Autobiography vs Biography - Definition
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Key Elements of a Good Autobiography
These are the main characteristics of an autobiography:
- It always presents the facts in a 1st-person narrative.
- More detailed & subjective than a biography.
- Discusses the life of the character in much detail.
- It also tells the reason behind the actions of the main character.
Popular Examples of Autobiographies and Biographies
Here are many examples that you can read and use samples for writing your stories:
Autobiographies
The famous autobiographies include:
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
- Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- M Train by Patti Smith
- Not Yet by Wayson Choy
- This Is Happy by Camilla Gibb
- My Prizes by Thomas Bernhard
Biographies
The famous biographies include:
- The Life and Times by Ronald William Clark
- His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis and Einstein
- A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
- Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston
- Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert
- E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis
- Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
- Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Main Differences between & Autobiography
There are many key differences between autobiography and biography, some of them are:
- Biography is the story of someone’s life written by some other writer. Autobiographies are usually written by the subjects themselves.
- Biographies can be an interesting read whether or not you have permission to use the subject's life story. Autobiographics are self-written accounts, so they do not require any form of legal clearance before publication.
- The information in a biography is based on the information collected from various sources. On the other hand, the information is narrowed down in an autobiography.
- Autobiography uses first-person pronouns, whereas biographies use third-person pronouns.
- Biography aims to provide readers with an in-depth look into the life experiences of a person, whereas in an autobiography, the author simply writes about themself.
Autobiography vs Biography vs Memoir
The story of one's life is an interesting and captivating read, but how can we not put it in writing? Memoirs are just like autobiographies and they are also written by the person himself.
Memoirs are a great way to explore your life and memories from every angle. You can go back in time with these written accounts, or look at how you felt about certain events when they happened because there is no limit on what type of memory an author could choose for their memoir.
Memoirs are a unique form of literature that offers the reader an immersive and detailed look into one person’s life. On the other hand, biographies provide more information about someone than just their story; they often include background details to help paint context for what you're reading.
Comparison Chart-Autobiography vs Biography vs Memoir
| Biography | Autobiography | Memoir |
| Narrates the account of a person’s life | Tells about life of one’s own self. | Talks about specific times and events of a person. |
| Uses third-person point of view | Person’s life story written in first-person point of view | Person’s life written with a first-person point of view |
| Objective in nature | Subjective in nature | Subjective in nature |
| Information is collected from sources | Tells motivation behind their actions | Memoir focuses on the exploration of the emotions |
| Restricted to only feelings and thoughts of the subject | Aims at feeling and personal thoughts | Focus on feelings, thoughts, reactions & reflections |
| It can be written at any time period | Mostly written in the latter years of life | It can be written any time period |
Wrapping Up!
The difference between an autobiography and a biography is often unclear. The two genres tend to be interchangeable, but there are some key differences you should know if your goal is writing of these.
When writing your own life story, it's important to take the time and make sure that you are telling a compelling tale in which readers can feel like they're right there alongside you. We hope that this guide is helpful for you.
If you need help, you can hire our online paper writing service.
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