The Liar
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| Author | Stephen Fry |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Released | September 1991 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 240 p. (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-434-27191-8 (first edition, hardback) & ISBN 0-7493-0540-1 (paperback edition) |
- For the short-story by Henry James, see The Liar (short-story).
- For the play by Carlo Goldoni, see Il bugiardo.
The Liar (published 1991) is Stephen Fry's first novel. The book relates the life of Adrian Healey, a student at Cambridge University.
[edit] Plot summary
This book takes the reader from the protagonist’s public school days to his life as an adult. Adrian is “the liar” spoken of in the title: an intelligent and irreverent young man, he has carefully groomed for himself the image of a witty, highly extroverted gay boy; however, despite his image, and despite regarding sex as his "public pride", he finds himself unable to express his love for the beautiful Hugo Cartwright. Adrian suffers this through his school days, not to mention a tedious job working with potatoes and darker experiences of unrequited love. It is during his University years, though, that the story of his life takes a more extraordinary turn. This is where he meets the slightly eccentric Professor Donald Trefusis, and becomes involved in what may or may not be international espionage.
Professor Trefusis makes an appearance in another of Stephen Fry’s books, Paperweight, in which one can read twenty-two of his radio broadcasts.
The book is noted for its wit and humour, as well as its often outrageous references to various homosexual experiences. The narrative is also very odd in many ways; Adrian is the 'liar' and lies habitually to other characters; accordingly, in the book, whole chapters are later revealed to be fictitious, though the reader has no prior warning. This manner of sudden revelation occurs at various points throughout the book, placing respectable characters in scandalous situations and juxtaposing humor and triviality with darker themes.
The novel is partly autobiographical and many scenes echo experiences later recounted in Fry's memoir, Moab is My Washpot.
