Memoir, biography, autobiography; what is the difference?
Why the importance and an introduction to a mini series
The first biography I ever read, in the form of a physical Book that is, was the story of the Romanovs. Specifically, The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra, by Hellen Rapport. This was only succeeded after reading Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire by Toby Faber. So there is no need to make the usual statements of "I don't know what brought me to do it, how this unexpected new genre brought about new things" because, for me, I already know why. I was interested in Lost Treasure and thought I could read more about the missing Faberge eggs in the Romanov biography. But then something unexpected did happen. Though I didn't learn much about my initial endeavours, I read about the downfall of the Russian dynasty, and this brought about a new realization often ignored. Just as there are rags-to-riches stories, elegance, and richness hold no light next to a revolution.
Then I read The Diary of a Young Girl, a long overdue must-read book that has been on my bucket list since we were assigned reading groups in middle school, and I was assigned a different Book. I remember hearing the Anne Frank discussion group and being so enthralled that I couldn't focus on my own group, and vowing then and there that though I wasn't fortunate enough to be part of the history group, I would read it someday in the future. I've read it twice hence since, a perspective on what it was like to be hidden in war. No war book can bring out the life that a true perspective does, and the diary of Anne Frank has done just that incredibly. A nice biography it was. But that's the thing, it wasn't a biography at all, but an autobiography, something I've taken little to no account of since then and only appreciated till now.
There was then I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. The title explains it all, but this was no historical book, but rather a recent series of events happening in the early 2010s which only puts Malalas bravery into perspective. An autobiography yes, but better listed as a memoir.
Up to this point if you could tell anything about my reading is. that I enjoyed true stories. I read other biographies and my favourite by far is The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History by Margalit Fox, which again has the convenience of explaining the gist of the story in the long title. I enjoy anything by Margalit Fox. I've read all of her books, and have placed a hold on Her most recent, and she also follows me on Goodreads which came as a big surprise and is any reader's dream come true. Not to boast just happy to share, but I digress.
After sharing my true story book journey, The question remains what is the difference between a biography, memoir, and autobiography, simply told, and with examples,
A biography is a true story told from an outsider's perspective, in this case, written by the author. Such examples include the Romanov Sisters and the Confidence Men, where information is gathered through Books and history, usually with a notes page and reference page indicating where the information came from at the end of the book.
An autobiography is a true story told by the one who experienced perspective, so essentially a story of themselves. Since the information is solid proof (coming from the person) there are usually no notes or reference pages.
A memoir is like an autobiography and can be classified as a subcategory, in which it is also written by the person who experiences and tells their story, but in this case in the form of a collection of memories, such as Malala's story.
The difference between a memoir and an autobiography is that a memoir tells memories of a specific time or event such as Malala's stand against the Taliban. An autobiography tells a person's story in chronological order from beginning to end, in a factual form of way rather than a story form.
Since coming to Substack, I have seen a rise in the interest in biographies. Often, accompanied by an explanation of the comfort they provide knowing that life sorts itself out. Books Saved My Life by
of different biographies of prominent figures and the hardships they endured such as Napoleon, Teddy Roosevelt, and Elon Musk provides courage, the stories of women forgotten through history by ,The woman who taught Socrates the meaning of love provides strength, and the everyday stories told by fellow substack writers provides community.There is truly a comfort in reading that the problems of today are not necessarily those of tomorrow. That hardships are universal, and life isn't just being unfair towards you. There are many of those stories. Who wouldn't think of Cristiano Ronaldo when thinking of a rags-to-riches story? Or of J. K. Rowling when discussing overcoming hardships. Or of the long line of people through history who had to overcome ordeals to reach how far they've gotten.
But that's the thing, the stories known through history. But what about the unknown stories? The unsung heroes whose stories have been cast off to the side and forgotten. What about them?
They have not been forgotten, but their stories are yet to be told. Last week I promised the story of Djamila Bouhired, accompanying the photo essay of The Algeria a Heroic Woman Fought to Save. In every photo essay, I will do the same, providing an accompanying story of an unknown historical hero, influential person, or forgotten genius, from different nations and cultures. Tomorrow is a surprise double post (to make up for my lack of posting yesterday) and you get the story of Djamila Bouhired, an unsung hero with a story yet to be shared.
Ok, I guess I have just written a memoir? Or could I say autobiography? Just having completed by husband’s life story. He dictated, I typed. I think the draft is finally complete other than deciding on a cover. Hopefully with all the writing I have done relating to each side of my parent’s family, both sides of my husband’s family and my life story, I have had enough practice at editing. But never say never, there is sure to be something that could have been phrased better and possibly a spelling mistake, I’ll blame the computer’s auto correct lol…
That is such an important point you made. Many of us are well aware of the stories told and repeated about the famous people you mentioned. They are inspiring but so often repeated. It's important to bring to the page the stories no one has written about yet.
Like you, I am fascinated by true stories. I cannot wait for more of this from you. 😊