Stephen Fry is a man of many talÂents. He’s a novÂelÂist, conÂtribÂuÂtor to newsÂpaÂpers and magÂaÂzines, TV perÂsonÂalÂiÂty, comeÂdiÂan, podÂcastÂer, linÂguist of sorts. And accordÂing to his TwitÂter proÂfile, he’s also a “Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear & BlogÂger.” In short, Stephen Fry covÂers a lot of ground, and, throughÂout the years, we’ve shown you Fry opinÂing on many subÂjects. But you can’t realÂly appreÂciÂate his intelÂlecÂtuÂal range until you’ve seen his musÂings placed next to one anothÂer. So we’re proÂclaimÂing today “Stephen Fry FriÂday” and we’re preÂsentÂing our favorite Fry clips from years past. We start above with Fry’s take on “The Joys of SwearÂing” and the rest folÂlows:
The Strange New World of Nanoscience
What is nano? And how will nanoscience shape our future? It’s all explained in a snapÂpy 17 minute video — NANO YOU — that Fry narÂratÂed for CamÂbridge UniÂverÂsiÂty.
What I Wish I Knew When I Was 18
It’s a perenÂniÂal fan favorite — Fry reflectÂing on his life, all 55 years of it, and offerÂing up life lessons to youngÂsters. Truth be told, oldÂer folks will get someÂthing out of this video too.
On PhiÂlosÂoÂphy and the ImporÂtance of UnbeÂlief
GetÂting into the nitÂty gritÂty of phiÂlosÂoÂphy, Fry gives us one more life lesÂson: If you assume there’s no afterÂlife, you’ll likeÂly have a fuller, more enrichÂing life.
A KinetÂic Take on LanÂguage
For a brief time in 2008, Fry proÂduced a series of podÂcasts – called “PodÂgrams” – that drew on his writÂings, speechÂes and colÂlecÂtive thoughts. In one episode, he medÂiÂtatÂed on lanÂguage — the EngÂlish lanÂguage, his own lanÂguage, Barthes, ChomÂsky, and Pinker — and then Matthew Rogers took that medÂiÂtaÂtion and ran with it, proÂducÂing a “kinetÂic typogÂraÂphy aniÂmaÂtion” that artÂfulÂly illusÂtrates a six minute segÂment of Fry’s longer talk.
ShakeÂspeare’s SatirÂiÂcal SonÂnet 130, As Read By Stephen Fry
It’s not surÂprisÂing that someÂone this immersed in lanÂguage would deeply admire the ShakeÂspeareÂan traÂdiÂtion.…
Why Fry Loves Joyce’s Ulysses
And Joyce’s Ulysses too (which you can downÂload as a fine free audio book here).
Stay tuned, we’ll have more Stephen Fry in the months and years to come.…
I can lisÂten to him for hours and hours. What a voice, what a breath, what a perÂfect style!