Thursday, July 14, 2011

Autobiographies versus Memoirs

"Unplugged: The Avett Brothers: Laundry Room"


*Please follow the above link and listen to The Avett Brothers description of their song Laundry Room.


What is the difference between an autobiography and a memoir? I thought this was a good example to explain the difference between the two.


"An autobiography focuses on the chronology of the writer’s entire life while a memoir covers one specific aspect of the writer’s life. So, if I chose to write about my complete life up to this point—including growing up in Cincinnati, my time in New York, the few years I spent in Chicago and eventually landing at Writer’s Digest—I’d write an autobiography. If wrote a book about the winter of my sophomore year in high school where I got my tongue stuck to an icy pole, I’d write a memoir."
- Laura Tretter, Director


San Juan Island Library

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