‘When I was nine, my mother gave all my books to the Salvation Army. I was distraught. “But you’ve read them, Barry,” laughed my mother, as if it were the height of self-indulgence to retain books after a first perusal. “I hope you’re not going to grow up to be a selfish little boy.” Sadly, I did.’

Thus begins Barry Humphries’s new book, MY LIFE AS ME, described by the author as a “cubist self-portrait”. In it he revisits his childhood in suburban Melbourne, his love-hate relationship with Australia and his friendships with comedians, artists and writers such as Spike Milligan, Peter Cook, Sidney Nolan, Patrick White and John Betjeman. He shares with us hilarious behind-the-scenes details of his life as creator of Dame Edna Everage and Les Patterson.

Elegant, utterly readable and memorably funny, MY LIFE AS ME once again shows us that his career as a performer has been a preliminary to the fulfilment of his true vocation as one of the great writers of our time.

“a memoir full of strange delights” – Mail on Sunday

“deftly and elegantly written” – Spectator

“Unbridled delight was my reaction to reading this memoir” – Sunday Times