Chapter The Second (Part Three) : An Inspirational Encounter

Hello there dear readers,

A very warm welcome on this cold Sunday evening to the third and final instalment of this bumper edition of Observations of a Fictional Girl.

I'd like to take this opportunity to devote a blog post to one of my inspirations in life whom I was lucky enough to meet last week in Sheffield City Hall. I am referring, with great reverence to the wonderful man that is Stephen Fry.

It was way back in May that I booked tickets, at my boyfriend Leo's suggestion, to go see Mr Fry live and I have been excited ever since then not really believing that it would ever actually happen. Then last week it did and it was glorious.

Stephen Fry, as most of the well informed Harry Potter fans among you will know, provided the voice for the Harry Potter series when they were turned into audio books and as such his voice has always been one I was familiar with, and had a presumed companionship with, from an early age. This link was what started my awareness of the wonderful human being that is Stephen Fry and formed the basis of an admiration that was never to waver but only deepen and become multi-faceted over time. In my young mind surely the man who gave voice to such magical stories (which are in fact and will always be my favourite) must be special too. Indeed he was. 

(Incidentally I still have the old cassette tapes of the first 5 books voiced by Stephen Fry which are crazy money to buy online now.)

As I grew older my awareness of Stephen Fry grew to encompass him not only as a voice (although what a voice!) but as an intellectual ,actor and comedian. Being brought up in as wonderful a household as I  was regularly watching programmes such as Blackadder, and more recently QI, that cemented my view of him as all-knowing and chuckle-inducing. The man was a wonder. Was there anything he didn't know or couldn't do?

So whilst I had other role models and people I looked up to in life Stephen Fry always was someone I respected and admired. A man I just wanted to sit down and chat with about literature, life and everything that came to mind whilst using an immensely verbose and astounding vocabulary to do so (the sole reason I watched the BAFTAs was because he was presenting them.). I considered him a friend though I did not know him. This was a habit I had picked up from immersing myself in the world of the fiction and feeling like characters where my best friends. Not delusional just unaware of why people you've never spoken to could not be someone who has an influence on your life.

Fast forward to September of this year. I went to Waterstones - as I often do- and decided to purchase Stephen Fry's first autobiography 'Moab is My Washpot' in order to learn more about his life and prepare myself for the free book I was to receive as part of the ticket to the event. This book being his third and most recent autobiography 'More Fool Me'.  I was unaware of the emotional literary journey I had embarked on. The book was one I read with his voice narrating the events and as layer upon layer of his childhood and adolescence was revealed I revelled in the new kind of intimacy I had found with my hero and gained new respect for the experiences he underwent. It was a book that I carried with me everywhere until I finished and made me laugh as well as cry in equal measure. Easily one of my favourite and most influential books that I have read. READ IT.

Thus armed with this new knowledge I became even more excited to meet him and just be in his presence which sounds lame and celeb-obsessed but he is much more than a celebrity to me. The evening itself arrived and upon having our tickets checked we received our free copy of the book prior to taking our seats. Stephen Fry strode on to the stage to tumultuous applause and proceed to entertain and enthral the crowd with what I can best describe as a fusion of stand up comedy, digressions, book promotion and just all round fabulous of just hearing Stephen Fry talk about anything. I laughed a lot. I cried. I was in awe. Could life reach these dizzying heights again?

The excitement was building

I love Sheffield City Hall, it's such a gorgeous building.

Blurry far away photo of Stephen on stage

And another

This experience was made even more amazing by the fact that we queued to meet him afterwards (only 300 people were allowed to) and got our copies of the book signed. WE SHOOK STEPHEN FRY'S HAND. STEPHEN FRY SPOKE TO ME. I can't quite believe it happened. After all the build up it was over so quickly and feels slightly dreamlike but all in all it was a night I shall never forget and treasure always. 

Stephen Fry's signature :)

It was a truly inspirational encounter and one I feel truly lucky to have had.

Now I should really get some sleep before my 9am film screening tomorrow (technically today) but I think I shall read some of 'The Fry Chronicles' before bed as a way to reach feel connected with someone who is far away but close to my heart. One of the most magical qualities of books in my opinion is their ability to hold encounters within their pages.  

Some wonderful literature

Who inspires you in your life?

Good night and have a good week.

Much love and fictional hugs from both me and Stephen Fry,

Megan xx