WRITING TEKS

THE DIFFERENT BETWEEN

AUTOBIOGRAPHY VS. BIOGRAPHY VS. MEMOIR
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY VS. BIOGRAPHY VS.
MEMOIR
• THE THREE PRIMARY FORMATS USED TO TELL A LIFE STORY ARE A BIOGRAPHY,
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, AND A MEMOIR. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN THE THREE
CAN FEEL A BIT CONFUSING SINCE THEY ALL SHARE SEVERAL SIMILARITIES. BUT
THERE ARE SOME DISTINCT DIFFERENCES.
• SIMPLY BUT, A BIOGRAPHY IS THE LIFE HISTORY OF AN INDIVIDUAL, WRITTEN BY
SOMEONE ELSE. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS THE STORY OF A PERSON’S LIFE,
WRITTEN BY THAT PERSON. AND A MEMOIR IS A COLLECTION OF MEMORIES
WRITTEN BY THE PERSON THEMSELVES.
 WHAT IS A BIOGRAPHY?

• A BIOGRAPHY, ALSO CALLED A BIO, IS A NON-FICTION PIECE OF WORK GIVING AN

OBJECTIVE ACCOUNT OF A PERSON’S LIFE. THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BIOGRAPHY
VS. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS THAT THE AUTHOR OF A BIOGRAPHY IS NOT THE SUBJECT.
• BIOGRAPHIES INCLUDE DETAILS OF KEY EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE SUBJECT’S LIFE, AND
INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR BIRTHPLACE, EDUCATION, WORK, AND RELATIONSHIPS.
BIOGRAPHERS USE A NUMBER OF RESEARCH SOURCES, INCLUDING INTERVIEWS, LETTERS,
DIARIES, PHOTOGRAPHS, ESSAYS, REFERENCE BOOKS, AND NEWSPAPERS. WHILE A
BIOGRAPHY IS USUALLY IN THE WRITTEN FORM, IT CAN BE PRODUCED IN OTHER FORMATS
SUCH AS MUSIC COMPOSITION OR FILM.
EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS BIOGRAPHIES INCLUDE:
• HIS EXCELLENCY: GEORGE WASHINGTON BY JOSEPH J. ELLIS
• EINSTEIN: THE LIFE AND TIMES BY RONALD WILLIAM CLARK
• PRINCESS DIANA – A BIOGRAPHY OF THE PRINCESS OF WALES BY DREW L.
CRICHTON
 WHAT IS AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY?

• AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS THE STORY OF A PERSON’S LIFE WRITTEN BY THAT PERSON. BECAUSE THE AUTHOR IS
ALSO THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE STORY, AUTOBIOGRAPHIES ARE WRITTEN IN THE FIRST PERSON.
• THE PURPOSE OF AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS TO PORTRAY THE LIFE EXPERIENCES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE
AUTHOR. THEREFORE, MOST AUTOBIOGRAPHIES ARE WRITTEN LATER IN THE SUBJECT’S LIFE.
• THEY OFTEN BEGIN DURING EARLY CHILDHOOD AND CHRONOLOGICALLY DETAIL KEY EVENTS THROUGHOUT
THEIR LIFE. AUTOBIOGRAPHIES USUALLY INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE A PERSON WAS BORN AND
BROUGHT UP, THEIR EDUCATION, CAREER, LIFE EXPERIENCES, THE CHALLENGES THEY FACED, AND THEIR KEY
ACHIEVEMENTS.
• ONE OF THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY VS. A BIOGRAPHY IS THAT AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
TEND TO BE MORE SUBJECTIVE. THAT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE WRITTEN BY THE SUBJECT, AND PRESENT THE
FACTS BASED ON THEIR OWN MEMORIES OF A SPECIFIC SITUATION, WHICH CAN BE BIASED.
EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS AUTOBIOGRAPHIES INCLUDE:
• THE STORY OF MY LIFE BY HELEN KELLER
• THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL BY ANNE FRANK
• LOSING MY VIRGINITY BY RICHARD BRANSON
 WHAT IS A MEMOIR?

• MEMOIR COMES FROM THE FRENCH WORD MÉMOIRE, MEANING MEMORY OR REMINISCENCE.

SIMILAR TO AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, A MEMOIR IS THE STORY OF A PERSON’S LIFE WRITTEN BY
THAT PERSON.
• THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEMOIR VS. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS THAT A MEMOIR
 FOCUSES ON REFLECTION AND ESTABLISHING AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION, RATHER THAN
SIMPLY PRESENTING THE FACTS AROUND THEIR LIFE. THE AUTHOR USES THEIR PERSONAL
KNOWLEDGE TO TELL AN INTIMATE AND EMOTIONAL STORY ABOUT THE PRIVATE OR PUBLIC
HAPPENINGS IN THEIR LIFE. THE TOPIC IS INTENTIONALLY FOCUSED AND DOES NOT INCLUDE
BIOGRAPHICAL OR CHRONOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE AUTHOR’S LIFE UNLESS THEY ARE
MEANINGFUL AND RELEVANT TO THE STORY.
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY VS. BIOGRAPHY VS.
MEMOIR COMPARISON CHART
Biography Autobiography Memoir

An account of a person’s life An account of one’s own life A personal account of a specific time or experience

Written in the third person Written in the first person Written in the first person

Objective Subjective Subjective

Presents information collected Presents facts as they were experienced Presents facts as they were experienced by the
from the subject, their by the person person
acquaintances, or from other
sources

Written to inform and establish a Written to inform and explain the Written to reflect on and explore the emotion of an
context motivation and thoughts behind actions experience
and decisions

Has restricted access to the Offers access to personal thoughts and Offers access to personal thoughts, feelings,
subject’s thoughts and feelings feelings reactions, and reflections

Can be written anytime Usually written later in life Can be written anytime