This should contain some reflection about the bigger things in life and point to a show more deeper understanding about their life.
Sadly many biographies, especially of living subjects, contain only the first two of the above elements. Not so this one though.
I cannot imagine this is ghost written because Julian's voice comes through so clearly, complete with asides in that deadpan delivery. As you can imagine it is very frank and no prisoners are taken along the way. What else would you expect? Anything else would be a let down. show less
I remember seeing Julian Clary and Fanny the Wonder dog many years ago in a small comedy club in Leicester Square, he was very funny and very rude especially for those days. Interesting book - hopefully one day he will write about the decades that followed.
A surprisingly amusing read, even the darkest moments are tinged with humour. A very easy read, it only took me two days.
One of Britain's most loved comic entertainers; this is Julian Clary's story, in his own words - a touching, beautifully written and wryly-witty account of a unique progression from shy child to comedy icon.
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Author Information
27+ Works 785 Members
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Julian Clary
- Important places
- Goldsmiths, University of London, London, England, UK; Teddington, London, England, UK; London, England, UK
- Dedication
- For Nicholas Reader
- First words
- No one told me I had become an old queen.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Diverted by her charming personality, they seem young again, and joyful.
- Blurbers
- Merton, Paul; Burchill, Julie
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 159
- Popularity
- 205,250
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.48)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1
