Biography: what it is, types. history and features

We explain what a biography is, what its characteristics are and what types exist. In addition, we explain its history and how to write a biography.

A biography is the life story of a person.

What is a biography?

A biography is a writing that tells the life of a person. Usually, these are historical figures or prominent members of popular culture who arouse some interest in readers and whose lives are somehow important or exceptional.

The biographies They are chronological accounts of the most important events in the life of the person being portrayed., prepared by a specialist or researcher (known as a “biographer”) or by the person whose life is told (in these cases, it is called an “autobiography”). Therefore, no biography is completely faithful to the life it tells. This is a selection of his most relevant episodes, which can extend until his death or conclude much earlier.

The approach that these types of texts offer about the life of the person being biographed can vary greatly depending on who the biographer is. For this reason, the biography It is a difficult genre to classify, which can be considered on the border between journalism, history and fiction.. Along with the diary and correspondence, it is usually classified within the memorial genres.

Features of the biography

The general characteristics of a biography are:

• It is concerned with telling a significant portion of the life of a person, usually someone of historical or popular interest.
• It is a genre that lies between the essay and the narrative, and between history and literary fiction.
• It details the personality and life history of the biographer: it offers details about the places he frequented, the people with whom he interacted, and the important dates in his life.
• It is always written in prose and usually uses literary resources to best tell the story of the subject of the biography.
• At no time may you falsify what happened, hide, lie or distort the historical truth.
• It leaves no room for the opinions and value judgments of the biographer. It tries to be objective and responsible.
• It is often accompanied by images, such as photographs, illustrations, and diagrams, to provide context and help support the biographer’s point of view.
• Provides information regarding the historical context in which the subject of the biography lived.

Types of biography

A biography may or may not have the approval of the person being written.

Biographies can be classified according to their relationship with the official version of the facts and the life of the person being portrayed as follows:

• Authorized biography. It is one that has the approval of the biographer or his heirs and executors. For this reason, there is usually a certain degree of censorship behind it.
• Unauthorized or apocryphal biography. It is one that is published without the review and approval of the biographer or his heirs and executors, which is why it is usually considered an unofficial account of the life of the biographer, subject to modifications.
• fake biography. It is one that actually consists of a work of fiction, but that passes itself off as a biographical writing.

On the other hand, a distinction can be made between “biographies” (written by a third party) and “autobiographies” (written by the biographer himself).

History of biography

Contrary to what one might think, biography is an extremely old genre. His first known works date from Antiquity. In fact, in Ancient Rome there were prominent historians dedicated to biography, such as Cornelius Nepos (c. 100-c. 25 BC), Lucius Mestrio Plutarch (c. 40-c.120), Publius Cornelius Tacitus (c. . 55-c. 120) and Gaius Suetonius Tranquilus (c. 70-c.126), among many others.

Later, in medieval times, hagiography took the place of biography, as it recounted the lives of the holy martyrs of the Catholic Church, emphasizing the aspects of holiness that interested it. AND It was from the Renaissance that biography emerged as a literary genre itself.secular and scientistic, governed by the rules of objectivity and impartiality that are still required of biographers.

Some of the main Renaissance biographers were Fernando del Pulgar (1436-1492), Paulo Jovio (1483-1552), Brother Antonio de Guevara (c. 1480-1545), Nicolás Machiavelli (1469-1527), Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574 ) and Karel van Mander (1548-1606), among others. Many of his works were presented as biographical collections of artists, painters and monarchs, thus prefiguring the trend that in the 17th century would begin with biographical dictionaries, such as the famous Historical and critical dictionary (1696) by the Frenchman Pierre Bayle (1647-1706).

During the 19th century, with the popularization of literary Romanticism, the biography became a genre closer to fiction and began to delve much more deeply into the psychic life of the subject, rather than being content with his historical circumstances. Thus, for example, the controversial biographies of Jesus Christ by David Friedrich Strauss (1808-1874) and Ernest Renan (1823-1892) emerged. From then on, biography began to be freely practiced by writers, journalists and researchers.

Examples of biographies

Normally, biographies refer to illustrious or historical figures.

Some examples of biographies are:

• Parallel livesby Plutarch. Written between 96 and 117 AD. C., this compendium of biographies of ancient Greek and Roman figures is considered one of the first biographical exercises in history. These are 44 biographies organized in pairs, as a contrast between Greek and Roman culture.
• Mercedes Sosa, the Blackby Rodolfo BraceliThis is a biography of the great Argentine popular singer written from her living testimony. It covers everything from her birth in the Argentine province of Tucumán, to her exile and death, including her loves and her musical work.
• Brief history of Hitlerby Jesús Hernández Martínez. It is an informative biography that, with simple language and emphasizing the historical context of the 20th century, offers a panoramic look at the life of the German dictator.
• Thomas Bernhard. A biographyby Miguel SáenzThis biography of one of the most prominent European literary figures of the 20th century attempts to fill the gap left by the writer himself in his various autobiographies, which seem to be more works of fiction than memory. This biography is also written by one of Bernhard’s main translators into Spanish.
• I need loveby Klaus KinskiThis is the autobiography of the famous German actor, written as an intimate confession. In it, he records his contradictory feelings about acting, his violent personality and the complex relationship with his children.

How to make a biography?

To prepare a biography, it is advisable to follow these steps:

• Choosing the biographeeThe initial step in this process is to choose who will be the subject of the biography. Ideally, it should be a person of global or local historical importance, whose life serves to illustrate a specific historical process or to provide context for a particular moment in time.
• Research and documentation. A biographical writing must be as objective and responsible as possible, so it must offer the reader the sources you have consulted and support your claims with evidence. For this, it is essential to read about the biographer: other biographies, period documents, everything that can help to understand who he was and what he did.
• Define the biography. At this stage, you must choose how much of the biographer’s life will be told. That will depend on what the biographer really cares about highlighting. Will it be a strictly professional biography or also personal? Will it be limited to a specific moment in his life, for example, his passage through an institution or his participation in a war? Or will it recount life in detail from childhood and youth? These things must be decided.
• Putting together a biographical outline. Once the point of view has been chosen, a general outline of the points to be addressed in the biography can be constructed, as a skeleton of the work. The ideal is to choose the titles that will define each chapter and the subtitles that will structure the information within each one of them.
• Write the biography. According to the biographical outline, you should proceed with the writing, completing each segment according to what was previously established, until you reach the end. Then, you will proceed to review and correct the manuscript to ensure that it has the fewest possible errors.

Follow with:

References

• Diaz Arrieta, H. (1999). Biography art. Ocean.
• González Blanco, A. and López Bermúdez, F. (2006). The biography and its problems. Crisis and renewal of a historical genre. Speech read on January 19, 2006. Royal Academy Alfonso X the Wise.
• Olmo, MT (2015). Theory of biography. Dykinson.