In this autobiography, Quentin Crisp describes his unhappy childhood and the stresses of adolescence that led him to London. There in bedsits and cafes he found a world of brutality and comedy, of shortlived jobs and precarious relationships. All of which he faced with humour and intelligence.

Quentin Crisp has been described as one of England’s works of art. In this funny, moving account of his outrageous youth, he describes his unhappy childhood and the stresses of adolescence which led him to London. There, in bedsitting rooms and cafés, he found a world of brutality and comedy, of short-lived jobs and precarious relationships. It was a life he faced with courage, humour and intelligence.

‘Brilliant, full of sardonic humour with sharp spurts of wit’
IRISH TIMES

‘Mr Crisp states his alarming case so wittily and gracefully… The steady chirrup of Crisperanto provides shrewd comments on queers’ molls and, in particular, an unforgettable account of the American invasion of wartime London – ‘Never in the history of sex was so much offered by so many to so few.’ Truly riotous.’
PAUL BAILEY, 'Observer'