A biography is a non-fiction account of a person's life, aiming to provide an objective portrayal through research and interviews. Various types of biographies include critical, historical, literary, reference, and fictional biographies, each serving different purposes and perspectives. Writing a biography involves obtaining permission, conducting extensive research, forming a thesis, establishing a timeline, and including personal insights to create an engaging narrative.

1. BIOGRAPHY
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2. A biography is the non-fiction, written history or
account of a person’s life. Biographies are
intended to give an objective portrayal of a
person, written in the third person. Biographers
collect information from the subject (if he/she is
available), acquaintances of the subject, or in
researching other sources such as reference
material, experts, records, diaries, interviews,
What is Biography?

3. Most biographers intend to present the
life story of a person and establish
the context of their story for the
reader, whether in terms of history
and/or the present day. In turn, the
reader can be reasonably assured that
the information presented about the
biographical subject is as true and
authentic as possible.

4. The word ‘biography’ means ‘life-writing’
the two halves of the word derive from
medieval Greek bios, ‘life’, and graphia,
‘writing’. Dictionary definitions give you
“the history of the lives of individual men,
as a branch of literature”, or “a written
record of the life of an individual”
ORIGIN OF BIOGRAPHY

5. As a literary device,
biography is important
because it allows readers to
learn about someone’s story
and history. This can be
enlightening, inspiring, and
meaningful in creating

6. Example of Biography
James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson
The biography that ushered in the modern era of true-life writing, The
Life of Samuel Johnson covered the entirety of its subject’s life, from
his birth to his status as England’s preeminent writer to his death.
Boswell was a personal acquaintance of Johnson, so he was able to draw
on voluminous amounts of personal conversations the two shared.
What also sets this biography apart is, because Boswell was a
contemporary of Johnson, readers see Johnson in the context of his
own time. He wasn’t some fabled figure that a biographer was writing
about centuries later; he was someone to whom the author had access,
and Boswell could see the real-world influence his subject had on life
before and to this present.

7. Types of Biographies
While all biographical works tell the lives of real people,
writers can present the information in several different ways.
1. Critical biography
- Critical biography discuss the relationship
between the subject’s life and the work they
produced or were involved in.

8. - critical biography aims at evaluating
the works as well as unfolding the life of
its subject, either by interweaving the
life in its consideration of the works or
else by devoting separate chapters to
the works. for example the biography
of Donald Trump by Martha
Brockenbrough

9. 2. Historical biography
- Historical biography put greater understanding on
how the subject’s life and contributions affected or
were affected by the times in which they lived.
3. Literary biography
- Literary biography concentrate almost exclusively on
writers and artists, blending a conventional narrative of
the historical facts of the subject’s life with an
exploration of how these facts impacted their creative
output.

10. 4. Reference biography
- Reference biography are more scholarly
writings, usually written by multiple authors and
covering multiple lives around a single topic. They
verify facts, provide background details, and
contribute supplemental information resources,
like bibliographies, glossaries, and historical
documents.

11. 5. Fictional biographies or biographical
novels
- Fictional biographies or biographical novels
incorporates creative license into the retelling
of a real person’s story by taking on the
structure and freedoms of a novel. The term
can also describe novels in which authors give
an abundance of background information on
their characters, to the extent that the novel
reads more like a biography than fiction.

12. Tips on How to Write a Biography
To write the story of a person’s life, you need to know
more than just the basic facts. A good biography delves
into what is really interesting about a person’s life
noteworthy achievements, moments of adversity, and
major turning points. The best biography can
encapsulate a subject’s entire life in an engaging way
and provide enough personal details to give the reader
an intimate look at their character. If you’re interested
in writing a biography, the following steps can get you
started:

13. I. Get permission.
- Once you’ve chosen the subject of the
biography, seek permission to write about their life.
While in some cases it may not be necessary (like if
the subject is a public figure or deceased), getting
permission will make the research portion of your
writing process much easier. If the subject is willing
to be biographied, they may provide significant
details about their own story up front that will help
make your writing about them more compelling.

14. II. Do your research.
- Regardless of how much you know about your
subject, an extensive amount of research is necessary
to paint a thorough picture of this person. If they’re a
historical figure, include information about the time
period they lived in and how it affected the way they
lived their life. Primary sources are firsthand
accounts of your subject’s life and tend to be the
most reliable sources. These can include journal
entries, emails, interviews, or memoirs.

15. - A primary source can also be any
other information the subject has
provided, such as a personal website,
Twitter bio, social media account or
professional bio. Secondary sources,
like magazines or documentaries, can
also be used if the information is proven
accurate.

16. III. Form your thesis.
- Your first paragraph or chapter should inform
the reader what they will learn about this person
from this biography. A thesis makes a declaration
about the subject twhich the rest of the
biography will provide relevant information to
support.

17. iv. Make a timeline.
- A biography usually structures the main
points of a person’s life in chronological order.
Knowing the order of key events before you
start writing can save you the hassle of having
to reorganize your whole story later.

18. V. Use flashbacks.
- While writing the text of your biography,
you may want to intercut between an
experience from your subject’s adult life and
one from their high school days. Using
flashbacks allows the author to introduce
relevant past information to the reader without
bogging them down with paragraphs of
background exposition.

19. vi. Include your thoughts.
- A biography isn’t just a transaction of facts. A
biographer can share their own feelings and opinions
on their subject’s life. If the subject did something
noteworthy, the author may include why they feel that
moment was significant, how it was affected by the
time period, and what it meant for society as a whole.
This will support why this person deserves to be
written about and keep the audience reading from the
first sentence to the last.

20. What Is the Purpose of a Biography?
- The purpose of a biography is to share the life of
another person with an audience. An author may
choose to write a biography because they find the
subject’s story to be interesting or to have themes
that apply to life today. Some authors choose to write
a biography due to a lack of information about an
interesting subject, or to update the public with facts
that an existing biography may have missed.

21. Biographical stories can be inspiring—
highlighting the achievements of a
particular figure, pointing out ways the
subject overcame hardship, giving the
readers a sense of encouragement.
Biographies can also serve as cautionary
tales, warning readers on who not to
become but overall inspiring readers with
a unique stories of other people.

22. END