[stylist] Memoirs and autobiographies

[Lynda Lambert]

The Memoir is a SUB-CATEGORY of the Autobiography.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 5:31 PM
Subject: [stylist] Memoirs and autobiographies


> 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>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 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
>
>
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