A look at the work of Barry Humphries journeys backstage with him to watch the clown transform himself into Dame Edna Everage--the weird and wonderful housewife-superstar whose comedy act reigns supreme in England.

More than a show-biz autobiography, more than a housewife's diary, more than a chunk of history - this is a Hymn to Life.

Who would have thought that this modest Australian woman could achieve so much from London to Louisiana to New York to Tokyo? Who could have anticipated her global fame? Barry Humphries certainly didn't.

Barry, you used to be so nice, Louisa Humphries frequently said to her son. Now, in his maturity, the Australian comedian reflects on his long journey away from niceness.

Showbusiness autobiography of an Australian megastar, otherwise known as Barry Humphries.

It's very rare that we see the emergence of a completely original idea in the world of books.

An account of his life up to the present. He tells with candour of his schooldays, his troubled Australian adolescence, his creation of Dame Edna Everage.