My Name is Daphne Fairfax

A Memoir

Arthur Smith

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English

Arrow Books Ltd
15 May 2010

Autobiography: arts & entertainment

The autobiography of one of Britain's best-loved alternative comedians

'My name is Arthur Smith, unless there's anybody here from the Streatham tax office. In which case, I'm Daphne Fairfax.' This has been Arthur's opening line at hundreds of stand-up comedy performances. In fact, he is neither Daphne nor Arthur. Friends and family know him as Brian.

One of the 'alternative comedians' who shook up light entertainment in the eighties and nineties, Arthur (and Brian) is also a broadcaster, an opening bat for Grumpy Old Men, a West End playwright (his plays include An Evening with Gary Lineker) and a guest on innumerable radio and TV panel shows.

In My Name is Daphne Fairfax he reflects on the nature of comedy and his days as a scruffy kid on the bombsites of Bermondsey, a wild-haired undergraduate, a roadsweeper, an English teacher, a failed rock star, a boozed-up sexual adventurer and an intensive care patient who has been told never to drink again.

Hilarious, scandalous and rude, his memoir incorporates a tender tribute to his parents and a vigorous account of the peculiar business of being alive.

By: Arthur Smith
Imprint: Arrow Books Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 299g
ISBN: 9780099519652
ISBN 10: 0099519658
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 15 May 2010
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Arthur lives in South London with his beautiful partner Beth and is the mayor of Balham (self-proclaimed). He is still seen on the stages around Britain and at the Edinburgh Festival where he has been reviled, revered and arrested. In 2007 he won the 'Spirit of the Fringe' award and if you want to know any more about me you can buy the sodding book.

Reviews for My Name is Daphne Fairfax: A Memoir

...it radiates a glow of whimsy and invention * Independent on Sunday * ...witty, self-aware and poignant * The Observer * The loveable old codger rolls out his memoirs, full of so-barking-they-must-be-true stories of his youth and stand-up career * Metro * All the qualities which make Arthur Smith such a success on the stage are here... by drawing out the comedy in humdrum reality he keeps one constantly smiling * The Scotsman * Funny, poignant, interesting and charming. This is how life should be lived, (apart from where he nearly dies) -- John O'Farrell