Biographies....

[Cleopatra]

I am about to finish the Biography of Iris Murdoch, composed by Peter Conradi and this books has put me into thoughts.

I have never been a fan of biographies. I have read very few and all the biographies I have read are related to History and WWII and they are autobiographies. I avoid biographies because I consider them a kind of fiction.

Certainly we must distinguish at least two kinds of biographies:

1. The ones that are composed while the person in question is still alive and in some cases supervises the whole project and
2. The biographies that are composed after the person is dead.

I hate the "shocking, tiny details" of the personal life of the person who is discussed.

For example, I find the title of the book I am reading quite misleading. This is not the biography of I.Murdoch. The title should be something like: " If you have lived in England between the years 1919-1999, check the book to find if you have slept with Murdoch" Or " A detailed catologue of the individuals I.Murdoch has slept with".

Another very well known example : Shakespeare.Why is so important to clarify whether Shakespeare was a homosexual or not?Why biographies of the Bard are composed solely to address that issue?

First of all do you read biographies? Do you think that such details from the personal lives of authors should be included in their biographies? Do you think that such details shed light to their work?

 

[hgc]

...
Another very well known example : Shakespeare.Why is so important to clarify whether Shakespeare was a homosexual or not?Why biographies of the Bard are composed solely to address that issue?

First of all do you read biographies? Do you think that such details from the personal lives of authors should be included in their biographies? Do you think that such details shed light to their work?

Some people like to examine the relationship between literary (or artistic) works and their creator. This provides insight into the creative process, and informs us about how cultural and personal factors influence the work.

And some people just like juicy gossip.

I am reminded that the film critic Roger Ebert, a huge Murdoch fan, gave a negative review to the recent movie about her, because it focused on her early, randy days and on her late life descent into senility, and left out anything about her creative process. He ignored his own dictum to review the movie that was made, not the movie you wish was made.

 

[Luke T.]

I don't know if you will get this, but let me put it this way: I liked the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! way, way better than the movie Pearl Harbor.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I just finished reading my first "fictionalized biography" of Mabel Stark, a great circus tiger trainer in the 1930s.

It was strange because you can't tell where biography ends and fiction starts. Other than that, it was a great read. If some of the characterization was true, she was a very spunky dynamo.

Anyway, no more fictionalized biography for me.