Introduction writing an autobiography

INTRODUCTION WRITING AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Autobiography Definition
The History of Autobiography
Types of Autobiographies
The Function of Autobiography
Examples of Autobiographies
How to Write an Autobiography
Further Resources on Autobiography

Autobiography Definition
An autobiography (awe-tow-bye-AWE-gruh-fee) is a self-written biography. The author writes about all or a portion of their own life to share their experience, frame it in a larger cultural or historical context, and/or inform and entertain the reader.
Autobiographies have been a popular literary genre for centuries. The first Western autobiography is attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo for his 13-book work titled Confessions, written between 397 and 400 CE. Some autobiographies are a straightforward narrative that recollects a linear chain of events as they unfolded. The genre has expanded and evolved to include different approaches to the form.
The word autobiography comes from the Ancient Greek auto (“self”) + bios (“life”) + graphein (“to write”) = “a self-written life.” It is also known as autography.


The History of Autobiography
Scholars regard Augustine’s Confessions as the first Western autobiography. Other autobiographical works from antiquity include Jewish historian Flavius Josephus’s Vita (circa 99 CE) and Greek scholar Libanius’s Oration I (374 CE). Works of this kind were called apologias, which essentially means “in my defense.” Writers approached these works not as acts of self-documentation but as self-defense. They represented a way to explain and provide rationale for their life, work, and escapades. There was also less focus on their emotional lives.
The Book of Margery Kempe, written in 1438 by an English Christian mystic, is the earliest known autobiography in English. (Though it didn’t see full publication until the 20th century.) Other early English-language biographies of note include:

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  Lord Herbert of Cherbury’s 1764 memoirs
  
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  John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners in 1666
  
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  Jarena Lee’s The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee (the first autobiography of an African American woman)
  

Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions was published in 1782. It paved the way for the more thoughtful, emotionally centered autobiographies seen today. Autobiography as a literary genre emerged a few years later, when British scholar William Taylor first used the term to describe a self-written biography. He did so disparagingly, suggesting the form was pedantic. In 1809, English Romantic poet Robert Southey used the term more seriously to describe self-written biographies.
Starting in the 20th century, more young people started writing autobiographies. Perhaps the most famous example is Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, about her time hiding from the Nazis in an Amsterdam attic. The 21st century saw an increase in autobiographical essay collections and memoirs by younger celebrities, including:

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  Anna Kendrick
  
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  Mindy Kaling
  
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  Gabourey Sidibe
  
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  Mike Birbiglia
  
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  Lena Dunham
  
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  Kevin Hart
  
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  Chelsea Handler
  

Autobiographies are not immune to controversy. One notable scandal involved author James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces. Originally billed as a memoir, evidence later emerged that Frey invented key parts of the story. This example underscores how easily authors can cross over into autofiction—fictional autobiography—and how seriously readers take authors’ responsibility to accurately and honestly market their books.