Memoir vs autobiography examples

Memoir and autobiography are often used synonymously. These two nonfiction genres are very similar, so it’s easy to get them confused. They’re both the story of someone’s life written by that person, and they both use the pronouns “I” and “me” since they’re written in the first person.

Memoir vs autobiography vs biography difference An autobiography is a book written by the subject him or herself, detailing the important events of 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. However, there are always exceptions to this. Telling the difference between an autobiography, a biography, and a memoir is easier said than done.

They’re both true stories from the author’s life. But there are some key differences.

A memoir is a nonfiction narrative in which the author shares their memories from a specific time period or reflects upon a string of themed occurrences throughout their life. An autobiography is a factual and historical account of one’s entire life from beginning to end.

If you’ve struggled to understand the difference between autobiography and memoir, you’ve come to the right place to learn more.

What is a memoir?

Memoir comes from the French word mémoire, which means memory. A memoir is a nonfiction but subjective collection of narratives in which the author remembers experiences, emotions, and events from a certain period in their life.

Memoirs focus on intimately conveying their perception of these memories in a way that is emotionally truthful but isn’t fact-checked.

How do you pronounce memoir?

Memoir can seem like a tricky word to pronounce, but it’s actually quite simple.

Memoir vs autobiography vs biography difference definition Since most autobiographies detail an interesting life lived, they're often written by the subjects in their later years. View More Posts. A ghostwriter can bring a flow and cohesive narrative to the subject's life story. Because the author is also the main character of the story, autobiographies are written in the first person.

The beginning is “mem” just like “memory.” The end is essentially an elongated pronunciation of “war.” Put together phonetically, it sounds like “MEM-waar.” You can consult an online dictionary to hear an audio recording of this word being pronounced out loud.

What is memoir as a literary genre?

A memoir is a literary nonfiction genre in which the author recounts their experiences during a significant period of their life.

They might focus on their childhood and family, a spiritual journey, their experience with fame, a big adventure, or many different but thematically related events in a collection of personal essays. These days, some memoirs are even graphic novels illustrated by the author.

How is a memoir structured?

There isn’t one right way to structure a memoir.

Memoir authors can experiment with how they order the events they’re recounting, whether they write in the past or present tense, use a linear narrative, or divide their memoir into sections.

While a memoir is a flexible genre, it should include these things:

• A specific theme
• Something the author overcame
• First-person writing style
• Supporting details and events from the past and the people who were present
• Storytelling basics like plot and setting 
• Honesty

Memoirs typically fall into one of these structures:

• Flashbacks: The author jumps back and forth between the past and present to provide backstory
• Chronological: The author writes about their experiences in the order in which they happened.

• Themed: The author includes only memories that fall into one specific theme.
• Overcoming: The author focuses on one struggle and how it affected their life.

• Famous autobiographies
• Memoir vs autobiography vs biography difference list
• Memoir vs autobiography vs biography difference and comparison

What is an autobiography?

An autobiography is a nonfiction account of someone’s life that they wrote themselves. Usually, an autobiography covers the author’s entire life up to the point of writing in chronological order and is sometimes (though not always) drafted in the later years of the author’s life. The events recounted in autobiographies are factual and fact-checked.

They’re often used as resources by historians.

Many autobiographies are written by people who have some claim to fame who write about their journey to becoming famous. The author might be a politician, change-maker, business figure, professional athlete, or celebrity. But anyone can write an autobiography.

The etymology of the word autobiography is made up of three Greek root words: “auto,” meaning self; “bio,” meaning life; and “graph” meaning write.

5 difference between biography and autobiography

What is a biography

What is a memoir

Difference between biography and autobiography with example

Difference between biography and autobiography and memoir

What is a biography?

A biography is also a nonfiction account of someone’s life, but it’s written by someone else. Biographies are typically based on interviews, letters, personal journals, photos, reference books, newspapers, and digital media. The word biography has the same roots as autobiography but without the “auto” prefix.

What is an autobiography as a literary genre?

Autobiographies fit into the nonfiction genre.

They are retrospective narratives that tell the story of the majority of an author’s life. Autobiographies are factual and chronological. Authors in this genre tend to focus on providing context for their life and personal development within a historical and cultural framework.

How is an autobiography structured?

Traditionally, autobiographies have been written chronologically.

But nowadays, there are two common structures for autobiographies. Each of these structures follows traditional storytelling principles.

Memoir vs autobiography vs biography difference chart Interested in publishing a memoir? But once you know what differentiates these three types of books, you'll be able to tell them apart with ease. The memories King shares give you an insight into his upbringing, his family, and his first successes as an author. The purpose of an autobiography is to portray the life experiences and achievements of the author.

These two structures are standard across the publishing industry.

Most autobiographies follow a chronological structure like this:

• Foundation: childhood experiences, family members, community, home life, school, friendships, family traditions
• Adversity: pivotal moments that lead to life achievements
• Conclusion: lessons learned after overcoming or embracing adversity

Some autobiographies follow a structure that the writer Joseph Campbell called “the hero’s journey,” which includes these elements:

• Adversity: a life crisis or pivotal moment that was a catalyst for the life they lead today
• Foundation: childhood experiences, family traditions, community, school, friendship, and home life
• Conclusion: how they overcame adversity and the lessons they learned along the way

“The hero’s journey” format can be used to grab a reader’s attention.

It provokes curiosity and a desire for resolution in the reader that compels them to keep reading.

Memoir vs. autobiography examples

Memoirists selectively share the stories and emotions that contribute to their chosen theme or time period. Here are some popular memoirs from the past and present: 

• A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
• An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
• Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
• Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
• I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Just Kids by Patti Smith
• Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
• Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
• My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
• Night by Elie Wiesel
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
• Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman
• Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

Autobiographies are factual accounts of someone’s entire life.

Here are some examples of popular autobiographies throughout history: 

• Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie
• Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
• Autobiography of an Androgyne by Earl Lind
• Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain
• Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash
• Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan
• I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
• Living for Change: An Autobiography by Grace Lee Boggs
• Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass By Frederick Douglass
• Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley
• The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano
• The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Memoir vs.

autobiography FAQs

What is a memoir?

A memoir is a nonfiction first-person narrative written about a specific theme or time in the author’s life.

Autobiography vs memoir Next How to publish a magazine. Biographers use a number of different sources to piece together the information they need to give the reader a look into the subject's life. Having a writing partner experienced with these genres to guide you on your journey can be invaluable in producing the story you want to tell. Making efficient use of resources when writing your story Making an efficient use of resources will help create a compelling story that resonates with readers.

What is an autobiography?

An autobiography is a factual, nonfiction first-person account of the majority of the author’s life, usually in chronological order.

What are the key similarities between memoir and autobiography?

Autobiographies and memoirs both have these elements:

• Nonfiction 
• Written in the first person
• Recounted events from the author’s life

How do memoirs and autobiographies differ?

Autobiographies:

• Factual
• Usually chronological
• Cover the majority of the author’s life

Memoirs: 

• Emotion-focused
• Only cover a piece of the author’s life or a specific theme
• Can have many different types of timelines

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