An autobiography covers a person’s whole life, while a memoir focuses on specific memories or a period of it.
Autobiography
A person’s life story from birth to the present, written in chronological order. Usually formal and comprehensive.
Memoir
A narrative focused on a theme or period, based on personal memory. More reflective and emotional.
Examples
- Autobiography: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
- Memoir: Educated by Tara Westover.
Perspective
Memoirs are subjective, while autobiographies aim to be broader.
Related
A biography is written by someone else.
Scope
An autobiography covers the writer’s whole life, from birth to the present, usually in chronological order. A memoir focuses on specific periods, themes or experiences, such as a career, a relationship, an illness or a historic event, and tends to be more personal and reflective.
Tone and style
Autobiographies are more factual and comprehensive. Memoirs read like literature, with scenes, dialogue and emotion, and often share the writer’s inner life and lessons.
Examples of autobiographies
- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X (with Alex Haley).
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.
- The Story of My Life by Helen Keller.
Examples of memoirs
- Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt.
- Night by Elie Wiesel.
- Educated by Tara Westover.
- Becoming by Michelle Obama.
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Accuracy
Both rely on memory, so details may be subjective. Memoir writers acknowledge that memory is imperfect, and some controversies have arisen when authors invented facts (for example A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, 2003).
Related forms
- Biography: written by someone else about a person’s life.
- Autofiction: fiction based on the author’s life.
- Personal essay and diary: shorter or private forms.
Who writes them
Autobiographies are often written by well known figures, often with a ghostwriter. Memoirs can be written by anyone with a story that will resonate.
Etymology
“Memoir” comes from the French “memoire”, meaning memory. “Autobiography” comes from Greek, meaning self life writing.
Market
Memoirs have been a major genre in nonfiction publishing since the 1990s.
Scope and examples
An autobiography is a person’s account of their whole life, usually in chronological order and written by the subject, such as The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. A memoir focuses on specific periods, themes or experiences, such as Tara Westover’s Educated about her upbringing or Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, which won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, or Elie Wiesel’s Night. Memoirs often read like a story with reflection, while autobiographies often cover facts and milestones. The word memoir comes from the French “memoire,” meaning memory or record.
Truthfulness and market
Both are expected to be nonfiction, but memoirs depend on the writer’s memory and perspective, and disputes can arise, as in the 2006 controversy over James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces, which was marketed as a memoir but included fabricated details. Famous people may use ghostwriters, and some books are “as told to” another author, like The Autobiography of Malcolm X with Alex Haley. Memoirs are a popular category in publishing, and readers value voice and honesty. If you plan to write one, change names where needed and be careful about defamation and privacy.
Based on data from the Pulitzer Prizes and the Oxford English Dictionary
