autobiography and biography

Biography vs Autobiography: Similarities and Differences

biography vs autobiography, explained below

A biography is an account of someone’s life story that is written by an author who is not the subject of the nook. An autobiography, on the other hand, involves an individual narrating their own life experiences.

The differences between biographies and autobiographies relate most prominently to the authorhship:

Autobiography: When you read an autobiography, you’re getting the author’s own interpretation of their life.
Biography: When you read a biography, you experience the subject’s life through someone else’s lens (Schiffrin & Brockmeier, 2012).

Biography vs Autobiography

1. biography.

A biography is a detailed account of a person’s life, scripted by an author who is not the person who is featured in the text itself.

This type of life story focuses both on factual events in the person’s life, such as birth, education, work, and death, but often also delves into personal aspects like experiences, relationships, and significant achievements.

It may also weave-in cultural and contextual factors that help illuminate the person’s motivations and core values .

Origins of Biographies

The concept of biography as a literary genre dates back to antiquity. Such works were primarily used to capture the lives of dignified individuals, mainly rulers and war heroes.

Suetonius’s Lives of the Caesars and Plutarch’s Parallel Lives are landmark examples from this ancient period (Sweet, 2010).

The popularity of biographical works only grew in the ensuing centuries, and they became a prominent part of many cultures’ literary traditions.

Into the 18th century and during the Enlightenment, biographies began to present a more balanced portrayal of the subject. They would present both their strengths and flaws, providing a holistic perspective on the subject.

Dr. Samuel Johnson’s compilation of English poets biographies, Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1779-1781) ushered in a new era of biography writing by focusing on examining human nature (Ditchfield, 2018).

In the modern era, the genre has evolved and broadened, encompassing a diverse range of figures from all walks of life – there’s a biography in every niche imaginable, with each offering readers an in-depth exploration of their lives, their struggles, and their triumphs.

This demonstrates the enduring appeal of biographies and their value in providing snapshots of history through individual lenses.

Key Characteristics of Biographies


	The author of the biography is not the person who the story is about. The writer is an observer who collects, verifies, and narrates the life story of the person in focus (Smith et al., 2012).
	A biography doesn’t have the of an autobiography. So, a biography is often more trustworthy, but we still need to examine the incentives of the actual author (Jones, 2015).
	A biography covers all the significant aspects of the person’s life. From birth to death, or their most noteworthy accomplishments, it encompasses a wide array of life events (Johnson & Johnson, 2017).
	A biography prioritizes facts and major milestones in an individual’s life, such as , careers, relationships, and more. It does not delve into trivial details unless they are relevant to the person’s life story (Williams, 2019).

Examples of Biographies

Title: The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets Author: Dr. Samuel Johnson Description: Dr. Johnson’s work profiles the lives of 52 poets from the 17th and 18th centuries, including John Milton and Alexander Pope. He critiques not just the works, but also explores their personal lives and the sociopolitical contexts of their times (Johnson, 1781). Johnson’s study is invaluable for its integrated historic and biographic approach.

Title: The Life of Samuel Johnson Author: James Boswell Description: This work by Boswell explores, in great depth, the life of his friend and mentor, Dr. Samuel Johnson. The biography offers a compelling portrayal of Dr. Johnson’s life, character, eccentricities, and intellectual prowess (Boswell, 1791). Boswell’s vivid account creates a near-physical presence of Johnson to the readers, making it one of the greatest biographies in English literature.

Title: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Author: Edmund Morris Description: In this Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Morris chronicles the early life of Theodore Roosevelt until his ascension to the U.S presidency. The work brilliantly captures Roosevelt’s extraordinary career and his transformation from a frail asthmatic boy into a robust and vigorous leader (Morris, 1979). Morris accurately represents Roosevelt’s indomitable spirit, making it an engaging and educational read.

Title: Steve Jobs Author: Walter Isaacson Description: This comprehensive biography provides a deep-dive into the life and career of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple. Isaacson had unparalleled access to Jobs and those closest to him, thus presenting an intimate and detailed account. He explores Jobs’ professional endeavors as well as his personal life, revealing his ambition, intensity, and visionary mind that revolutionized several high-tech industries (Isaacson, 2011).

Title: Alexander Hamilton Author: Ron Chernow Description: Ron Chernow provides a sweeping narrative of one of America’s most compelling founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Chernow combines extensive research with a flair for storytelling, charting Hamilton’s evolution from an orphan into a political genius. The book sheds light on Hamilton’s crucial role in the formation of the United States’ financial system and his political ideologies (Chernow, 2004).

2. Autobiography

An autobiography is a self-written record of someone’s own life. It is a personal narrative in which the author writes about their life from their own perspective.

Autobiographies are usually centered around the author’s personal experiences, including key milestones, challenges, and achievements (Eakin, 2015).

They’re also often a defense of the person’s perspective (especially in political autobiographies) or insight into their thought processes, which can make them very intimate.

Origins of Autobiographies

The term ‘autobiography’ was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English periodical The Monthly Review, when he suggested the word as a hybrid but condemned it as ‘pedantic’.

Pioneering examples of the genre form include Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821) and the memoirs by veterans of the Napoleonic Wars (Lejeune, 2016).

However, apart from these early instances, autobiographies have been composed by a wide array of individuals from history.

In the early 20th century, the genre witnessed major transformations, and autobiographies started to cover a broader spectrum of experiences, including trauma, struggles, and successes.

‘Black Boy’ by Richard Wright, for instance, shares the author’s experiences with racism and his journey towards developing a literary career (Wright, 1945).

This was followed by a host of autobiographies by public figures sharing their diverse stories, such as Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Moveable Feast’, depicting his days as a struggling young writer in Paris (Hemingway, 1964).

Autobiography as a genre has continued to evolve over the years, and a variety of forms have emerged to communicate individual experiences globally.

As history has progressed, we see more and more people with diverse perspectives sharing their stories, broadening our understanding of the human experience (Smith & Watson, 2010).

Key Characteristics of Autobiographies


	The author of the autobiography is the person the story is about. They are the principal actor and the of the information (Miller, 2014). As a result, we can get a deeper ‘insider’ insight into their mentality and expereinces.
	An autobiography emphasizes the personal viewpoint adopted by the author. The story is told from their own emotions, biases, and interpretations, providing a very personal perspective. However, we also need to be aware that it’s going to only present one self-serving perspective on the matter.
	Autobiographies go beyond factual accounts and include the author’s internal thoughts, emotions, and introspections about their experiences (Baker et al., 2013).
	Unlike a biography, an autobiography may not cover the entirety of the author’s life. Instead, they’re more likely to concentrate on specific themes (like resilience) or significant periods (like childhood or a specific career phase) (Brown & Brown, 2018).

Examples of Autobiographies

Title: Long Walk to Freedom Author: Nelson Mandela Description: “Long Walk to Freedom” provides an in-depth exploration of ex-President Nelson Mandela, his political journey, and his stand against apartheid in South Africa. The biography offers a unique perspective into Mandela’s noble character, his indomitable spirit, and his commitment to justice when faced with grave adversities (Mandela, 1995). Mandela serves as one of our times’ great moral and political leaders through this biography.

Title: The Diary of a Young Girl Author: Anne Frank Description: This biography provides a startling firsthand account of a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank, who with her family, hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II. Her diary entries offer profound insights into the fear, hope, and resilience she demonstrated during her two years in hiding (Frank, 1947). Frank’s posthumous biographical record serves as a reminder of the injustices of the past and as a symbol of endurance in the face of oppression.

Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Author: Maya Angelou Description: This moving autobiography charts Maya Angelou’s early life, from experiencing racial discrimination in the South to becoming the first black streetcar conductor in San Francisco. Angelou portrays her journey of self-discovery and overcoming traumatic experiences, including racial prejudice and personal trauma, with remarkable strength and grace. Her story is one of resilience, and it speaks powerfully about finding one’s voice (Angelou, 1969).

Title: Night Author: Elie Wiesel Description: “Night” is Wiesel’s personal account of his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II with his father. This heartbreaking narrative describes not only physical hardship and cruel atrocities but also examines the loss of innocence and the struggle to maintain faith in humanity. It stands as a testament to human resilience in the face of unimaginable horror (Wiesel, 1960).

Title: Dreams from My Father Author: Barack Obama Description: In this engaging memoir, the 44th President of the United States narrates the story of his diverse background and early life. The narrative extends from his birth in Hawaii to his first visit to Kenya, from dealing with racial identity to self-discovery. “Dreams from My Father” not only provides personal insights about Obama’s life and values but also discusses issues of race, identity, and purpose (Obama, 1995).

Similarities and Differences Between Biographies and Autobiographies


1. Authorship	Written by a third party. The author and subject are different individuals (Smith et al., 2012).	Written by the subject themselves. The author is the person the story is about (Miller, 2014).
2. Perspective	Presents an objective perspective, offering a balanced view of the subject’s life (Jones, 2015).	Emphasizes a subjective perspective, providing a very personal view of the author’s life.
3. Content	Focuses on facts and major life events, offering a comprehensive account of an individual’s life (Johnson & Johnson, 2017).	Often includes personal reflections and feelings, may focus on specific themes or periods in the author’s life (Baker et al., 2013; Brown & Brown, 2018).
4. Personal Reflections	Contains limited personal reflections or emotions of the subject.	Contains an abundance of personal reflections and emotions from the author (Baker et al., 2013).
5. Subjectivity / Objectivity	More objective due to the distance between the author and the subject (Jones, 2015).	More subjective due to the close relationship between the author and the subject – they’re the same person.
6. Strengths	Provides an impartial and factual account of a person’s life, which can be helpful for historical or academic study (Williams, 2019).	Gives a deeper insight into a person’s thoughts and emotions, providing a unique perspective on their life experiences (Baker et al., 2013).
7. Weaknesses	May lack personal insight or emotional depth due to its objective approach (Williams, 2019).	May be biased or overly emotional due to its subjective approach, and may not cover the entirety of the author’s life (Brown & Brown, 2018).

While both biographies and autobiographies are excellent sources of information and entertainment about significant figures in history (or the present!), they serve different purposes. By knowing the different purposes of each, we can develop stronger media literacy , understanding what the intention of the author is, and how we should approach the text.

Angelou, M. (1969). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . Random House.

Baker, J., Davis, E., & Thompson, K. (2013). Reflection and Emotions in Autobiography . Chicago University Press.

Boswell, J. (1791). The Life of Samuel Johnson . J.R. Taylor.

Brown, J., & Brown, S. (2018). Thematic Focus in Autobiography Writing . Princeton University Press.

Chernow, R. (2004). Alexander Hamilton . Penguin Books.

Ditchfield, S. (2018). Extracting the Domestic from the Didactic: Transmission and Translation of the Sacred in The Lives of the Ancient Fathers (1672–1675). Church History and Religious Culture, 98 (1), 28-50.

Eakin, P. J. (2015). How Our Lives Become Stories: Making Selves . Cornell University Press.

Frank, A. (1947). The Diary of a Young Girl . Contact Publishing.

Hemingway, E. (1964). A Moveable Feast . Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Isaacson, W. (2011). Steve Jobs . Simon & Schuster.

Johnson, M., & Johnson, S. (2017). A Comprehensive Guide to Biography Writing . New York: Penguin.

Johnson, S. (1781). The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets . Printed by C. Bathurst, J. Buckland [and 28 others in London].

Jones, B. (2015). The Art of Writing Biographies: An Objective Approach . Oxford University Press.

Lejeune, P. (2016). On Autobiography . University of Minnesota Press.

Mandela, N. (1995). Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela . Macdonald Purnell.

Miller, R. (2014). The Self as the Subject: Autobiography Writing . Stanford University Press.

Morris, E. (1979). The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt . Coward, McCann & Geoghegan.

Obama, B. (1995). Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance . Crown Publishing Group.

Schiffrin D., & Brockmeier J. (2012). Narrative Identity and Autobiographical Recall. Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements, 70 , 113-144.

Smith, J., Davis, M., & Thompson, S. (2012). Third Party Narratives: An Exploration of Biography Writing . Cambridge University Press.

Smith, S., & Watson, J. (2010). Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives . University of Minnesota Press.

Sweet, R. (2010). Biographical Dictionaries and Historiography. Bibliothèque d’Humanisme et Renaissance, 72 (2), 355–368.

Wiesel, E. (1960). Night . Hill & Wang.

Williams, T. (2019). The Importance of Facts in Biographies . HarperCollins.

Wright, R. (1945). Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth . Harper & Brothers.

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Difference between Biography and Autobiography

Both of these two presents the view of, what happened in the past where the author lived. These are non-fiction books, written in chronological order, tells a story about the person who made a significant contribution in a specific field. Many think that the two writing forms are one and the same thing, but there are noticeable difference between the two, that are presented in the given article.

Content: Biography Vs Autobiography

Comparison chart.

Basis for Comparison	Biography	Autobiography
Meaning	Biography refers to an account that tells someone else's life story.	Autobiography means an account that tells your life story.
Authorization	Can be written, with or without the authorization of the subject.	Not required
Written in	Third person	First person
Purpose	To inform	To express and inform
Outlook	Based on facts collected by the author.	Full of emotions and thoughts.

Definition of Biography

A biography also referred as ‘bio’ is a detailed account of a person’s life written or produced by another person. It gives an elaborate information regarding the birthplace, educational background, work, relationships and demise of the person concerned. It presents the subject’s intimate details about life, focusing on the highs and lows and analysing their whole personality.

A biography is usually in the written form but can also be made in other forms of a music composition or literature to film interpretation.

It is the recreation of the life of an individual composed of words by another person. The author collects every single detail about the subject and presents those facts in the biography, which are relevant and interesting, to engross the readers in the story.

Definition of Autobiography

An autobiography is the life sketch of a person written by that person himself or herself. The word auto means ‘self.’ Therefore, autobiography contains all the elements of a biography but composed or narrated by the author himself. He/She may write on their own or may hire ghostwriters to write for them.

An autobiography presents the narrator’s character sketch, the place where he is born and brought up, his education, work, life experiences, challenges, and achievements. This may include events and stories of his childhood, teenage, and adulthood.

Key Differences Between Biography and Autobiography

The difference between biography and autobiography are discussed in detail in the following points:

Biography is a detailed account of a person’s life written by someone else, while an autobiography is written by the subject themselves.
Biography can be written with (authorised) or without permission (unauthorised) from the person/heir’s concerned. Therefore, there are chances of factual mistakes in the information. On the other hand, autobiographies are self-written and therefore doesn’t require any authorization.
Biographies contain information that is collected over a period of time from different sources and thus, it projects a different outlook to the readers. On the other hand, autobiographies are written by the subject themselves, therefore, the writer presents the facts and his thinking in his own way, thus providing an overall narrow and biased perspective to the readers.
In an Autobiography, the author uses the first narrative like I, me, we, he, she, etc. This, in turn, makes an intimate connection between the author and the reader since the reader experience various aspects as if he/she is in that time period. As opposed a biography is from a third person’s view and is much less intimate.
The purpose of writing a biography is to introduce and inform the readers about the person and his life whereas an autobiography is written in order to express, the life experiences and achievements of the narrator.

Video: Biography Vs Autobiography

There are several autobiographies which are worth mentioning like ‘The Story of My Life’ by Helen Keller, ‘An Autobiography’ by Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ by Anne Frank, ‘Memoirs of the Second World War’ by Winston Churchill, ‘Wings of Fire’ by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and much more.

Examples of some famous biographies are- Tolstoy: A Russian Life by Rosamund Bartlett, His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis, Einstein: The Life and Times by Ronald William Clark, Biography of Walt Disney: The Inspirational Life Story of Walt Disney – The Man Behind “Disneyland” by Steve Walters, Princess Diana- A Biography Of The Princess Of Wales by Drew L. Crichton.

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Great explanation by Surbhi S, it clears confusion between biographies and autobiographies.

The emergence of autobiography

Types of autobiography.

Hear about “Autobiography of Mark Twain” and the Mark Twain Papers at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley

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autobiography

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The Canadian Encyclopedia - Autobiographical Writing in English
Literary Devices - Autobiography
Academia - Autobiography
autobiography - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Table Of Contents

autobiography , the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the intimate writings made during life that were not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries , journals , memoirs , and reminiscences) to a formal book-length autobiography.

Formal autobiographies offer a special kind of biographical truth: a life, reshaped by recollection, with all of recollection’s conscious and unconscious omissions and distortions. The novelist Graham Greene said that, for this reason, an autobiography is only “a sort of life” and used the phrase as the title for his own autobiography (1971).

There are but few and scattered examples of autobiographical literature in antiquity and the Middle Ages. In the 2nd century bce the Chinese classical historian Sima Qian included a brief account of himself in the Shiji (“Historical Records”). It may be stretching a point to include, from the 1st century bce , the letters of Cicero (or, in the early Christian era, the letters of Saint Paul ), and Julius Caesar ’s Commentaries tell little about Caesar, though they present a masterly picture of the conquest of Gaul and the operations of the Roman military machine at its most efficient. But Saint Augustine ’s Confessions , written about 400 ce , stands out as unique: though Augustine put Christianity at the centre of his narrative and considered his description of his own life to be merely incidental, he produced a powerful personal account, stretching from youth to adulthood, of his religious conversion.

Confessions has much in common with what came to be known as autobiography in its modern, Western sense, which can be considered to have emerged in Europe during the Renaissance , in the 15th century. One of the first examples was produced in England by Margery Kempe , a religious mystic of Norfolk. In her old age Kempe dictated an account of her bustling, far-faring life, which, however concerned with religious experience, reveals her personality. One of the first full-scale formal autobiographies was written a generation later by a celebrated humanist publicist of the age, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, after he was elevated to the papacy, in 1458, as Pius II . In the first book of his autobiography—misleadingly named Commentarii , in evident imitation of Caesar—Pius II traces his career up to becoming pope; the succeeding 11 books (and a fragment of a 12th, which breaks off a few months before his death in 1464) present a panorama of the age.

The autobiography of the Italian physician and astrologer Gironimo Cardano and the adventures of the goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini in Italy of the 16th century; the uninhibited autobiography of the English historian and diplomat Lord Herbert of Cherbury, in the early 17th; and Colley Cibber ’s Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber, Comedian in the early 18th—these are representative examples of biographical literature from the Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment. The latter period itself produced three works that are especially notable for their very different reflections of the spirit of the times as well as of the personalities of their authors: the urbane autobiography of Edward Gibbon , the great historian; the plainspoken, vigorous success story of an American who possessed all talents, Benjamin Franklin ; and the introspection of a revolutionary Swiss-born political and social theorist, the Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau —the latter leading to two autobiographical explorations in poetry during the Romantic period in England, William Wordsworth ’s Prelude and Lord Byron ’s Childe Harold , cantos III and IV.

An autobiography may be placed into one of four very broad types: thematic, religious, intellectual , and fictionalized. The first grouping includes books with such diverse purposes as The Americanization of Edward Bok (1920) and Adolf Hitler ’s Mein Kampf (1925, 1927). Religious autobiography claims a number of great works, ranging from Augustine and Kempe to the autobiographical chapters of Thomas Carlyle ’s Sartor Resartus and John Henry Cardinal Newman ’s Apologia in the 19th century. That century and the early 20th saw the creation of several intellectual autobiographies, including the severely analytical Autobiography of the philosopher John Stuart Mill and The Education of Henry Adams . Finally, somewhat analogous to the novel as biography is the autobiography thinly disguised as, or transformed into, the novel. This group includes such works as Samuel Butler ’s The Way of All Flesh (1903), James Joyce ’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), George Santayana ’s The Last Puritan (1935), and the novels of Thomas Wolfe . Yet in all of these works can be detected elements of all four types; the most outstanding autobiographies often ride roughshod over these distinctions.

Home » Writing » Autobiography vs. Biography vs. Memoir

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. A biography could be someone still living today, or it could be the subject of a person who lived years ago.

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.

If the target person of the biography is not alive, then the storytelling requires an immense amount of research. Interviews might be required to collect information from historical experts, people who knew the person (e.g., friends and family), or reading other older accounts from other people who wrote about the person in previous years. In biographies where the person is still alive, the writer can conduct several interviews with the target person to gain insight on their life.

The goal of a biography is to take the reader through the life story of the person, including their childhood into adolescence and teenage years, and then their early adult life into the rest of their years. The biography tells a story of how the person learned life’s lessons and the ways the person navigated the world. It should give the reader a clear picture of the person’s personality, traits, and their interaction in the world.

Biographies can also be focused on groups of people and not just one person. For example, a biography can be a historical account of a group of people from hundreds of years ago. This group could have the main person who was a part of the group, and the author writes about the group to tell a story of how they shaped the world.

Fictional biographies mix some true historical accounts with events to help improve the story. Think of fictional biographies as movies that display a warning that the story is made of real characters, but some events are fictional to add to the storyline and entertainment value. A lot of research still goes into a fictional biography, but the author has more room to create a storyline instead of sticking to factual events.

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. Usually, an autobiography is written by the person who is the subject of the book, but sometimes the autobiography is written by another person. Because an autobiography is usually a life story for the author, the theme can be anything from religious to a personal account to pass on to children.

The purpose of an autobiography is to portray the life experiences and achievements of the author. Therefore, most autobiographies are typically written later in the subject’s life. It’s written from the point of view of the author, so it typically uses first person accounts to describe the story.

An autobiography often begins during early childhood and chronologically details key events throughout the author’s 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.

On rare occasions, an autobiography is created from a person’s diary or memoirs. When diaries are used, the author must organize them to create a chronological and cohesive story. The story might have flashbacks or flashforwards to describe a specific event, but the main storyline should follow chronological order from the author’s early life to their current events.

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. The story covers the author’s opinions on specific subjects and provides an account of their feelings as they navigate certain situations. These stories are also very personal because it’s a personal account of the author’s life rather than a biography where a third party writes about a specific person.

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. These life stories are often from diary entries either from a first-person account or from a close family member or friend with access to personal diaries.

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 about 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 author could be the person in the story, or it can be written by a close family member or friend who knew the subject person intimately. 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.

Memoirs come in several types, all of which are written as an emotional account of the target person. They usually tell a story of a person who went through great struggles or faced challenges in a unique way. They can also cover confessionals where the memoir tells the story of the author’s account that contradicts another’s account.

This genre of writing is often stories covering famous people’s lives, such as celebrities. In many memoir projects, the celebrity or person of interest needs help with organization, writing the story, and fleshing out ideas from the person’s diaries. It might take several interviews before the story can be fully outlined and written, so it’s not uncommon for a memoir project to last several months.

Memoirs do not usually require as much research as biographies and autobiographies, because you have the personal accounts in diary entries and documents with the person’s thoughts. It might require several interviews, however, before the diary entries can be organized to give an accurate account on the person’s thoughts and emotions. The story does not necessarily need to be in chronological order compared to an autobiography, but it might be to tell a better story.

Examples of famous memoirs include:

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant

Autobiography vs. Biography vs. Memoir Comparison Chart


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 from the subject, their acquaintances, or from other sources	Presents facts as they were experienced by the person	Presents facts as they were experienced by the person
Written to inform and establish a context	Written to inform and explain the motivation and thoughts behind actions and decisions	Written to reflect on and explore the emotion of an experience
Has restricted access to the subject’s thoughts and feelings	Offers access to personal thoughts and feelings	Offers access to personal thoughts, feelings, reactions, and reflections
Can be written anytime	Usually written later in life	Can be written anytime

Check out some of our blogs to learn more about memoirs:

What is a memoir?
5 tips for writing a memoir
Your memoir is your legacy

Ready to get started on your own memoir, autobiography, or biography? Download our free desktop book-making software, BookWright .

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Autobiography vs Biography: Differences and Similarities

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So you want to learn more about your favorite influential figure. Should you read an autobiography or a biography about them?

It depends on what you’re looking for!

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In this guide, we’ll explain autobiography vs biography and help you choose which one you want to read. We’ll also touch on where memoirs fit in with these genres. Let’s dive in!

This autobiography vs biography comparison includes:

The similarities between biographies and autobiographies.

Both biographies and autobiographies are written accounts of a person’s life. They typically recount the person’s life experiences, challenges, and accomplishments.

Usually, each of these genres is written in a narrative style. In other words, it uses storytelling techniques to convey information about its subject.

Autobiographies and biographies both feature context about the subject’s life by discussing the time in which the subject lived (or is living), the culture and location in which they live(d), and more.

Like any good story, the best biographies and autobiographies often feature narratives about trials that are overcome and lessons that are learned. They may also focus on the influence and impact of the book’s subject.

Difference between biography and autobiography

The biggest difference between an autobiography and a biography is that an autobiography is written by the subject of the book about their own life, while a biography is written by another person.

For example, actress Lucille Ball wrote an autobiography about her life called Love, Lucy . Meanwhile, an author named Kathleen Brady wrote a biography about Lucille Ball called Lucy: The Life of Lucille Ball .

Here are a few other key differences between the two genres:

1. Different perspectives

Naturally, an autobiography is written from the first-person perspective, which means the author is providing a personalized point of view on their own life.

Meanwhile, a biography is written from a third-person perspective, meaning the author is writing from an external point of view, with limited insight into the subject’s personal thoughts or feelings.

2. Control of the narrative

When someone writes their autobiography , they control which parts of their life story they include and which they omit. They can choose which perspective they share and which parts of themselves they want to spotlight.

Meanwhile, a biography relies on research, interviews and sources to construct a complete picture of a subject’s life. A biographer is likely to be more objective in their presentation of a person—perhaps even including unsavory details about their subject that the subject themselves wouldn’t include.

3. Levels of objectivity

Even the best autobiography will be subjective because it’s based on the author’s personal memories and feelings.

On the other hand, many biographers strive to be more objective in their writing. They tend to consult multiple sources, conduct a variety of interviews, and more to make sure they’re writing an accurate portrayal of their subject.

4. Sources used

Because an autobiographer is writing a story about their own life, their sources will primarily be self-generated. Though they may rely on those close to them, like family members, to verify or recount certain memories they hold.

That said, many autobiographers still need to do research to add context and depth to their life stories, whether that’s learning about the town they grew up in, their family history, or something else.

Meanwhile, biographers rely on archival materials, research, interviews, historical documents, and more to help them write the story about their subject.

5. Writing style

Because autobiographies are more personal, they often reflect the author’s unique writing style and personality.

On the other hand, biographies generally strive to be more objective, with a focus on a cohesive, well-researched narrative. (But to be clear: they can still be very engaging!)

Where do memoirs fit in?

We’ve learned about the differences and similarities between autobiographies and biographies, so where do memoirs fit into the puzzle?

Like an autobiography, a memoir is written by the subject of the book. Both genres tend to focus on the author’s personal life, are written in the first person, and can be highly subjective.

However, where autobiography vs memoir differs is partially in the scope of the book. An autobiography often encompasses most of the author’s life, while a memoir is likely to focus on one specific event, theme, or period in the author’s life.

Memoirs also adhere less to chronological storytelling than autobiographies do. They can jump around in time and tend to be centered more on themes, reflection, or specific, impactful moments in the author’s life.

In summary, you can think of memoirs as even more personal than autobiographies, focusing on a selected part of the writer’s life. They’re also more likely than autobiographies to be written by folks who aren’t famous.

Final thoughts

While biographies, autobiographies and memoirs all tell a subject’s life story, they do it in different ways. The type of genre you’d like to read (or write) will be contingent on what you’d like to learn about your chosen subject.

If you’re interested in writing your own memoir, autobiography or memoir, we can help you do it. Simply schedule a book consultation to get started.

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What Is The Difference Between An Autobiography And A Biography?

What are the differences between autobiographies and biographies?

The two words are not interchangeable .

And neither is a subset of the other.

Once you get a handle on what sets them apart, you’ll never get them confused again.

You’ll be able to explain the difference between autobiography and biography as proficiently as any publisher or semantics expert .

And you’ll know just how to market your book to get your ideal reader’s attention .

Let’s get started.

1. Autobiographies are written by (or with) the subject.

2. autobiographies are in the first person; biographies are (typically) in the third person. , 3. biographies don’t require the permission of the subject. , 4. autobiographies can include the subject’s thoughts and feelings. , 5. autobiographies are more subjective; biographies are meant to be more objective. , 6. autobiographies generally cover the entire life from childhood to the present. , 7. autobiographies inform the reader about the subject’s motives. , the difference between autobiography and biography: 7 distinctions you should know .

You’re here for one reason: to finally settle the autobiography vs. biography question. Maybe someone asked you, and you weren’t sure of your answer. Or perhaps you’ve confused autobiography and biography one too many times.

You’re not alone. And you’re about to learn the critical differences and what these two have in common.

If you’re writing a book about your own life, you’re writing either an autobiography or a memoir .

Even if you’re paying a ghostwriter to write most or all of it for you, based on conversations with them, you’re still considered the author, and it’s still an autobiography (or memoir ).

Every autobiography results from the subject’s own writing or a collaboration between the subject and their ghostwriter.

With an autobiography, you address the reader using the first-person point of view . You’re telling them a story about your life.

Since someone other than the subject (or their ghostwriter) writes the biography, it’s written about the subject — not from their point of view. The author of a biography typically refers to the subject using the third person.

Using the third person creates distance between the narrator and the subject.

Before writing the book, the author of a biography may or may not reach out to the (living) subject. They may want the subject’s permission and input.

On the other hand, they may choose to write an “unauthorized biography” with shock value, in which case permission from the subject is more an obstacle than an advantage.

the difference between autobiography and biography

Much depends on whether the biographer has any real interest in understanding the subject and their motives.

Unlike biographies, where the author typically doesn’t have access to the subject’s thoughts and feelings, the author of an autobiography does.

Because the author is the subject, they know and can share their deepest motives behind the actions they’ve taken. They remember thoughts that came right before they did something they regret (or not).

They remember how they felt during the most significant moments of their lives.

Biography vs. Autobiography | Analysis, Differences & Examples

Jeremy taught elementary school for 18 years in in the United States and in Switzerland. He has a Masters in Education from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He's taught grades 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8. His strength is in educational content writing and technology in the classroom

Kara Wilson is a 6th-12th grade English and Drama teacher. She has a B.A. in Literature and an M.Ed, both of which she earned from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Is a memoir considered a biography?

A memoir is a type of autobiography because it is written in the first person by the subject of the memoir. A memoir is usually a small slice of a person's life that focuses more on a subject or theme than telling a life story.

What is more authentic, biography or autobiography?

A biography is a story of a person's life written by someone other than the story's subject. An autobiography is a story written by the subject of the story. Autobiographies are more authentic since the person is telling the story in the first person and can include their internal thoughts and feelings. While biographies can be accurate, they can never be as authentic because they cannot know what the person being written about was genuinely thinking.

Biography vs. autobiography, analyzing an autobiographical essay or book, how to perform a biographical analysis, how to write a biography book, lesson summary.

Whenever a person reads a story of someone's life, they are reading either a biography or an autobiography. The two words are used to tell the difference between who wrote the story.

A biography is a story about a person's life where the author is not the subject of the story. So if anyone other than President Joe Biden writes his story, it will be called a biography.

An autobiography is a story written about a person's life where the author is the person the story is about. If President Joe Biden writes a book about himself, it's an autobiography. The prefix auto in the word autobiography is Greek and means self. Therefore, an autobiography is a biography written by the self.

A term that often gets incorrectly used as a synonym of autobiography is a memoir. A memoir is an account of a part of someone's life, written by themselves but in service to a more significant theme instead of just a story of their lives. For example, the book Dreams of my Father by Barack Obama is a memoir because it focuses on his early life and his parents' influence on him, and the culture he grew up in. The best way to disseminate between the two is to ask why the book is being read? If the answer is to read about a person's life and accomplishments, then the story is most likely an autobiography. The story is probably a memoir if the answer is to learn more about a topic, theme, or idea.

Another important way to figure out which one is which is to look at what is most important in the story:

Autobiography - Facts and information are most important.
Memoir - Emotions and feelings are more important.

I am Malala is an autobiography about the author who protested for education.

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0:02 Analyzing an Autobiography
1:01 Style, Diction & Tone
3:33 Keller's Autobiography
5:56 Herrmann's Biography of Keller
8:19 Lesson Summary

When a task requires the analysis of an autobiographical work, it needs a bit less analysis than a regular biography. The main difference is that analyzing an autobiography does not need an in-depth evaluation of the facts presented in the book. Since the author is also the main subject, more leeway is given when looking at whether facts are true. This applies even more so when the author refers to events that they were the sole participant in. For example, if the author states that they got lost hiking in the woods one afternoon, and it took them five hours to find their way back, the author is the primary source for the account.

However, some things can be analyzed in an autobiography that can help to understand the story better. The first that any analyzation should try to determine is the purpose of the text. Why did the author tell their story? Whenever the question of the author's purpose comes into play, it should fall into one of three categories.

Inform - Is the author simply telling their story so that it can be told? If the purpose is to inform, then there will be lots of facts and information to expound on the story.
Entertain - Is the author telling their story for the pure enjoyment of it? Stories meant to entertain will use lots of emotional language and present situations in ways that make the story fun to read.
Persuade - Is the author telling their story to persuade the reader to think, feel or do something? Persuasive autobiographies are often ones that are trying to get the reader to take action or to bring attention to something that is important to the author. These often include a call to action part.

Once the story's purpose is decided, the next part of the analyzation process is to evaluate the effectiveness of the autobiography. This is done by looking closely at three crucial aspects of the writing: style, diction, and tone.

Style - The style of writing is the way the words of the story flow and how it is being presented to the reader. There are three main types of style that authors may use:

Narrative - Narrative writing straightforwardly tells the story and does not include many emotions, feelings, or heavy descriptions.
Descriptive - Descriptive writing focuses more on creating a vivid picture in the minds of the reader.
Emotional - Emotional writing uses words, language, and situations to evoke feelings in the reader as they read the story. Those feelings could be happiness, anger, sorrow, or even fear.

One of the most interesting concepts about an autobiography is that it has to be written at the time of the person's life. Once someone dies, the option for an autobiography dies with them. This fact is vital to the concept of diction.

Diction - Diction is the words and phrases that the author chose to use in their writing. This ties back to the person's lifetime because autobiographies often use the diction of the time period in which they were written. For example, autobiographies written in the 1600s in England will use Old English words and phrases that will be difficult to understand in modern times.

Tone - Tone is like the personality of the story. It reflects the attitude the author wants to portray. Tone in a story can be humorous, scary, sad, or respectful, not to mention many other examples. For example, in a quote from a biography on Hellen Keller, the author states, 'Immense crowds gathered whenever they lectured or appeared on the vaudeville stage, and even presidents, kings, queens, and popes deferred to them.' The tone in this quote uses facts and words to show a respectful tone with regards to Keller.

Performing an analysis of a biography is very similar to analyzing an autobiography. The main difference is that there is an added step involved.

The analyzation begins the same way for both autobiographies and biographies, but the biography needs to look at the book's author and the sources they used to write the book. This analysis is fundamental because it can affect whether or not the story is accurate. There are two main things to analyze when looking in-depth at the author of a biography.

Reputation - Does the author have a reputation for producing well-sourced stories? If they do, then the second part of the analysis can be less intensive.
Sourcing - Where did the author get their information? Some biographies written about people who are still alive or recently passed should contain some primary sources. A primary source is someone who was a first-person witness to the event. The more primary sources, the more likely the accounts will be accurate.

But if the biography is on a person who passed away decades or centuries before, the author will have to rely on secondary sources. A secondary source is a person that wasn't there to witness the event. Secondary sources are often books and scholarly articles. The best kind of secondary source is one that contains primary sources within the secondary source.

Writing a biography can be a daunting task, but there are some tips and tricks that can guide an author when writing one. The first thing to do is to take the steps that were taken to analyze a biography and apply them to the process of writing it. Decide the purpose of the story, choose style, diction, and tone, and do the best sourcing possible by trying to get primary sources.

Some more tips for writing a solid biography are:

Get Permission - If the biography is intended for publication, it is essential to inquire into any possible permissions that might be needed to write the book. This is often not necessary, but for modern figures who are still alive or who have passed but have close family, it is worth a quick inquiry.
Create a Thesis - A thesis will help the reader know what they will ultimately get out of the biography. The best way to develop the thesis is to base it on the purpose of the story.
Define a Timeline of Events - Even if the purpose is not to tell the person's entire life story, sketching out a timeline of significant parts of the person's life can help narrow down the best parts to include.
Research - Doing thorough research is the key to providing a good biography. It is important to remember to get primary sources when possible.
Add in Thoughts - Some of the best biographies include the author's thoughts as the book progresses. It can make it that much better when the reader can connect to the subject of the biography and the author.
Good written techniques - It is hard to write a good biography without good writing. Make sure that the writing flows and uses correct grammar.
Editing - Getting someone to edit the biography for content and grammatical errors can dramatically increase the book's chance of success.

The Backwoods Boy is a biography about Abraham Lincoln written by Hortio Alger Jr

Examples of Biographies and Autobiographies

The best way to get good at analyzing biographies and autobiographies and writing them is to read some well-known examples to see what the best sound is like when they are read. The following table gives a list of some famous examples.

Famous Biographies	Author	Famous Autobiographies	Author
Steve Jobs	Walter Issacson	Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl	Anne Frank
Alexander Hamilton	Ron Chernov	Night	Ellie Wiesel
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers	Maxwell King	I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban	Malala Yousafzai
Churchill: a Life	Martin Gilbert	A Long Walk to Freedom	Nelson Mandela
Into the Wild	Jon Krakauer	On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft	Stephen King

When a story is written about a person's life, it falls into one of two main categories. If the book was written about a person's life by someone other than the subject of the story, it is called a biography . If the story is written in first-person and the author is the same person as the subject of the story, then it is an autobiography . One autobiography style is called a memoir and uses a person's experiences to highlight a topic or idea.

When analyzing a biography or autobiography, it is important to determine the author's purpose first, then analyze the effectiveness of the writing. This includes looking at the author's style , diction and tone . If the book is a biography, it is also important to look closely at the author and the sources they chose for the book. The more primary sources versus secondary sources an author uses, the better it will be accurate.

When writing a good biography, it is essential to use analytical skills to help write a compelling story. It is also important to create a thesis, sketch a timeline, do thorough research, add in thoughts, and edit the writing when it is done. Reading other well-known and acclaimed biographies and autobiographies can also help by highlighting what a good story sounds and reads like.

Video Transcript

Analyzing an autobiography or a biography.

An autobiography tells the history of a person's life and is written by that person in the first-person, using 'I'. A biography is similar, but it tells the history of a person's life and is written by someone else. The key to not getting these confused is to know that the Greek prefix 'auto' means 'self.' So if Beyonce were to write a book about her life, it would be an autobiography, but if someone were to interview her extensively and do research about her life, then that author's work would be a biography about Beyonce.

In order to fully analyze a biography or an autobiography, we need to:

Analyze the purpose of the text, whether it is written to inform, persuade, or entertain
Evaluate its effectiveness by examining its use of anecdotes, facts and examples
Evaluate the author's writing style, diction, and tone

Style, Diction, and Tone

The author might choose to write in a narrative style in which a linear account of events is given with little reference to underlying emotions. Or, it may be descriptive , meaning the author paints a picture for the reader to describe each scene fully, making the reader see moments in his or her mind. There's also an emotional writing style when the author wants to evoke some emotional response in the reader.

Writers often use a combination of these styles within one book, but it's important to pay attention to which style is most often used throughout a biography or autobiography because it helps us recognize how the author's style influences his or her purpose for writing that book. For instance, if Beyonce wanted to write an autobiography to persuade critics and skeptics to like her, then she may use an emotional style to heighten emotions in moments in which the media has attacked her, or when she struggled with her former girl group members. That might cause readers to feel bad for her and better understand how she was feeling and why.

Analyzing the diction means to analyze the choice of words and phrases used. Some authors tend to write with a more simplistic vocabulary, while others use more advanced words to sound more serious or formal. In some autobiographies or biographies, more old or archaic words are used that might not be used today but can give a feel for the time and place.

Connotative words, or words associated with certain positive or negative emotions, can also be used, such as when an emotional style is being used. For instance, confident and egotistical have very different connotations. Some autobiographies or biographies tend to use technical or scientific words, while others may be written more casually using slang. A biography about Martin Luther King Jr. would most likely use terms related to the civil rights movement to educate readers and sound reliable. Chances are, if it contained slang terms like 'cool' or 'rad' it would not be taken seriously.

The tone is the general attitude that a piece of writing has. Some autobiographies and biographies are written with a humorous tone, while others might be reflective, solemn, or respectful. The tone can also change within the book. Recognizing the tone helps us see how the author's attitude shapes what facts and examples are included to persuade, entertain, or inform us.

Analyzing Keller's Autobiography

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller is an autobiography of Keller's early life, since she was in her twenties when she wrote it. It primarily focuses on her work with teacher Anne Sullivan of the Perkins Institute for the Blind. Were it not for Miss Sullivan, Keller probably would not have become such an accomplished, college-educated adult who inspired so many people. Keller was born in the late 1800s when people with disabilities were often institutionalized and not even seen as intelligent. In light of Keller's challenges, she could have easily written her autobiography in an emotional style with a self-pitying tone, providing facts about all she will never be able to see or hear to evoke emotions in her readers. But instead, she writes in a tone of joy and emphasizes her love of language and learning through anecdotes.

Here's an excerpt that describes when Helen Keller first met Miss Sullivan:

'I felt approaching footsteps. I stretched out my hand as I supposed to my mother. Someone took it, and I was caught up and held close in the arms of her who had come to reveal all things to me, and, more than all things else, to love me.'

There are some key words and phrases to note here. Keller wrote that she felt approaching footsteps since she could not hear them. She doesn't simply write that she thought it was her mother approaching her. She specifically says she stretched out her hand. Keller also avoids using Miss Sullivan's name and refers to her as someone and says Miss Sullivan came to reveal all things to her and above all else to love her. Keller's careful use of diction helps her paint a vivid picture of this moment, which points to her descriptive style. The last sentence is written in an emotional style that conveys how Keller feels about Miss Sullivan and how grateful she was that Miss Sullivan came into her life.

Though Keller's autobiography informs her readers about her experiences, it is clear she also wants to evoke emotion to persuade readers to feel as she did about people like Miss Sullivan. Had she simply wanted to educate readers about how they met, she would have stated facts about Miss Sullivan's background and teaching experiences and written in a linear narrative when exactly they met, how old they both were, etc., leaving out all emotion.

Analyzing Herrmann's Biography of Keller

Author Dorothy Herrmann wrote a biography about Helen Keller entitled Helen Keller: A Life . It provides a detailed, factual account of Keller's life, including the ups and downs in her relationship with Miss Sullivan. It also describes her struggles and successes personally and professionally, including her work as an advocate for the disabled and a love affair that ended badly. Some have called Keller a saint, and others have called her a fraud, but Herrmann writes about Keller in a respectful tone, highlighting those who helped her and using researched facts with the purpose of informing readers.

Here's an excerpt from Herrmann's biography, which references the moment when Helen Keller met Miss Sullivan:

'Since that moment at the well house at the Keller home in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1887, where Helen was transformed from something a little more than a beast into a human being, both women had become world-famous. Immense crowds gathered whenever they lectured or appeared on the vaudeville stage, and even presidents, kings, queens, and popes deferred to them.'

Notice how Herrmann uses words and phrases like transformed, beast, world-famous, and immense crowds. She also mentions people in positions of power. Her respectful tone is shown through these powerful connotative words to show how Miss Sullivan greatly impacted Helen Keller, and how together they impacted the world. She provides specific facts about when and where they met and the types of places and people they met when they became well-known. But her diction is what really emphasizes those details. It points to her emotional style, since her powerful word choice incites feelings of admiration in the reader.

Writing an autobiography is a personal task in which you write what you know, but writing a successful biography about someone means you must not only do your research but find a way to balance your own view of the person with how you think your audience feels about him or her so that you provide both positive and negative facts. Herrmann's biography of Keller received many great reviews referencing her respectful yet balanced style. Writer Dennis Drabelle said, 'This well-proportioned biography of the deaf and blind girl who became a great American crusader rescues its subject from the shackles of sainthood without destroying her as an American hero.'

An autobiography tells the history of a person's life and is written by that person in the first-person using 'I'. A biography is similar, but it tells the history of a person's life and is written by someone else.

Analyzing the diction means to analyze the choice of words and phrases used.

The tone is the general attitude that a piece of writing has. Recognizing the tone helps us see how the author's attitude shapes what facts and examples are included to persuade, entertain, or inform us.

Learning Outcomes

Once you are finished with this lesson, you should be able to:

Recall the difference between a biography and an autobiography
State the three factors you need to consider when analyzing an autobiographical or biographical work
List the three styles that can be used in writing a biography or autobiography
Explain how diction and tone can be used for different effects

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40 Autobiography Examples ( + Autobiographical Essay Templates)
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Biography vs Autobiography|Difference between biography and autobiography|Biography autobiography
18 th NTRCA English Q. Solution, College, School, School-2 Wtih Expert Alim Sir

COMMENTS

Biography vs Autobiography: Similarities and Differences
A biography is an account of someone's life story that is written by an author who is not the subject of the nook. An autobiography, on the other hand, involves an individual narrating their own
Difference between Biography and Autobiography (with Comparison
The two traditional forms of literature that describe the character sketch and course of the life of a person are biography and autobiography. Biography is the life history of an individual, written by someone else, whereas the autobiography is an expression of a person’s life, written by self.
Autobiography
autobiography, the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the intimate writings made during life that were not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries , journals , memoirs , and reminiscences) to a formal book-length autobiography.
Autobiography vs. Biography vs. Memoir
Discover the differences and similarities between an autobiography vs. biography vs. memoir. Learn what makes each format so special. The three primary formats of a memory book, used to tell a life story, are a biography, an autobiography, and a memoir.
Autobiography vs Biography: Differences and Similarities
The biggest difference between an autobiography and a biography is that an autobiography is written by the subject of the book about their own life, while a biography is written by another person. For example, actress Lucille Ball wrote an autobiography about her life called Love, Lucy.
Biographies and autobiographies
In this English article, learn about the difference between a biography and an autobiography, and have a go at autobiographical writing yourself.
The Difference Between Autobiography and Biography
With an autobiography, you address the reader using the first-person point of view. You’re telling them a story about your life. Since someone other than the subject (or their ghostwriter) writes the biography, it’s written about the subject — not from their point of view. The author of a biography typically refers to the subject using ...
Biography vs. Autobiography
A biography is a story of a person's life written by someone other than the story's subject. An autobiography is a story written by the subject of the story....