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Which do you prefer? Biographies written about someone? Or Autobiographies written by the actual person (and/or ghost-writer)?Personally, I prefer autobiographies written by the actual person. I have never stopped to consider whether they are ghostwritten or not. But most of the autobiographies and memoirs I have read were about writers' lives so I will assume they aren't ghostwritten.
I think that biographies can sometimes by speculative and invasive, and just don't seem as genuine to me as an autobiography. But then, what I really like to read are authors' published journals.
What about you? Which do you prefer?
I agree about the journals. I also like to read correspondence. Beyond that, I like both autiobio/memoir and biography. I like the personal point of view, but I think biography is interesting because it says something both about the subject and the present culture. I like to see how perceptions change over time, or to see a more obscure figure recognized and placed in history.
ReplyDeleteeveningreader - Those are very good points. I agree that these are all good reasons to read biographies and journals.
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