[stylist] Memoirs and autobiographies

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Linda,

Memoirs are not "Lies based on a truth." Memoirs are actual, real-life
occurrences but often told in a more creative way. Nothing is "made-up"
in a memoir, though many memoirist, especially nowadays, use literary
techniques like dialogue, imagery and metaphor plus rely on descriptive
language to tell those real-life events.

And both memoirs and autobiographies are told from the authors
perspective; only biographies are written accounts about people and
things from the perspective of another person. The two nonfiction genres
differ in that autobiographies tend to be linear, meaning I was born, I
lived doing stuff and then I settled into my life sort of story .
Memoirs tend to focus on a single moment or topic in a person's life as
opposed to their entire life. Both are written by the person who
experienced that life or those events. Memoir may use conjecture as
well, but it is still the author's point of view.

And even when using literary devices such as dialogue, metaphor or
playing with format and structure, the story is still real; not a
fictionalized account of real things, but actually about the real
things.

Some great memoirs to check out are Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong
Kingston, available on BARD
Naked by David Sedaris, available on Audible, and I have an electronic
copy if anyone would like to have it
The Truth Book by Joy Castro, not sure if available in accessible
format, I had book and scanned
Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks, available on BARD (more
literary journalism, but can also qualify as a memoir)

A good autobiography to check out is Pat Benitar's book, available on
BARD, and President Obama's, also available on BARD

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 9
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2012 09:24:15 -0500
From: "Lynda Lambert" <llambert at zoominternet.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] The problem with memoirs
Message-ID: <94AF93C3797F409DA6BA19D5C8A0CB72 at Lambert>
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	reply-type=original

I really love the memoir form of writing. It is based on an actual life 
event, or moments of a life,  but then it flourishes into the
imagination as 
well. It is like a weaving of warp and weft. A tapestry of moments in a
life 
as told by the person who has lived those moments. It is a lie based on
a 
truth, and we understand that from the get-go, and we expect to be swept

away by the imagination mingled with actual moments.  I love the memoir 
because it is "moments" in a life, and not the full tale of the 
auto-biography. And, the biography, of course, is slanted because it is
only 
one person's view that is expressed - the author.

I love the memoir for the same reason I love the theater and going to
see a 
very well written play.  Suspension of disbelief is necessary as I open
the 
book and begin to read. It is "real" but it is "not real" at the same
time. 
Next to poetry (great poetry) the memoir is right up there on my
favorites 
list.

Lynda